David Keith

Yes. If you call Ricky Stator Inc., you can ship your electrical components to them & they will provide an honest testing for you. I shipped my stuff to them once & they told me the components were good... They did not try to sell me something I didn't need.

0.005 is too close! At high RPM things flex & expand. That's why you need that "operational clearance".

That sounds most likely.

Sounds like a low speed jet (27.5) problem or the choke cross-over is tube leaking.

That's right, and the higher octane fuel explodes "slower", but with more driving force.

"Amen"

Why don't you apply the Yamabond like everyone suggests & get yourself the fittings required to do a leak down test. After the engine is assembled, but before mounting in frame, you can test it then. This will tell you how well sealed it is. If there are any air leaks, this will expose them...

You say that it doesn't dis-engage the clutch. Is there any tension when you twist the clutch lever arm? Are the clutch alignment marks lined up?

Don't get carried away adding too much weld. Just a serious tack at each crank pin end, acts just like a tight keyway to prevent twist. I have seen a cranshaft welded all the way around & the bearing bosses were not concentric. There was 0.010 TIR because of too much heat (weld) input.

What you are describing is perfectly normal. Yes, you must twist the transmission drive or driven shaft in order for the gear teeth & drive dogs to align. Sounds like you are right on track.

Are you sure the choke cross-over tube is connected? I left mine off once & it acted like what you are describing. I had to swallow my pride & admit I overlooked what should have been obvious.

Let's keep an open mind about this. Why don't you remove the 80 weight oil & install some 10W30 weight engine oil like the Yamaha manual recommends. Test this to see if the factory recommended oil weight doesn't reduce the clutchdrag... (1.3 qts.) Please post the results.

Make sure each hose is connected properly. If it still leaks even after you've adjusted the float height per spec., why don't you remove the float needle again & clean the end real good with s scotch brite pad. This will remove any scuff or varnish that may have built up around the seating area. If you have the ability, I would test the carburetor on your bench top to be sure the float & needle are working right before you install it on your shee.

Listen to "dajogejr". All the other opinions are valid, BUT once these original studs are removed, it is really tricky to get replacement studs fitted & torqued just right. Sure you can use heli-coils or threaded in sleeve nuts for a temporary fix, but don't you want it to last?

If you change the rings, will you please measure & record the amount of compression using the same gauge? Please post the results so we will know the amount of improvement???