Spitting/backfiring/cyl cuts out/ bogging

[Handyman]

Yes I experienced all this with my banshee and couldn't find the reason I was having so many problems. Well I finally found the problem.......an air leak.. Now I had to find the airleak....... 2 weeks later I found it. After installling a new top end all new gaskets and spending alot of time on here asking so many questions and yes some were quite dumb and illogical I started to look at all the things that we would over look and the book doesn't say to look at. Well to make a long story short. After having the left cylinder/carb problems and the symptoms were telling me the engine had an air leak I looked at every logical thing it could be. I even did the leak test and found nothing. So I took off the reed valves and looked at the cylinder to see if I had lost it. It looked good so when I went to put the reed valve and spacer back in I decided to take the 2 gaskets and swap them and turn them 180 degrees. Re-installed the reed valve and carb and started the thing back up.........it ran perfectly. I let it warm up since that's when the problems showed themselves and nothing. the exaust coming out the mufflers were strong and had even pressure. NO spitting, backfiring, bursts of hot air, nothing. So I took it for a ride down the street and it had so much more power through the power band. Took it for a 8 mile ride down some railroad tracks and it never gave me reason to turn around. I can not believe swapping 2 gaskets would make so much difference and give me such a head ache. I can now finally say thanks to everyone for helping me out. I learned a lot from everyone here and hope I can be of some assistance when asked. Now I'm ready for Pismo and Glamis.