Oh wow, this thread is way out of date.
I solved the carb issues by paying someone to do it for me. It was a bit pricey, but at least the engine is smooth as ever. Included in that work were valves, spark plugs, and oil.
I remounted the gauges, this time with a zip tie, and it's all way better. No, really!
I disconnected the turn signals while doing the above, and then reconnected them wrong. So now my right signal is on if I'm in a gear, and the left one triggers the high beam with it. I'm being really lazy about fixing it, and I'm currently not at my place with my tools anyway, so…
I adjusted the headlight better, so it now points more forward than before. It's fine, trust me.
I still haven't wired up the tach. At this point I might never get around to it.
Back in November, I actually listed the bike for sale on Craigslist. I asked for $1,500 and would've taken $1,000, but after a few $500 lowballers I took the listing down and had a shop do the aforementioned carb work. Since then I've actually been riding the bike, and it's way better.
However, I've somehow managed to lose a few thousand RPM. Since I don't have a tach wired up, I don't know for sure, but it definitely feels like WOT doesn't actually get the bike up anywhere near its 11,000RPM redline. Since I just had the engine worked on by a competent shop, I'm thinking throttle cable, throttle tube, or maybe the valve at the other end of the cable? Not looking forward to trying to diagnose this when I'm back at my place in two weeks.
Some pictures:
Lovely transport to the beach:
I wonder why it didn't sell:
Working gauges:
Canyon carving with some buddies (NC700X DCT, FZ-07, FZ-07 ABS, R 1100 R with 260,000 miles):