All right, after having problems with the pivot bolt for the cam chain tensioner, I got things put back together and it ran pretty good, didn't idle great but sounded ok otherwise.
Then, a week later, try to start it and nothing!  Tried on prime, res, on; choke out, choke in...  Then vroom, started!  But after a minute died.  Tried again 30 minutes later and started right up.  Then died a few minutes after that.
I know the previous owner let it sit for a few years so I'm thinking time to rebuild the carb.  Thoughts?  Kits?  Anything I should know?

So last week it started easy and sounded good.  Didn't want to idle but if I held the throttle just a little open it was fine.  When I opened the throttle it responded well and sounded fine (except for the backfires when I let off)

This week it wouldn't start for the longest time.  Once it did it sounded weaker and if I opened the throttle it wanted to die.  I had to open it really slow.  I adjusted the idle screw and at one point it idled for about a minute.  When it died it sounded just like an engine running out of gas.

It sounds like you're only getting a trickle of gas.
have you checked out the petcock?

bpearsoncfi wrote on 09/12/15 at 19:55:42:



Besides the carb itself, you may very well have rust particles/pieces/chunks/etc coming loose now that you have fuel in the tank.
You may need to do the acid & sealer trick to the tank.
Then pull the carb off the engine and go through it with a fine tooth wire to clean the crud out of the passageways
Tighten your belt and get to work.
THEN you can jet and tune with confidence.
.