lean mixture, jetting carbs, and other problems

Looks like you are within the Zone of Fine Tuning.

That puts you within the width of a Dime, give or take, to being where the Bike's Tuned the way you like to ride it without fear of a Critically Lean issue.

Once you get running like that, ... just keep an eye on any "light one" and make individual corrections as needed. ll <-- That close. Nice.

 

It's good to hear that my plugs look ok, but I think the picture quality is slightly misleading, the artificial lighting makes the insulators look a little more brown than they really are. They look more gray in person, more so during a plug chop. The flame rings do look black either way though, with only a tiny bit of soot on them when checking them after the engine runs at idle speeds.

As for performance and sound, engine breaking is definitely there and my exhaust note sounds fine with no major popping that I can tell (it's hard to distinguish certain bike noises from wind noises at speed). Despite my mixture issues, the bike starts up instantly, warms up quickly, and overall runs like a champ, so I must be doing something right!

 

Honestly, from the sound of things I don't think you have a "mixture issue" any more.

Ride it; don't worry about plug 'chops' just give them a look after 500 miles or so.

 

Just curious, and don't want to hijack your thread, but what size of washer did you use? A #4 stainless or did you talk to Chacal?

 

I didn't talk to chacal for the washers . The drawer I grabbed them from in the garage was simply labeled "Washers: 6 - 8 - 10." Comparing the sizes, I believe I used the #8 (stainless).