First off, let me give you guys a little background. I bought this ped after it having been sitting in a shed for 7 years. I was thrilled to find that the engine still turned over, and the tank had little/no rust in it. It had no spark, which I resolved by putting a condenser in it and cleaning/adjusting the points. I re-set timing at this point as well, and it is dead nuts on. I went with a dellorto carb as the old carb had snapped off at the intake and I read good things about that setup.
I got done with the swap and it ran fine for about 3-4 miles. After that, I got a pretty brutal backfire through the carb which blew the steel mesh filter off... Ever since then, I have a RIDICULOUS lack of power. It will accelerate on the stand, but not as quickly as i'd like, and if I'm riding it, it will often times barely even get up to speed unless I pedal it. If I get it going with the pedals, it will climb to 20-22 VERY SLOWLY and it feels like it may die the whole way.
The petcock is new, I have adequate fuel flow and the gas is very clean. Plug is brand new, I've also already tried swapping it. Plug wire, coil, both new, nice blue spark, plug is gapped correctly. Timing is perfect. Adjusting it makes it no better. All the wiring on the bike is intact and connections are tight/clean/good. Ground(s) are good. I took a look at the variator (pulled the clutch bell off) and both of the spring loaded weight things move freely and the friction material is all good (I sanded it anyways.) I lubed the variator while I was at it. The belt is new and doesn't slip. Exhaust has been removed from the bike - I had to clean it out as it had a hornets nest in it - ha. No exhaust restrictions at all. Head gasket is intact, base gasket is new (I know this because I pulled the motor apart yesterday to ensure that it wasn't a compression issue.
Here's the question. Would missing that mesh filter be the root of all of this? I could see it causing a lean condition - but so lean that the bike won't move? It's equally as bad hot as it is cold. I am running, i think, a 59 jet, which is what was recommended to me.
I attached a pic of the plug after a couple miles, it's a sandy color. It's a shitty pic, but if i get the plug closer to the camera it blurs up. Cell phones.
So. Anyone have any input?