Okay. So you got good pipes now. This may help you with your baseline. I've had some time on my hands, so I've been messing with the cabs again. I'm running some tuned drag pipes with fishtails(FYI) and K&N filters (completely open). I just swapped out TBS w/2 shims for the stock needles w/2 shims, and it makes power quicker in the band. I'm set up as 45/155/stock needles w/2 shims on an 06 SM, and it comes on hard at WOT in the 5-7k RPM range.
Actually, that is what got me messing around with the carbs again. It was really lackadaisical until 5k RPM, then it hit a power surge. I thought is was over fueling (rich) in the mid range, so I took out the one shim on the TBS needles. well, it got worse. Went back in and put 2 shims on the TBS needles; whoa baby. That's much better. Same day, I read a post from Dinqua about pitching the TBS and going to stock, looked at some side-by-side photos of the TBS and stock SM needle, and the stock SM needles are shorter, so, theoritecially, they should open up sooner-like TBS w/3 shims (I know they are tapered different and the 3rd shim adds weight yada, yada, yada), but, none the less, this set up with the stock needles and 2 shims brings the power quicker in the RPM band than the TBS w/2 shims did. It is noticeable. I'll be swapping to 160's in the next few weeks just to experiment and validate, but I expect it to be too far rich (I suspect that I'm a step too rich now with 155's), and if that is too far, I'll retreat to 152's. I may try 42's while the 160's are there, just for the what if factor. Remember... this all works as a system, but perhaps this can be a baseline for you.
