No vacuum from vacuum gauges? Ugh...what? 67 kz400

So I've been trying to get my 1976 KZ400 to run right, so far I've cleaned the carbs thoroughly, after that I got it running, drove it around the neighborhood and it was rough and jerking, so I stopped and waited for my vacuum gauge 6mm adapters to arrive in the mail to sync the carbs. Today they came and so I started to work on the bike. Now the bike wont start for shit... I crank up the idle and use starter fluid with choke and finally get it running, but if it goes below 4k rpm it dies, so I keep giving it gas. It warms up and I take the choke off, still running, I can idle her down to 1k rpm. Now the gauges aren't reading any vacuum... I remove the tubes, same idle speed, I install the caps back on, no change.... I let the carbs sit in a dip for over 24 hours, there is no way its blocked in there. What the hell is going on with this bike? I've never had this much trouble with carbs before, and I hate these old carbs!!! I read that the later 1977 carbs will fit on these bikes perfectly?

Clean tank? Clean fuel? Fuel filter?


.

Tank was spotless, but regardless I installed 2 inline fuel filters for each carb. Both are still spotless. Additionally I put in some seafoam when I put the first tank of gas in.

So I've found out some more details. I got the bike running...kinda. I have the F/A mix scew at 1 turn out (manufacturer spec) and it had NO top end, but was decent for 1/4 throttle use. After I ran it, I checked the engine temps. Left side was at 430F (yes that's four hundred and thirty degrees Fahrenheit) and the right was around 400. I think that's VERY high, which is a symptom of running lean, which makes sense because it's been lurching during acceleration and the left exhaust pipe is blue at the top. I tried turning the screws in half a turn but that didn't seem to effect the engine at all, but I never rode it again to check temps.

How and where did you take a temp. reading?
You should have posted this on your original post.
Have you blown thru every passage? I used Car Quest carb cleaner
in an arasol(?) can. Study your carb circuits. Where the passages
start and finish. Need some pics.


.


.

I took them on the head right near/touching the exhaust using my Extech Multi-meter (has a temperature probe). I didn't have these values until after I posted the first post.

I dissembled the carbs 100%. Then soaked them in carb dip for 24 hous. I then washed them out with soapy water, used WD40 and an compressed air to blow them dry. All smaller parts were also soaked in the carb dip in an ultrasonic cleaner for 24 hours. I've cleaned about 6 sets of carbs before and this is the most extensive job I've done yet and they had the best results.

All the documents and pictures I have are in here
www.kz400.com/WorkshopManFrameset-5.html