82 xs400HS Vacuum

[trevingray9]

Hey guys!
I picked up this sweet little 82 a couple of weeks ago and have loved working on it. This is my first, as having owned Hondas all my life, and currently own a CB550 as my other "fast bike". I got this one to be my daily comfy cruiser and keep it so my I can ride two up with my girl.
Anyways, I put in a new battery (8cell antigravity btw, absolutely love their batteries) and it fired right up. I got new vacuum gauges recently and decided to hook them up to the xs because why not!? I do understand how to synch te carbs, but I am just wondering if the actual readings on the gauges actually matter, since as you can see from the pic the needles hover in the "late timing or vacuum leak". This got me wondering because the manual says something about setting the first carb to a certain level on the gauge (whatever the measurement is) but if I remember right it seems like I have heard before that the actual readings on the gauge don't matter, just the relative position between each carb on the gauge.

Any input? And sorry for the lengthy post just thought I should introduce myself.

 

[Wolfe_11B]

Ignore the labels on the gauges, they are generic compound meters made to test big car engine fuel pumps and manifold vacuum.

You want to get them equal to each other at the proper idle speed. Its that simple. If the fluctuate too much(which vacuum gauges can) you can pinch the line a little bit to get a more steady reading. People prefer liquid gauges for this exact reason, they don't jump around as much.

Edit- Ignore my line pinch recommendation, I see you have valves on the lines. Same thing

 

[BBS360]

On a totally unrelated subject, are you an electrician or do you just happen to have a Klein driver?

 

[trevingray9]

On a totally unrelated subject, are you an electrician or do you just happen to have a Klein driver?

Haha not an electrician in the least bit, just love the quality of Klein tools

 

[BBS360]

Ah. They tend to be popular among electricians. Thought I'd check.