Success at last

Put together bike, realizing at the end I left off two rubber caps on the air cleaner which cover some access holes. I decide to leave them off for a brief test ride (10 mi). Accelerates poorly in low RPM range. After a warm up, I tear it back down to attach the synchronizer. I think it's now improved somewhat, but hard to tell. Put it back together, not forgetting the caps this time.

I picked up some Eagle One Bucket-Free Car Wash on one of my trips to Advance. Basically, you hose down your vehicle, spray on a bit of the car wash, distribute it with a mitt or sponge or whatnot, and then rinse it off. It seems to work pretty well.

Go for a 20 mi test. It's better, but still missing a lot below 5000 RPM. When the power fully kicks in, it's quite obvious, like someone ignited a solid rocket booster. Sometimes blipping the throttle or changing gears (in eithe direction) wakes it up.

There's less vibration than I remember; I think this is mostly due to the valve clearence. It's rideable, and better on the highway, but I'm not sure I want to take it on a 500 mi trip yet. I have about a day to figure that one out. Afternoon thunderstorms all week.