Can I drive with a slight noise from carbs and/or cam chain?

[ETFerguson]

I'm picking up my "new" 82' k tomorrow morning. The only thing wrong with it is a slight noise while idling which I know can be caused by the cam chain needing adjusting or the carbs requiring tuning. My question is: is it a big deal to ride it for awhile while I wait to take it to my shop who is booked solid for a few weeks? I'd've been told people drive with carb out of sync all the time which is more of a "the bike will perform better when tuned" issue. Seeing as how I'm going to be riding very easy while getting used to the bike I'm looking for some experienced feedback on the situation.

Thanks!

[LukeM]

Welcome to the forum. If you are handy with tools, you can adjust the cam chain yourself.  We have the factory service manuals available for free download.  Go to the home page of our forum, look for the Manuals posting (it should be pinned for easy access), and find the DOHC manual.  In there, you'll learn how to do all sorts of maintenance on your bike.

I would worry more about the cam chain than the carbs at first. A broken cam chain can lead to a very expensive rebuild of the motor. It's easy enough to adjust: takes about 5-10 minutes, assuming all the fasteners come loose like they're supposed to. While you're waiting, go to the home page, type in cam chain adjustment in the search window, and read the post results.

You can ride the bike without the carbs being in sync. Sync-ing the carbs makes sure every cylinder is operating equally (pulling its own weight, so to speak). Your bike will run smoother and quieter. The process is a bit involved and requires some special equipment. If your shop has the gauges and screwdrivers, it may be cheaper to have them do it.

Good luck, and keep us in the loop.  Ride safe.
Luke M

[TOOLS1]

If the noise goes away as you give it throttle it is the carbs out of sync, and not actually the cam chain. When the carbs are out of sync these engines sound like they are eating themselves at idle. As for cost of syncing carbs, you can buy the gauges from Cycle-X pretty cheap, and then you can do it yourself every time you tune the bike.
TOOLS