which spark plug you using? upgrade to the
NGK. the parts store should be able to
cross reference with your old one.

 

With these symptoms it is almost always fuel issues. But I've also seen bad CDI's that run just fine at idle, but the engine bogs as you try to accelerate. This would be most likely on an AC powered CDI because when you accelerate the stator AC power voltage raises too, and one failure mode is a CDI that self triggers at the wrong time with a higher power voltage. I have one of these CDIs in my bad parts box.

Again this is very rare, and not the likely cause of your problems. But CDIs are cheap, and if you run out of alternatives then perhaps it is worth a try.

One of the things I want to do (when I find some time - which isn't much these days) is to plug in this bad CDI and then look to see if there is any distinctive "bad" signature when using an ignition timing light shining down on the flywheel timing marks...

I've not run this bad CDI long enough to see if it fouls the plug.

 

Is the CDI the little black box that attached to the frame behind the carb up under the tank with a large rubber band basically? If so I have one of those new in a box that BAJA sent me a few years back when I was having a different issue with it. Thats the first thing I tried with no results.
I think when I get time I'm going to just mess around with the float adjustment. I dont have any calipers so i will just rely on trial and error and see if I can change anything.
Thanks for all the help and keep the suggestions coming. I will post back and let ya'll know what I find.

 

Yep, that's the CDI. I really hesitated even posting that since it is so rare that I worried that everyone with dirty carburetors would jump to a wrong conclusion right off the bat and waste money buying CDIs. Fuel issues predominate for these symptoms and you should concentrate there.

But one of the trends I've noticed recently is that the more common problems that were so prevalent in earlier posts are being solved behind the scenes through internet search engines. The less common and difficult problems are the ones that are starting to bubble to the surface. Hence you have to consider the bizarre possibilities sometimes...

 

You know sometimes we do things that we are embarrased about and other times we do things that are so dumb ya have to share them.

Dug into this thing again yesterday(been busy on other things lately). Recleaned the carb and reinstalled. Fired it up and it seemed to run fine. Would rev. up like its supposed to. So now Im all fat dumb and happy cause I have fixed it. Figured I'd take it for a spin around the yard to make sure. Put the air filter cone back on it and its right back to doing the same thing. The air filter was clogged this whole time. That was the only problem. Gave the filter a good bath and let it dry overnite and today it runs just as good as it ever did.

Im going to put on my dunce hat and sit in the corner for the rest of the day now.

 

Spank you very much for the update...