Sorry for the delay in replying. I'm afraid to say that the valves all now being well within the 'checking' tolerances have not improved anything
I have ordered the Litetek carb seal kit and I'm going to rip the carbs apart yet again next weekend if I have the time and inclination.
Another symptom I don't think I've described so far:
When starting for the first time, I apply choke and the bike starts very quickly (so long as it hasn't been sitting for a week or two in which case it needs a few attempts of the starter, presumably while the fuel is pumped)
I ease off the choke a bit until it's still on and the engine is running at a fast idle
During this time, I can blip the throttle and the bike responds instantaneously and settles back down again to fast idle in an instant.
Once the bike is warm and will idle without any choke, a quick blip of the throttle results in it bogging right down/missing and sometimes cutting out completely. This is what it's like even after a half hour ride.
I really need to get the throttle response to behave like when it's running on slight choke. Although obviously riding it with choke on is very lumpy as presumably it's way too rich.
If I can't see anything wrong after going into the carbs yet again (going to check the diaphragms properly this time and also check the air cut off valve which is the other diaphragm behind the white plastic cover on the side of the carb) then I will be seeking advice on where I can take it. Would you recommend a Ducati independent who has a lot of experience with the Mikunis and older bikes, or would a general tuner with a rolling road be more suitable, as presumably they will have a lot of experience with carb tuning in general rather than Ducati specific stuff?
Thanks