Pulling those carbs is total PIA. I think the worst part of a carb job on those is just getting to the darn things. It sounds like the pilot jets are plugged up if it won't run without the choke on.
How long has the bike been sitting? Have you tried soaking them for a couple days in some good carb cleaner? A lot depends on how solid the build-up is. The pilot jets have some pretty small holes and it doesn't take much to clog them up. What does the inside of the tank look like? No rust? Nothing that will get into the carbs?
It's really not that difficult to clean carbs. You'll have access to good tools & a compressor in the military base, right?
Take the tank off, the airbox, then undo the fuel line, undo the clamps on the rubber connections, remove the cables and you'll be able to pull the carbs off.
As long as you use the correct sized phillips screwdrivers to take the float bowls off, you should be fine. With the driver in place, bash the driver lightly with a hammer before attempting to unscrew.
This should help free up the screw and help avoid rounding the head off.
Undo the screws holding one bowl in place & remove. Clean the float bowl & float with acetone and cotton buds, being sure to remove all crud, etc. . Remove the main jet & clean. check to make sure all orifices are clear.
Screw in the pilot jet and note how many turns it went in. Now take it out and clean, also blowing compressed air through the orifices as well as into the carb's threaded hole. Re-assembly will be reverse of removal.
The rubber float bowl gasket may have expanded over time. If it's come out of it's groove, clean first, then put a thin layer of (clean) grease on it then refit in it's groove. Leave a little bit of it out, offer the float bowl up onto the carb body and use a micro screwdriver to gently push the rubber gasket into place. Same process for the other 3 carbs. Be careful to always note how many turns you screw the pilot jets in to fully closed position - so you'll know what they were at before (approx 1.5 turns from fully in - IIRC).
Once you're done with cleaning the carbs & jets, re-assembly is the opposite of dismantling.
Doesn't sound as if your carbs are too dirty, not nearly as bad as mine after 15 years in storage - mine didn't run at all until I coaxed it back into life with similar methods to above.
HTH
My thought would be that if it was running okay when you first started riding and it now isn't, you've sucked some glop into the jets. Maybe something settled in the bottom and ended up in the carbs, but whatever it was I don't think Seafoam or carb soaking is going to break it loose. I think you're looking at a teardown and cleanup. At least that what it looks like to me. I think all it would take is some high pressure air to blow it loose, but getting to it is the problem.
And I don't think it is the pilot jets after all because if it was them it would idle okay but would die off idle. Run okay at WFO but nothing in between. Yours sound like the idle jets are clogged since it will run on the choke but won't idle at all. They are really tiny so it's possible.
If you pull and disassemble the carbs take a few minutes and run down to the hardware store and pick up the correct size metric allen head bolts to replace the screws. You'll be glad you did.
Good idea to replace the screws with Allen head ones - wish I'd thought of that!
Here's another tip - when refitting the carbs, have the bike on centre stand. undo both top & bottom clamps on each rubber insulator tube and spray with plenty of penetrating oil so they're nice & slippery. Make sure they're each correctly positioned. Then push hard & wiggle the carbs till they go into place. I actually put all my weight on them and they went into place. Some people say you need new insulators. Mine are 70,000 miles and 24 years old and still on the bike.
The only gasket I did replace was on one carb after it spring a very small leak. The other 3 still have their original gaskets are are working perfectly.
You may want to balance the carbs after it's running better.
Don't be afraid - you'll be glad you did it yourself and saved a packed instead of taking it to Honda or giving up!
Pulling those carbs is total PIA. I think the worst part of a carb job on those is just getting to the darn things. It sounds like the pilot jets are plugged up if it won't run without the choke on.
oh please!!
it takes 15 min from start to pulled!!
what a joke!
but you are correct about the pilot jets!!
I know I've been reading up on them, no beginners task but the dealership won't do it for less than 1k$. It's a joy when it's running on main jets but the thought of my choke circuit killing my plugs and stalling out...no bueno.
a $1000 bucks for a 4 hour job? you are going to the wrong shops.
(assuming the 86 has one) try the idle setting. Maybe a joker turned it all the way in?