A lot can cause that. The air cutoff valve being stuck or bad is one reason. Check that out.
You also need to check for vacuum leaks, especially on a bike that old. Take some carb cleaner, or WD 40 and shoot around the boots where the carbs connect to the manifold. If you get idle changes, you've got leaks and the boots need to be changed.
The VBoost to cyl heads junctions need to be also leak-checked, and if you find one is bad, replace all four of the O-rings because removing the manifold will probably cause the others to begin to leak, if you try to 'cheap-out,' and just replace the one you found bad.
I'll let
dannymax answer the 'extra washers under the slide needle' as an OEM issue. Bikes are often set rich from the factory, as there's less chance of hurting an engine running it rich than running it lean. You probably have 152.5 main jets, and many people find that going down one or two sizes (150 or 147.5 Mikuni) helps the bike run better.
Here are some things for you.
VMX12- Service-Manual.pdf (vmoa.net) Save it on your computer and print it out and put it into a 3 ring binder for shop use. yearly model updates are found in the front, as supplements. The appendix in the back has bolt/screw sizes, torque values, cable and hose routing, and more.
(66) New Vmax Owner FAQs....new members please read! | Yamaha Star V-Max VMAX Motorcycle Discussion Forum (vmaxforum.net)
This answers many questions you may have.
1985 Yamaha V MAX 1200 (VMX12N) OEM Parts, Ron Ayers One of the Yamaha dealers parts fiche locations, another one to save as a 'favorites' on the computer.
Sean Morley
[email protected] Sean sells new and used parts, he modifies bikes, and he sells his modified bikes and parts. He is also on facebook, Morley's Muscle is the business he operates. He freely advises people on the site about how to obtain parts and how to fix things. He's probably the #1 resource for ailing bikes having problems. He's in Kansas, but is as-close as UPS, USPS, or FedEx.
CaptainKyle
[email protected] is another great resource for new and used parts, repairs and advice. Another UPS, USPS, or FedEx close-by person.
dannymax specializes in carburetor work and rebuilds. He runs each rebuilt set on a testbench and provides you with a video. Another UPS, USPS, or FedEx close-by person. Look him up under 'members' at the top of the page.