[alanmcorcoran]

I went through a similar period of frustration with rough running when cold, drifting idle, stalling, racing, etc. Took me three trips to a dealer to get it resolved. They only charged me for the first visit, but the place is a 30 mile drive and dropping and picking up a bike is often a two person task. I never really got a clear answer as to what fixed it (and they DID fix it finally) but I suspect it was a carburetor problem that was not properly attended to in the first place. (BTW, mine is relatively new. [2008]) Other possible culprits: valves (doubt it), emissions system (possibly, but you probably don't have the canister), sediment (doubt it.) If you can't fix it yourself, try to find a good mechanic that will charge you a flat rate to work on it until they find the problem. Sometimes these things are not the first or second "guess" (and some mechanics don't know what they are doing.)

I can tell you this - when it's properly serviced, it will run pretty smoothly at about a 1000 rpm idle. You do generally need to choke at about 2/3rds or so to get started, but you can back that to half after a minute or two and take it completely off after 3 or 4. I'm in a warmer climate than you, so adjust accordingly. They do start and run better if you ride them everyday. But I've let mine sit for six weeks and could still start it with a little coaxing (fuel petcock set to prime for a few seconds.)

I think you just need to find a better mechanic. Good luck.