1998 yamaha v star classic 650

i have a 198 v star classic. i have had some fuel problems with it. it sputters and loses power. i was told it was the carberator by a mechanic. i was wondering how hard is it to take the carberator off and clean it  

Chris, I have a '99 1100 Custom and got the Clymer's manual for it from the guy I bought the bike from. The book tells you how to do everything. You can certainly get it online but also might be able to pick on up at Half-Priced Books, Borders or Barnes and Noble, or your local bike shop might be able to order one for you.

Short of taking the carb off, it might just be a little clogged (or the jets could be clogged). My bike shop recommends adding Sea Foam (you can get it at probably any auto supply store, they add it to all the bikes they get for resale). I added some to my bike and saw a different after adding it to two tanks of gas.

Have you (or anyone else) added any after-market pipes to your bike? The guy I bought my bike from installed Shogun Ripsaw pipes (great name, they sound great and put into practice Loud Pipes Save Lives). One thing some people don't do when they change pipes is re-jet the carbs. I was having problems with mine, my bike shop re-jetting the carbs (apparently you have to swap the jets from front to back when you change to some pipes) and I got better performance though slightly less gas mileage because the new jets were bigger and give the engine bigger drinks or petrol.

Good luck...