Hi Folks,
I have a 2000 Panther 550...I'm not sure if the previous owner ever cleaned the carbs, or stabilized the gas when it wasn't in use. When I bought it, it started up and ran well, but only idled at 800-900 rpm, and really stunk! I've drained as much of the old gas out as I can, I've used about half a can of Amsoil Power Foam run through the carbs (smoke!!!), and tried to follow the the manual for fuel/air screw (clockwise to lightly seated, counter 1 turn +/- 1/4 turn to start) setup/idle speed, etc...now it idles high for a bit (2000+rpm), then kicks down to about 1300 rpm...and I've played with the mixture screws and idle speed, but I can't seem to get the idle to stay around 1500rpm, without holding over 2000rpm, before kicking down to 1300...and it smokes and stinks!
Like I said, I'm a rookie at the carb thing, so any good ideas would be much appreciated!
Thanks!!

It's normal for a 2 stroke to idle high for a short time before dropping to normal idle. You can get it to normal idle quickly by flicking the choke on and then off.

gonna want to clean the pilot screw, remove the bowl from the bottom and there will be a brass screw that is removed with a small strait blade screwdriver. remove it and blow it out. you should be able to see threw it and may need to clean it with a small paper clip as the hole is very small . reinstall and try again. the pilot screw controls the 0-1/8 idle circuit. and is the most cause of problems after sitting for the summer stabilizer or not.

Part of the problem probably has to do with it being warm and the jetting way too rich for the current temperatures. An overly rich condition will cause it to smoke and stink and may slow the idle a bit. You can get some oils that smoke and smell less than others. I now use Shell Advance injection oil and it smokes and smells less than the Cat 50:1 oil I used previously.