That's why I said throttle blades are cheap. He can replace them easily and cheap if he doesn't want the carb. He's out a few bucks and some time. That's most likely one of the OP issues. He can't get enough air through the carb without opening the blades so far it's off the idle circuit.
Or, I'm misunderstanding what he's saying. Which is possible. Any time you have to open the blades up to make them run that gets the blade past the transfer slot you need to drill the blades. Newer Holleys come with a built in adjustable bleed so you don't need that.
Between cars and two strokes I've been trying to get guys to shut the throttle to make them idle. Funny thing is, all the 2T heroes and gurus used to say you can't make them idle and be fast. Then came the "modern" 4T and those pigs have to idle. So yes, any IC engine should idle. On its idle circuit.
