Hi Suzzie,
You have the same problem as plenty of other people have including myself in the past, which is that your carbs need to be taken off and thoroughly cleaned.
The small holes inside the carbs get blocked by old fuel residue which causes the problems your having. I have my own ultrasonic cleaner which I use and find it the best way of making sure they are properly clean. I would suggest if your taking the carbs off yourself then you get them ultrasonically cleaned and ask them to check that none of the brass jet tubes are cracked as this is another common problem.
Finally, replace all the gaskets with new as the last thing you need is for all your hard work to be ruined by a leaking gasket.
Cheers, Matt