Hi Brent,
I have seen your Carby set up, disregarding the intake manifold leak and the carb is not an original SC500 carb, have you done the basic's.
The SC500 is a reed valve motor as your aware, these motors require a larger pilot jets than a piston port motor and or a four stroke.
The carb you have purchased either with the bike or after the fact, is it jetted close to O.M.E spec ?
The std SC 500 carb uses a 80 pilot jet, a O8 needle jet and a 6F16 jet needle. you say the carb you brought was jetted to suit, if brought locally its likely its got this set up.
Pilot jet 30 (VM22/210), Needle 6DP1, Needle Jet Q-2 (166 Series), Main Jet 330 (4/042), Air Jet 0.5, Slide Cutaway 2.5 (VM38/24), Needle valve 3.3
In the above info, if this what your carb has in it, you have issues!
The pilot is way to small and the needle jet combo is to large.
All these jets effect the lower throttle open position running.
Provided the electric's are good, strong spark etc and the bike starts first or second kick in its current state, a question you can answer is, does the bike maintain steady speed at low throttle in a lower gear. any running issues will be highlighted by applying this basis running test.
If the bike runs poorly in the lower throttle percentage ranges the bikes not jetted correctly or has an mechanical or electrical issue.
If the bike push's you though corners when the throttles closed, its lean, either a leaking seal/manifold etc or a small pilot jet.
You say the bike starving for fuel, often its the opposite, don't get court chasing a issue. I watch bikes around the traps. often its not what it first appears to be.
I had massive issues with my 500 for quite a while after I first got it running and learnt a ship load about carby set up because of it, the clearance between the needle jet and jet needle is measurable, this clearance is critical to the 1/8 throttle position to my SC500 and my other bikes.
I have a value that I stay within for all my bikes, once the value is known I can run any needle jet & jet needle combo there after, provided the 1/8 throttle opening value does not change greatly.
I will not discuss the tunes I run in my bikes in this forum, But ask Wayne and his sons what I have done to their bikes ( 26 & 13 ) and the results on correct jetting, or Robert about his/Fred's TS250 Reed valve mod or Mark Steel ( 174 ) about the reed valve mod and jetting on his CR250M are just a few.
Even chat to me or bring bike me the bike one weekend! you have my number.
Regards Gibbsy