My bike is ticking...

[Dead Eye]

Just a quick update - I removed all the plugs this morning and attempted to reset the tensioner and then went for a blast along the A4174 (Bristol ring road). Let the bike cool down once I got home and restarted it and nothing has changed. The ticking is still present and cylinders 3 and 4 are still warming up significantly slower - do the coils control 1+2 and 3+4 or 1+4 and 2+3? Just something I randomly thought of. In any case, before I put all the plugs back I checked plugs 3 and 4 and they are both sparking fine so potentially a fuel issue with the carbs?

I think I'm going to suck it up and buy a Morgan Carbtune since it pays for itself on the first use. Then, next week when I finally have a garage to work in, I'll dismantle everything and check the tensioner and balance the carbs. Out of interest, what can happen if the carbs become significantly unbalanced? Is it simple poor performance and power distribution?

One final note, does anybody have any specific ideas regarding the light issue I'm having? i.e. when the brake lights come on, the headlights (and dash lights) dim significantly. I'm tempted to suggest a generator / battery issue due to the other problems I'm having but could it also be a crossed wire or something somewhere? The rear brake light switch was sticking last month but this was sorted during its MOT