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This is what a typical vaccuum hose assembly looks like before you start plucking stuff off. But because mine is a mildly modified California-model, yours may look slightly different.

Side notes:
If you have a digital camera of your own, take a picture of yours at this stage, so you'll have an easier time routing all the hoses and cables correctly.

The red arrows denote the plucking of the vaccuum hoses from their nozzles. The red arrow on the lower right is mounted on the carb-rack assembly plate.
Clean all hoses and nozzles thoroughly and set them aside.

Side note:
Leave the the "T"-joint attached to the carb-rack assembly. There's no need to remove it and it's a PITA to reinstall.

Here's what it looks like with the vaccuum hose assembly removed. Pretty filthy, especially on the left side because I got carried away with the foam filter oil in the airbox.

Not too many wild-looking bugs this time, but I've seen some interesting specimens over the years.
The cleaner you can get everthing now, the less crud will fall into your head when you open it up.
Despite being a card-carrying Honda-Hater after my experience with the VTR1000F Superhawk, I still like their spray cleaner and chain lube. Use whatever you like, even furniture polish.
Clean all surfaces thoroughly. You don't have to use Q-tips, but a clean motorcycle will probably last longer and perform better than a dirty one.
We're going to remove the carb-rack assembly. Each carb has a 3mm allen bolt securing a hoseclamp on each carb mount. Kind of a PITA if you're using the allen key in the bike's toolkit, so I like to use an allen socket with extender the same way you might use a normal screw driver.

Disconnect the hose between the fuel pump and the nozzle at the bottom-left of the carb-rack.
Get a jar to catch the gasoline drippings and seal it up*. If you ran the motor with the fuel petcock turned to OFF before, you will have much less gasoline spilling out of here.

Side note:
*If you don't give a turd about the environment, please feel free to skip this step: You can use a rag to catch the gasoline drippings or simply let them spill onto the upper crankcase, but then you'll be breathing those fumes for an hour or two.
The late, great Gordon Jennings sadly died prematurely of cancer and I always wonder if we'd have gotten a few more years of genius if he'd inhaled less carcinogenic fumes while doing things like this.

In order to remove the carburetor assembly you'll have to disconnect the throttle cable. I've found it's ultimately easiest if you disconnect the throttle cable at the twist-grip assembly.
With the throttle cables disengaged from the twist-grip assembly (foreground), you should have plenty of slack in the cables to remove them.

While rotating the throttle slide mechanism open (green arrow), swivel the cable forward to the notch and remove the throttle cable.
The other throttle cable is on the other side of the slide mechanism and is removed in a similar manner. I couldn't get a good photo of it, but it should be easily understood after getting the first one off.


Disconnect the throttle position sensor from the back/right of the carb rack.  
Gently lift the entire carb rack assembly from the mounts and wrap it in a clean, lint-free cloth.  
 
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