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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 22 Apr 2014 20:09 #630028

  • Spikito
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So I bought this 1982 KZ1000 CSR.

Owner claimed it was running two years ago, but once I got it home and started checking, I'm 99% certain this was a lie.

Odometer reads 16k miles.

I've taken the front brakes off and broken them down, they are getting rebuilt soon, I am also doing new lines, and probably a new M/C, but that's a different story, that's my side job while I work on the engine.

The engine appears fine, but I have evidence to believe it sound outside atleast some and got rained on.
The airbox was full of leaves and dirt, and some water, the filter was in place, and appears to have protected the carbs. I have not removed the airbox though.

The first thing I did was pull the plugs and put a little Marvel in each cylinder, this worked and with the plugs out and the bike in gear, the pistons moved, so I changed the oil, no oil in the pan, which ended up with a big ass crack in it, got a new pan, oil filter was full of clean water though, oddly enough. but no oil in the pan. With that pan off, everything inside looked totally normal, all the parts were shiny, no build ups, no rust, no metal shavings....impressively clean actually.

With the new pan on and new filter in, I put in fresh oil, and new plugs, gapped to .032. The gas tank was empty and its been removed, I hooked the bike up to my car battery (engine off) and it turns over effortlessly with the spark plugs out, and it stumbles a bit with the plugs in, but I feel like its turning over enough to start.

I feel like the next step is to pull the carbs and give them a good cleaning/rebuilding. Ive been told to try to just clean them, but I figure if I'm rebuilding brakes, and doing new master cylinders and new wires, etc. might as well rebuild them. But I have ZERO experience with carbs of any type, but then again the reason I bought this bike was to learn stuff.

If I go ahead and pull the carbs, I as going to put on pods too, but Ive been advised to get the bike up and running before making any changes that I might have to factor in.

My question is, if this was your bike, what would you do next to get it running? and i dont mean road worthy, just get the engine to run on its own.

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 22 Apr 2014 20:24 #630034

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If you haven't done this already I would do a compression check on the engine to make sure that it has enough compression to run. If there were leaves in the air box you can be pretty certain the bike was neglected for a long time which means the carbs are probably a mess inside. Once you clean the carbs you should clean the air box and install a new air filter and then give it another shot
1981 KZ550C LTD
"If you ain't first, you're last"

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Last edit: by nickleo373.

Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 22 Apr 2014 22:06 #630040

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how do I do a compression check?

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 23 Apr 2014 06:59 #630060

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with a compression guage. You can rent one for free from autozone. Do you have a manual? It explains how there.
Jon
1977 KZ1000a1
Mesa, AZ
Phoenix Fighter Project

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 23 Apr 2014 07:23 #630065

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A handy time to do the compression check is when the carburetors are off the bike, since you won't have to fiddle w the throttle grip. Get a compression tester that screws into the spark plug holes (there's a type with a rubber end that you have to hold in place, which seems like it might be a pain to me... never used one of those).

Remove all 4 spark plugs.
Install the tester into one of the holes.
Do the test at WOT (wide open throttle)(or with carbs removed).
Press & hold the starter button until the pressure no longer rises, approximately 6-8 seconds.
Note the reading, then do the next cylinder.

If there's any excess Marvel mystery oil left over in the cylinders, I guess that might affect the readings.

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 23 Apr 2014 20:04 #630149

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ok cool, my neighbor had a gauge that i borrowed. Its been 3 weeks since I did the marvel so it should be ok. I read to do the test twice, first dry, then again with a little oil in each cylinder, it will tell you the condition of your rings

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 23 Apr 2014 20:08 #630151

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It's not unusual to get a lower than normal compression reading when the engine is cold. You're mostly making sure that all the numbers you get from the reading are about the same.
1981 KZ550C LTD
"If you ain't first, you're last"

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 23 Apr 2014 21:46 #630159

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oh itll be cold, lol...this engine is far from running

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 24 Apr 2014 02:34 #630168

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A healthy motor will have between 120 lbs and 160 lbs. The readings should not fluctuate much more than 10 pounds differently for each cylinder. (Any oil left in the cylinders will make the readings artificially higher.)
Only Kawasakis have a soul 1977 Kawi KZ1000 special 2000 Kawi ZRX1100

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 24 Apr 2014 10:01 #630215

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Sweet, I was hoping someone would post numbers. Like I said I put a little marvel in the cylinders to make sure they were froze up, but that's been 3 weeks or so, and now that I got the oil pan changed and oil in the case, the engine has been turned over several times, I'm certain that whatever readings we get will be true. I'm going to go do a set soon. From what I've seen its common to do each cylinder twice, once dry, and once with some added oil. I don't think the oil would be necessary as long as all the dry readings are good, but it couldn't hurt to know.

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Whats the next step to getting this bike running? 24 Apr 2014 10:45 #630219

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Well the results are in.


#1 #2 #3 #4
Dry 50 105 100 100
Wet 60 125 135 135


Right now have the vacuum system off, but have not plug off the ports on carbs 1 and 4, if anyone know where I can get those caps, like the one on carb 3, I'd greatly appreciate it. But I noticed that with a spark plug, or the compression gauge in cylinder 1, I feel a puff of air coming from the vacuum port, but not on carb 4 when testing it. This would lead me to believe I have an intake valve problem and my compression is blowing back into the carb.


Now Is where I get to do some explaining...When I first got the back, and we were trying to determine if the cylinders where frozen, a small chunk of pure graphite got dropped into the spark plug hole....long story.

I couldn't fish it out, obviously, so I turned the piston over a few times, I could hear it crumbling, then I blew shop air into the hole quite a bit as graphite dust and little chunks came flying out. I was confident I got it all.


What do you think the likely hood is that a little piece is interfering with my intake valve?

Considering the other 4 cylinders compress fine, and cylinder 1 doesn't respond well to the oil, it MUST be a valve problem, and considering the blowback into carb #1

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