TOPIC:

I decided to restore some of the aluminum on my KZ. It looks great now and wish I hadn't deleted the before and after pictures!

Anyways, now after I restored the shine to it my KZ is not running correctly. I took of the clutch cable housing to buff it entirely and I'm hoping my re-adjustment of the clutch cable is what led to this problem and not the clutch plates.

The problem(s) I'm having:
(1) The RPM's jump when I go to full throttle the bike, like really gas the baby the bikes RPM's jump 1000 or 2000, but the bike doesn't go with it; it's like it slips or something. This usually happens after 2nd gear. So as a result I've been having to go easy on the throttle. This NEVER happened before; I could throttle that sucker with force and it felt alive!

(2) When I shift into 1st gear I can get the bike going and keeping it going without giving it any gas and releasing the clutch bar completely. I don't remember being able to do that before...I would always release the clutch slightly, give some gas, then release the clutch completely and go! Now I can release the clutch without gas'ing it any bit and the bike goes with no trouble. Could this mean the adjustments too tight?

Well, that's my dilemma right now. Any ideas?

Sounds like clutch is out of adjustment.

Is the adjustment too tight or too lose?
Which is causing the slippage?

Adjust the clutch per the manual, and what type of oil being used? Some "Car Oils" have a friction modifiers, that may be causing the clutch to slip.

When adjusting the clutch, in what direction did you turn the clutch release adjusting screw?
On the 550 you're supposed to turn it counterclockwise first until hard to turn, then clockwise 1/2 turn & tighten the locknut.

@ MFolks - I'm using motorcycle oil, so I'm sure that's not the problem. I've had this oil in for a few months now (I believe it's mineral oil).

@ martin - Yes, I had trouble with adjusting the clutch before and either you or someone else told me that valuable information. I turned it counter-clockwise until it was tight, but then I only turned it 1/4 of a turn. I'm guessing this problem is, because it is too tight...

I adjusted the hand lever adjuster all the way.

I'll give it a go in a bit and see how it goes.

Check to see if theres a center adjustment in the cable also.

Victory!

I re-adjusted the center screw and followed the KZ's owner manual plus your guy's help and it's fixed!

So thinking back to it I believe the problem was my initial adjustments (center screw) were to loose., that's what caused the slippage when I throttled it. If it was too tight then I would have trouble shifting gears and would most likely hear a clunk sound. If I'm wrong please tell me.

We have discussed oil recently here on the forum. Granted most "motorcycle oil" should be wet clutch safe. It's best NEVER to use oil marked "energy conserving/2" in the round API label. On the other hand oil marked with the square JASO MA label is a good choice but sometimes when the square label is NOT printed it just means the manufacturer thinks it's JASO quality but hasn't paid for the actual JASO test.

Conclusion, only API "energy conserving" oil is likely to damage a wet clutch -> after extensive mileage and wear.

My god how many years has this deal about oil been thrown out as the cure for every clutch issue out there?
You just have to read the original post to realize that most of the time the clutch was working before something mechanical related was done to the bike before the issue started most of the time,removed/reinstalled clutch cover is usually a sign.
I wish people would spend atleast half the time they spend pounding this oil rating stuff into the ground on the importance of good general maintenance stuff.
Like keeping clutch cables properly adjusted/checking-lubing chains/checking tires and brakes......
Ya know,the minor details that really affect the performance and safety of these bikes.
Okay,rant over!

Looks like you have it figured out, but for anyone else searching...

There are two types of clutch mechanisms on chain drive KZ550's . They are adjusted in different ways, and some manuals only describe the method for the old style.

My signature has a link to adjusting (and explaining) the newer style.