'83 KZ550 M1 (shaft) carbs

I posted on Wired George's site too, I am HOPING to get a reply today so I can get the carbs tonight, if possible...


Hi,
I am attempting to get my '83 KZ550 M1 (shaft) back on the road while the weather is still nice. The carbs are HURTING.

First of all, the only identifying marks I can find on these are TK 1791K08 carburetor.


After 1 1/2 years of sitting, they were terribly fouled - Gas poured out of 1&2 b/c stuck floats. I figured it would just be varnish, so I had my local shop pick the bike up. Well, after they were pulled apart, it seemed they were fouled with a gummy substance that, when dried, looks like tan sand. (Foolishly, I tasted this stuff and it tastes salty. I'm fine, except for the metal cooling fins that are now growing out of my spine...)

Carb cleaner would not touch it, even soaking overnight. Next we tried lacquer thinner which helped a BIT, but not enough. I searched your forums and found out about Berrymans [/L].

The dip in unavailable near me, so we tried soaking in straight Berrymans B12 overnight with no success, and the berrymans spray isn't cutting it either. Liquid still drains through even the large passages very slowly.

I found a set of carbs used, and they are the same type by LOOKING at them, but I am unsure if they are alike.

1) Short of the Berrymans dip, is there ANYTHING else that is stronger than the commercial dip my shop uses, or,

2) How can I identify the carbs to ensure they are identical? The carbs are 2 hours away, and I prefer not to drive that far only to find they are different...

Many thanks, in advance!

Pete

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/06/22 12:06

Can't help with the carb questions, but I really like the large text, makes it a lot easier for me to read

I had to shorten your link to make the post readable.

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/06/22 12:12

Many thanks, and I will add that sig right now.

...are you 100% sure its NOT salt? :S

LOL!! No, it's not, I don't live near a salty body of water and have not ridden in the snow since the mid-80's, different bike, different place in the US.

Wired George seems to think it's Aluminum oxide caused by moisture wicking, though I don't understand why in only two of the four. It was also gummy before it dried, though I have seen Organic Iron Oxide that is gummy and foamy, so I guess it's possible. I am following his directions and soaking in baking soda and water to neutralize any acidity, then having them cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaver. I believe I found a shop locally with one, awaiting their reply.

Next time I am just going to have Wired George rebuild them, I will just find a way to afford it. The gas I would have saved would have almost paid for the job ($196/month just too and from work, no other trips!)

Guess I will see if that does the trick as sson as I get them cleaned, hopefully within the next 5 days.

Hey! we've got the same bike..

well sort of, at this point. I remeber when I also had a photo of the shop manual as my avatar.. mainly because I didn't have any of my bike, heh.

Anyway, all things aside, I will let everybody else give you carb cleaning tips. As long as the passages and jets are clean, everything else can be discolored and whatnot, as long as it's not flaking crap off into the fuel. If you get it to the point of just staining, they should be fine to go.

I'm here to let you know about the TK carbs. If they are SILVER (bare aluminum with chrome top), they should be the SAME carbs. They were used on both the M1 and F1/F2 550's in 83/84.

If they look the same but are BLACK they are either GPz550 82/83 or 84/85 carbs. They will all fit, but if you want to go into swapping them around, that's up to you. If your bike is basically stock, I wouldn't advise it, as there is a good chance the GPz carbs will have been jetted up. Even if they weren't, I can't say if they would run the same.

Oh yea, I was going to suggest the ultrasonic cleaning, but I didn't know if there are places that have those readily accesible. We had one at work that we would put injectors in (aircraft fuel injectors.. not the same as a car.. not really an 'injector' either in that sense).

Anyway, not to say don't waste your money.. but well.. You can successfully rebuild the carbs yourself. However it may be worth it to you if it is very frustrating and/or time consuming and you don't have the time.

There aren't a whole lot of people who know very much about these 550 carbs. Rebuilding them is basically generic practices, but if you get into jetting them out, you are pretty much on your own. Granted, the procedures are generic, but there aren't alot of people who can offer suggestions on what size jet to use based of their own experiences.

Have the 84 version, drop the parts in white vinegar minus the rubber parts, submerse completely and let soak but keep an eye on them. Do not use apple vinegar, just plain cheap Walmart white vinegar. It may have to set overnite. The only bad would be the aluminum may look dark afterwards. The brass jets don't need to come out as it will make them look new. It is a mild acid, but still an acid, so don't think I'll check on them in a couple of days.

Use baking soda to neutralize after your done. Any ferite metal parts will be cleaned to but will flash rust if you don't coat them with something.

You might have to change the vinegar a couple of times as it gets contaminated. Also cover the solution withthe carb parts in it while it is working or it will loose some of it's power.

Don't give up yet, you can do this by yourself with help from boards like this one.

Post edited by: KZ_Rage, at: 2006/06/23 00:24

Hey Trav, Thanks. We are also in the same neck of the woods - I am near York. Have to get together and go riding sometime - maybe for Carlisle.

Hopefully I will have good news soon. Man, I can't wait to get back on the road!

Thanks KZ_Rage. Man, doesn't anyone here sleep? I have to get up for work in 5 hrs, turnin' in. Thanks everyone for the good advice and support. I *WAS* going to give up and buy some used carbs, now I think I will wait a few days before I go ahead with this (although a set of 4 for $50 is still worth having...)

Check the diaphrams on the tops of the slides.. If they are holed or ripped, you may be after a set of used carbs after all. No, $50 is a fairly standard price these days if the carbs are in any sort of running order.

Actaully I think I have 4 good diaphrams/slides from the original carbs from my bike.

Update:

I got the carbs clean with the vinegar (only needed an overnight soak.) I neutralized the acid with Baking Soda and water like wired george suggested, then blasted out all of the orifices with berrymans carb cleaner. Nexed, I polished the surfaces, especially where the mains seat.

Now, here's a problem (likely a show stopper):
Apparently, when the shop was trying to get the mains out, the guy cracked one of the tubes where the jet seats. I am guessing that even if it still fits snugly, it is going to cause a problem. Then again, it is not pressurized, so perhaps I can simply compress it gently, to avoid cracking it further, and use PC7 epoxy to seal it up?

The carbs I was offered are black. I was thinking of putting on the Mac 4 into one, so perhpas that would be a good option? (My original pipes were swiss cheese, but I was given an 81 KZ550, so I cut the brackets off my originals and welded them to the pipes from the '81. It isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but they fit well.)

I will post more about other parts of this project, but for now I am simply interested in getting it back on the road.

I want to thank everyone here for your suggestions.