First KZ1000 let's make it run!

Working wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't so darn much work. :blink:

All of that picky inspection stuff can be a blessing or for the wrong person, it's a curse.
I know it's crazy, but the state inspections in Missouri require both fenders, working horn, brake / tail lights, high, low beam headlights and if the turn signals are on it, they must also work properly. Brake pad thicknesses, etc.. It is a good look at the overall safety and functionality of the motor vehicle, All this plus acceptable tires with no cracking / weather checking of the rubber compounds and good tread depth.

It is not only the rider that is at stake riding an unsafe vehicle, they can also injure or kill others that share the same roads. Then you go east across the muddy Mississippi, and all of that safe car / bike stuff is out the window.

Curious...I haven't cleaned the carbs yet cuz I'm waiting on gaskets, but...if I run the bike a bit and park it, wait a few hours and come back and kickstart it it'll start first kick. If I leave it overnight and try the same, no love from the kicker, have to use electric start. Why? Just trying to build knowledge not necessarily diagnose. Side note, bought an 04' Buell Blast for 400 bucks today non running. Put a battery in it, swapped main fuse, new fuel line and 2 oil lines. Sold it for 800 same day. More KZ money!!!

Out of curiosity and my love of motorcycles, I googled 2004 Buell Blast and ran across this u-tube video that shows Eric Buell talking about the plus sides of the Buell bikes,. just before he takes a running bike and drops it into a crusher.. Making it into a crushed bale of junk.. THEN he signs it. What a tool! duh

I guess he's trying to make a point with the "ruthless engineering" quote across the screen at the end, and I guess he produced a video that will draw lots of attention.. maybe the wrong type attention, but still attention.. then again perhaps his love of pushing buttons on large machines shows a childish fascination with start buttons. :blink:

The bike was discontinued in 2009. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buell_Blast

In reading the wikpedia article, in 2010, buell offered crushed "blast cubes" in different colors, all signed by Eric Buell.. As the plot thickens, just prior to Buell going belly up.. Who woulda thunk it? lol

"For 2010, a limited run of crushed Blast cubes was offered for sale upon request. They were available in Battle Blue, Midnight Black, and Sunfire Yellow, and were individually signed and numbered by Erik Buell"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buell_Motorcycle_Company

Woooow...that's the dumbest thing I'll see all day. That thing was a "blast" to ride though!

Sorry, I got on the Buell and totally lost focus on the Kaw.

Your petcock isn't a vacuum operated type, so if leaving the gas on, it is probably flooding the engine overnight. My bike has fuel all over the place if I leave it in the prime position. The vac valve works great, when it works.

Ironic you mentioned leaving your petcock on. I did exactly that last night and went I went back today I notice some gas on the floor left side, obvs the way it leans and figured hey, probably flooded let's see...started 1 kick. So, if I shut the gas off at night and go back, no love from kicker but if I leave it on and it leaks, super easy 1 kick start. ?
Forum wouldn't let me post for a couple days. Got the starting with kick system dialed. Gas off at night and at restart gas on, couple twists of throttle and boom, 1 kick. Left side fuel line was too long also so the gas would just kinda sit in the line instead of downward flow. Bike is running great!

As long as the fuel in the tank is above the hoses, it doesn't matter how many loops are in the hose. Just simple physics my friend. Letting the bike lean too far can cause the floats to NOT seal off causing flooding. Prop is as close to level for several reasons, fluids tend to spill out.
It's close to impossible to get all 4 carbs not to leak.. the vacuum petcocks fixes that.

Static setting float levels:




Don't position the fuel tank too much higher than the carbs, to keep the static fuel pressure about the same as when mounted on the bike. Note that the clear tube is ~6" from the carb (looped out) If you move it in, up down, or curl it up, the fuel level will remain the same. Simple physics.

Got the engine code...

You have a 1977 Kz1000A1 engine. Look on evilbay for a factory service manual. Make sure it doesn’t say “supplement”

This might work. Maybe someone with more experience in the 1000A models can say yes or no.
kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/Kawas...Service%20Manual.pdf

old_kaw wrote: Static setting float levels:
Don't position the fuel tank too much higher than the carbs, to keep the static fuel pressure about the same as when mounted on the bike.

I just did this for the third time and still hate it. Getting better at guessing the amount of bend on the tang. This time went quicker but still a PITA!

Hey all, everything is going good with the bike but I wanna test my coils. To learn how more than anything. Not satisfied with just getting the bike rocking I'm here to learn so could use some help on how to test coils with a multimeter.