New but not shiny

Hi from over the pond
I am an old fellow comparatively having only ridden occasionally, on other peoples rides to see if I made them better or worse by fiddling with them, for the last twenty odd years, some of them quite odd indeed.
This is because I promised the boss I wouldn't until the girls grew up, since they have kids of their own now, I have bought a 400 4 that someone ruined by spending time and money on it. The guy I bought it off said the previous owner was an engineer who rebuilt it.
Please see attached image as an example his efforts.
It will take some time to find and repair all his improvements. The bike has a 1981 GPZ550 H1 frame and a 400C2 engine according to Kawasaki Technical Desk. It had been fitted with a 4 into 1 stainless system and asymmetric K&N filters so was running so lean at the top end it would not rev past 6 thousand.
Oh yes, the carbs are TeiKei 26 CV as were fitted to 81 H1 so may be the carbs that came new on the 550. The standard Teikei 82 main jets have now been replaced with Keihin short Honda 105s which are the exact same dimensions albeit not hex head and now pulls to the red in 6th.
As it is now running fairly close to right on mixture and the carbs have been synchronised to cigarette papers I think I will leave the rewire until the winter as long as most of the electrics keep working. Sods law says the isolators and lockouts work even if the turn signals don't.
Since I started riding on a plunger BSA A10 with springer forks I will need help with more modern bikes like the KZ and GPZ series and hope I will find some help and some friends here.

Welcome to Kzrider!!

The Kz550H1 (Gpz550 mono-shock) was officially a 1982 model, which matters for part numbers etc. It may have been built in 1981, but was actually a 1982 model. (The official 1981 Gpz550 had a dual-shock swingarm.)

The Kz550H model originally came with TK26 carburetors, as you said. And it sounds like someone put in a Zx400C2 engine.

There are a few variations of the TK26 carbs and not all internal parts are interchangeable. There is also a TK27 carb that is similar so you want to rule out having those. Things to look for are the pilot plug inside the bowls and intermediate circuit. Also, the idle-speed-knob located between bowls #2 and #3, as opposed to a remote knob located at the end of the rack. Those things help identify which carbs you actually have. The TK26 and Tk27 will interchange as a set.

Here's a link to a website for the TK26 carbs that came on the H model. (It also has some info for the other TK26 carbs and the TK27 carbs.)
s3.amazonaws.com/gpzweb/TK26mainPage/TK26mainPage.html

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationI suspect the person who told you the bike has a 4 cylinder KZ400 engine with a "400C2" might have been a bit mixed up. Take a look at the links below. There is a 1981 Z440-C2 and it has 2 cylinders. I don't see any other C2 models. The 1981 four cylinder Kawasaki would have the designation "KZ400-J3." Can the person that told you that info provide additional support for his opinion? Also, take a look at the engine near the oil filler cap. There should be some info stamped there that might help. Ed

www.kz400.com/ModelidentificationFrameset.html



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_KZ400

Pics aren't working. Just says I don't have permission.

Thanks for the replies guys, the carbs were identified by serial number as TK 26 early versions by the UK specialist who supplied the 68 mm diaphragms and several sizes of jets from 90 to 105.
I have visited the GPZweb ( no relation) sites and found the comprehensive TeiKei info invaluable in refurbishing the carbs.
There is obviously a difference in model reference between the two sides of the pond. The european GPZ 400 550 Service Manual Supplement identifies the ZX 400-A3 and ZX 400 C2 as 1985 models..
I think the pic I tried to attach in my first post is here and will make clearer what I said earlier.