1979 KZ1000 ST Project UPDATE 12/30/07

Todays fun...

After the showers and 40mph winds came through I put a spare front fender on it, slapped on an old HJC GF-Tech helmet I keep in the shop for when I get the wild hair to just take off and test something out and hit the road! I cracked from the pressure of too many of these freak warm days here lately.

I got about 6 miles on her before dark. That was the first ride this year! It felt soooo nice!

Here's the report.

Brakes loosened up after the ride so now it rolls easier in the shop. Those SS brake lines are AMAZING!!! I had to watch it though as it was easy to get too aggressive with them.

I may have to tighten the stem a bit as it seemed very quick in the front, might be the combination of the superbike bars and fact I have the fork tubes slid up in the tree about 3/4 of an inch. Turns in a bit quick for my liking.

Starts very easy with a little choke and after about 30 seconds you can kick it out without it dieing or bogging. It seems to hesitate just a tiny, tiny bit on take off but is pure thrill to 6 grand but then it start to act like the mixture is off or that the ignition isn't there. Unless there is something wrong in the pickup coil area or igniter I'd have to go with mixture as I still don't think it's right.

No binding in the cables, the engine is holding rpm's up even after the slides have closed. Idling at around 2 grand with the idle screw all the way out. If I load the engine a bit after it has been idling a little at the 2G's it will settle down around 1500, maybe I have the slides too high on the static balance setup?

Didn't get a chance to check the vacuum cap I used to cap off #3 since adding the Pingel.

Tried the bar end mirrors in the down position, no go, hits my knees and since I'm tall I have to take my eyes off of what is in front of me to look down and under my arms to see anything out of them. I already flipped them up, not as cafe looking but I'd rather be alive....

I have a breather on the crank case since there isn't an air box, when I got it back in the shop there was an awful lot of vapor/smoke coming out of it. I also saw some smoke off the top of the engine, don't know if that was from the new engine paint or something more sinister. Smelled like paint and oil but with the breather smoking it was hard to tell. The sight window was totally white fogged after it cooled down some. I need to check the oil level too just to be safe. It seemed to me the engine stayed hot an awful long time after I got it back in the shop for a 50 degree day, I'll have to check to see if it is running hotter than it should.

All in all I'm pleased. It ran, it didn't leave me along side the road, though can't break 6G's it was plenty fast, nothing fell off (re-assembly of that many bolts and such, it's a miracle!) I like the speed but I need to be sure it isn't a wild weasel or it will get me in trouble. The rear shocks are an inch shorter than stock so i thought I'd have been safe to lower the front 3/4".

Oh boy! More things to do now!

You seem to be running to lean on the carbs, thats why your engine is so hot, plus you have an air leak somewhere which is causing the high idle. Did you get bigger jets since putting on pods? I didnt fully read your list on what you did since I was to excited to see your pics. But look at your carbs again, go a jet size larger or you will have a big aluminum melt down.

I guess it could be lean though I'm not popping out the carbs any.

The mains are 120's and the primaries are 20's with the clip in the middle position.

It smells a bit rich at idle but with 17.5's it popped back a lot and I had to turn the sir screws in to within a half of turn of seated just to get it to pop once in a while. I think I'm out about a turn or turn and a quarter, I'll have to check again.

I have a color-tune so I'll use it to see where the flame color is at most of the range, I just don't think it will let me run it up to 6G+ though.

could be a vacume leak?

Last Thursday night was the first chance I've had to take it out, went for a little more than 50 miles, air temp was around 60°, ran it mostly on 4 lane roads to avoid winter chafe.

Changed the vacuum cap on carb #3 to something that fit more tightly. That fixed the the high idle and the bike will now go above 6k. So yes it was a vacuum leak, though it had to be the lightest one you could imagine.

I thought it might have sputtered one time early in the ride but never felt it again.

Idle is better but not right though as I still have the idle adjuster fully disengaged.

The other odd throttle issue is that when I was running about 60mph I only had the throttle turned just off fully closed. I don't think you could turn it any less and not be closed.

I found the source of the smoke on top of the engine, the cam cap ends are seeping a tiny bit, just ordered new ones from Z1 and another valve cover gasket just in case.

I'm going to pull the carbs and change the pilots from 20's to 17.5's. I'm also going to lower the floats a tad as it dripped a little gas when I parked at the end in the shop. The linkage is fully closing so I think when I sync'd them the vacuum leak threw off the setting and the slides are too high in combination with the pilot jets is why it acts like cruise control.

The handling wasn't bad but I think the sag in the front is leading to it feeling a bit too responsive. It reacts too fast to even the slightest steering input. Not a wobbler but I'm not interested in taking it above 70 until the progressives I just ordered are in there.

Gas mileage looks to be bad right now but I'll check it once I feel I'm past the carb issues.

I hope to have the Marzocchi shocks rebuilt and on by the time good riding weather gets here (as well as the last parts from my painter).

KZ_Rage wrote:

The other odd throttle issue is that when I was running about 60mph I only had the throttle turned just off fully closed. I don't think you could turn it any less and not be closed.

I'm going to pull the carbs and change the pilots from 20's to 17.5's. I'm also going to lower the floats a tad as it dripped a little gas when I parked at the end in the shop. The linkage is fully closing so I think when I sync'd them the vacuum leak threw off the setting and the slides are too high in combination with the pilot jets is why it acts like cruise control.

60mph no throttle? sounds like u are running on the pilot so u should be on the right track Rage. the smaller pilot may just do the trick. as for the gas leak ,are u sure the seats are sealing? just a thought.

Float needles and seats are new Kaw OEM's, could be crud I guess but I had set the floats pretty high and the bike leans pretty far over on the side stand.

did just leak from 1 or all? it dosnt prove anything but i would think if it was fuel level they would all leak. if it were crud on a seat it may be just 1?something to think about?

Each carb has it's own overflow tube so if any one of the 4 were to not to seat it would overfill the bowl on that carb and the fuel will trickle out that carbs tube. I didn't check to see which one or ones might have been doing it as I figured I'd have them off in week to re-jet them again anyway and I'd find it then possibly.