1981 KZ1000 CSR

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Patton wrote:

DinoC wrote:

Update: Cleaned up the carbs and got them on. Had some issues getting her to run, found a kinked fuel line. After fixing that she fired right up. Put some air in the tires and was ready to take her for a little spin. Put her in first gear but she wouldnt move. I adjusted the clutch cable all the way out, nothing. Im thinking the clutch is toast....From what I hear a clutch replacement is not a hard task to do. Any hints/tips or recommendations(clutch) are welcome...

Clutch push rod adjustment might resolve the issue.

It's a routine maintenance item.

Free, simple, clean, quick, easy, and often very effective.

Good Fortune!

Thanks for the reply.

I gave it a shot and followed the service manual instructions. No dice...

trianglelaguna wrote:

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Exactly what I was thinking.

DinoC wrote:

...Thanks for the reply.
I gave it a shot and followed the service manual instructions. No dice...

Some manual instructions are reportedly confusing or might be wrong about which way to turn the adjustment screw to lightly seat it.

Don't know which way you turned it to lightly seat it, or which way the manual said to turn it, but before giving up, try turning the adjustment screw in the opposite direction until it seats, and then turn it the reverse direction 1/4 turn.

Sometimes this means first turning the screw counter-clockwise until it meets resistance, then turning it clockwise 1/4 turn.

Imo it would be unusual for the clutch to suddenly fail totally due to normal wear.

Good Fortune!

Nice scooter.I have its twin sister sitting in the garage.CSR is Maw Kaws way of identifying a "CruiSeR".On J bikes,the clutch adjustment goes the opposite way of most other KZs.Open the square port on the clutch cover,stick a small screwdriver in the slotted adjustment screw,loosen the lock nut,turn the adjustment screw COUNTER clockwise until it lightly seats,then turn clockwise 1/4 turn.and tighten the locknut.A low mileage garage kept bike like that shouldnt have eaten a clutch.Check adjustment on the clutch cable as well to insure it releases properly.should have 3mm of slack at the clutch lever.bj

In your discussion u didnt mention an oil and filter change.If u havent done that I would before u take it out for a spin.Not unusual for the clutch plates to get a little gummed up if the bike sat for a while.Might change to a 5w-40 oil and put a 1/4 can of Seafoam in it,fire it up and let it run for awhile and see if that loosens things up.bj

Patton wrote:

DinoC wrote:

...Thanks for the reply.
I gave it a shot and followed the service manual instructions. No dice...

Some manual instructions are reportedly confusing or might be wrong about which way to turn the adjustment screw to lightly seat it.

Don't know which way you turned it to lightly seat it, or which way the manual said to turn it, but before giving up, try turning the adjustment screw in the opposite direction until it seats, and then turn it the reverse direction 1/4 turn.

Sometimes this means first turning the screw counter-clockwise until it meets resistance, then turning it clockwise 1/4 turn.

Imo it would be unusual for the clutch to suddenly fail totally due to normal wear.

Good Fortune!

Well I found this out the hard way. According to the KZ manual ( www.kawiworld.com/images/stories/KZ1100man.pdf ) it says to go clockwise. That was backing the pressure off the clutch assembly. I didnt figure that out before I disassembled the right side to expose the clutch pack. Took all the discs out and measured the thickness of the friction plate(s). They all were within spec(2.9-3.1mm). I was thinking the previous owner might have left a clutch disc out. That wasnt the case...Long story short- I figured it out after playing with the adjustment screw with the clutch cover plate off. B)

It needed a oil change anyway...

I want to thank all you guys for the help. I really love these old bikes....

I have the exact same bike 81 csr1000 I love it!, I am wondering what came of changing out the fork seals, I have the seals sitting here in front of me. I won't have anyone do it for me. I have done everything on this bike on my own, I first explored and learned how to deal with charging system and carbs on my own and my bike runs perfect. The front fork seals are making me nervous though. I dont want to start the job and not be able to ride because I cant get it right. can anyone give me a step by step, and no I don't have a manual. kzrider.com hasn't steered me wrong so far. It's late march in upstate NY and already riding weather I want to take full advantage, and didn't want to waste a thread, thanks guys!

Competition, Sports, and Road.

thanks for the info, it will prove to be very usefull i'm sure. Now I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this question but once again my father and I have differing opinions on the matter and would like to know what you guys think. He says "I bet u just need to put air in them and they'll be fine". I think that after 30 plus years there is no way the stock seals are still good. I have no way to tell if they are actually the stock ones but given the condition of my bike when I got it, I'm pretty sure they are stock. and BTW i believe i remember hearing that the forks hold between 12 and 17 psi, is this true?

I also have an '81 CSR 1000 and I just did the fork seals. Just release the air and pull the forks off the bike. Then remove the bleeder screw (small screw on side of fork near the bottom). Pump the fork to get out all the old oil. Then unscrew the top of the fork (where the air valve is) with a crescent wrench and take out the springs. Then take off the dust covers and remove the wire retaining ring holding in the fork seals. Rather than taking the fork the rest of the way apart, get a small pick (like a dentist or tool pick) and get the old seal out that way. Then drive in the new seal using a piece of 1.5 inch PVC pipe which will fit over the top of the fork and give you something to tap to seat it. Replace the retaining ring, put the bleeder screw back in, fill the fork with 320 cc (or mL, whatever scale is on your bottle) of 10w fork oil. Pour the fluid down the top of the fork. Replace the dust seal, put in springs, screw top back on and put the forks back on the bike.
I didn't put any air in my forks and it works just fine. You need a very sensitive pump since the rating is only between like 5.8 and 7 psi (if I remember correctly, but that is close). With too much air you can blow the seals out so I recommend running just the fluid. Works fine and is less of a headache. Hope this helps.

Sounds a whole lot easier than a complete tear down. And I was inspecting my forks this morning and realized that my forks still have the factory sticker on them and it says max 35 psi, this is alot more than I have heard before but Kawi seems to only give correct information right?