New Member '79 KZ1000E-ST project....

roy-b-boy-b wrote: Does this bike have electronic ignition ? I would get the ignition system sorted out. The main reason coils crack is because the ignition was left on. Roy

Yes. The bike has electric ignition. I believe the coils cracked due to getting condensation in them from sitting for about 20 years. The air is damp here most of the year. I believe they are firing fine but the wires aren't the best and with them cracked I figure they should be replaced. I drove it for 30 miles the other day and it seemed to be hitting on all four alright.
I asked my Uncle the original owner about weather he had the valves adjusted etc. He said it had always worked too good to screw with it. Everything was as it came from the dealer. I replaced the original air filter the other day!!!

roy-b-boy-b wrote: Beautiful bike. I am with you,leave it like it is. I would not coat the tank,gasahol would likley destroy the liner if you were to go that route. Get a good gas filter.

Make sure you have 12 volts to the coils. I use Dyna coils on my bikes. Your coils should be good enough to start with unless they are cracked.

The clutch might come unstuck after you get the bike stated just by shifting gears while it is on the center stand. Roy

Here is a picture of one of the many handfuls of crap that came out of the tank.

NovaNewfie wrote: I'm going to change my fork oil. Do I just remove the drain screws in the bottom and pump the forks to get the old oil out?
The manual says to remove the springs to check the fork oil, they are apparently a two piece spring with a washer in between them. Do I just pull them out and refill to proper level then re-install?

Support the bike with the front end off the ground, remove the drain screws and unscrew the tops (be careful because the springs will have some pressure on them. There's a top spring about 6" long, a washer and then another spring about 12" long. You should replace the seals but if you don't, refill and check the oil level with a wood dowel inserted through the top. The manual states what the oil depth should be.

DesertKZ wrote:

NovaNewfie wrote: I'm going to change my fork oil. Do I just remove the drain screws in the bottom and pump the forks to get the old oil out?
The manual says to remove the springs to check the fork oil, they are apparently a two piece spring with a washer in between them. Do I just pull them out and refill to proper level then re-install?

Support the bike with the front end off the ground, remove the drain screws and unscrew the tops (be careful because the springs will have some pressure on them. There's a top spring about 6" long, a washer and then another spring about 12" long. You should replace the seals but if you don't, refill and check the oil level with a wood dowel inserted through the top. The manual states what the oil depth should be.

I bought the wrong manual. I bought the Clymer and since I haven't worked for two months I don't have the spare money right now to buy the Kawasaki service manual. The Clymer manual says the oil should be down 18.9 inches with springs removed 310ml of oil. I take it that's the amount of oil for each side?

I would need to check my manual when I got home but that sounds about right with fork fully extended. Maybe someone with a manual handy can chime in.

Did these video's load for anyone. Does it sound to be running alright?

Videos loaded, seems to run a bit rough to my ear...if nothing was done since new then there's stuff you can do to get it to run better. Valve gaps for a start, new plugs, check all the electricals like MFolks suggested. Soon as you put on the new coils and wires you should see a huge improvement. The baby oil trick your uncle used sounds good. I don't know if you are going to keep the fairing and bags but they add a lot of weight and the suspension may not have been upgraded to deal with that.

BTW as mentioned before.....your bike is really beautiful Its pretty rare to see one so good stock

Its got new plugs in it.
I've been waiting to check the valve clearances till after I get back to work and buy the gaskets. I don't want to chance taking it apart without having them on hand.
I went through all the electrical connections with contact cleaner.
It runs rough when its cold, seems to smoothen out once it warms up and gets above 1800-2000rpm.
I plan on keeping all the extra's on it, more or less just for my Uncles sake. He put 20'000 miles on it riding two-up 95% of the time without any problem.

Thanks for your kind words as to the condition of the bike. I can see little flaws but for being an original 34 year old bike its stayed remarkably well.

I'm not really looking for performance out of the bike just a reliable old cruiser.

bluezbike wrote: I don't know if you are going to keep the fairing and bags but they add a lot of weight and the suspension may not have been upgraded to deal with that.

I got around to changing my fork oil last night. Unless my book is wrong my front forks have longer springs. The book says they should be 7.6" and 14.4" the springs measure 8 1/8th" and 15 1/4". I highly doubt that would have became longer over time. Either they have been upgraded or the book is wrong.

I also pulled the swing arm out and greased the prop shaft and swingarm bearings and changed the oil in the rear drive.

I've changed the brake fluid and flushed them through. Changed the oil and filter and changed the air filter.

I've lubbed all the cables, the speedo unit on the wheel, and the mechanical timing advancer.

Is there anything else maintence wise that I should attend to?

Handsome bike!

Would suspect weak or zero combustion in at least one cylinder (perhaps 2).
To test -- Start cold engine, run a few seconds, and spray water mist onto exhaust header pipes.
Water should instantly vaporize and sizzle dry on every exhaust pipe.
If not, the cylinder isn't combusting (for whatever reason).
May relate to issues with compression, spark or fuel, or a combination.

Would remove spark plugs and visually examine spark quality -- using brand new NGKB8ES spark plugs -- while spinning over the engine.
Look for fat blue sparks -- not weak orange spark.
Anything other than fat blue spark is unacceptable.
Weak spark may result from various different undesirable conditions.

Ignition timing should be verified as spot on.

Correct functioning of the timing advancer should be confirmed by viewing with a timing light while the engine is running.
Lube pivot points as might be required, or both clean and lube.

As already suggested, should assure all valve clearances are within factory specs.

A compression test and a leak-down test would be informative.
Even a poor-man's leak-down test can reveal where compression is being lost.

Use clear tube test to assure fuel levels in the float bowls are within factory specs (usually 3mm below bowl gasket)
Don't rely on measuring upside down float heights.
The correct float height is whatever float height produces the correct fuel level.

Assure the cam chain tension is correct and that the tensioner is correctly functioning.

A final tuning item is carb sync.
A proper carb sync usually results in much quieter running at idle and lower rpms.

Proper tuning will also produce a strong steady pull away from idle.

Mechanical engine noise is more audible when riding with a fairing.

Engine should howl :woohoo: -- not rumble :pinch: .

Good Fortune!

Patton wrote: Handsome bike!

Would suspect weak or zero combustion in at least one cylinder (perhaps 2).
To test -- Start cold engine, run a few seconds, and spray water mist onto exhaust header pipes.
Water should instantly vaporize and sizzle dry on every exhaust pipe.
If not, the cylinder isn't combusting (for whatever reason).
May relate to issues with compression, spark or fuel, or a combination.


Good Fortune!

I can't remember the exact numbers but #1 & 4 were around 128-130psi dry and 160-170 after adding a few drops of oil. #2 & 3 were 115-118 dry and 130psi after adding oil. The test was done on a cold engine before I'd taken it for a drive so after sitting for 10 + years. All four head pipes are very hot to touch.

Its got new B8ES plugs.

I was under the impression you couldn't adjust the time on these electric ignition engines as they are not adjustable? I lubbed the advancer it seems to be working fine.

As stated before I know I have to replace the coils/wires/and caps, and check the valve clearance.

I found one good coil today. I don't know if I have any others. Someone on here needed some coils so I sent all that I had to them. I have bought some bikes since then so I might run across some others.

Timing cannot be adjusted.