83 KZ440D Project

I recently acquired a 1983 KZ440D project bike quite cheap. It needs some TLC as it hasn't been run in a couple of years. Last inspection sticker was 2011.
My plan is to install a different gas tank that holds a little more gas in it, I have 2 options that I'm looking at one is to modify a Honda Shadow tank to fit, or to modify a Harley Davidson tank to fit. I just like the wide tear drop look of those 2 tanks.
I am going to do the single carb conversion on it with the Mikuni VM34 carb.
Being I work in an automotive machine shop I'm going to port and polish the head, find a set of oversize pistons and bore and hone it. I'd like to find a slightly more performance oriented camshaft for it, but don't know if the camshaft listed in the Web Cams catalog is correct for it. This is going to be a work in progress and is my first street legal motorcycle, other bikes I've owned never had any paperwork to put them on the road.
I'm sure I'll have lots of questions in the coming months and I tend to take way too many pictures, but the only picture I have now is a bit fuzzy but I'll still share it.
Thanks for letting me ramble.
Oh and the tank and side covers once I get them will end up being some sort of purple as my shops preferred engine colors are Blue and Purple.

Welcome. I'd get it running before I started a mod of any kind.
Steve

I have to pull the head anyways because the intake valve on the right bank leaks bad enough that their is basically no compression. It could just be carbon build up or a little rust on the seat. To get it running I would also have to rebuild the carbs, the left one let a bunch of fuel into the intake port when I played around with the fuel petcock, suggesting that the needle and seat are stuck. Surprisingly though the gas wasn't all that bad when I drained the tank.
I have to get an ignition switch or hot wire it to be able to start it, Previous Owner didn't get the key when he got the bike. The person owed him money and paid him with the bike.
I have to get a manual for it too, just trying to figure out which one to buy.

I am going to do the single carb conversion on it with the Mikuni VM34 carb.
Being I work in an automotive machine shop I'm going to port and polish the head, find a set of oversize pistons and bore and hone it. I'd like to find a slightly more performance oriented camshaft for it, but don't know if the camshaft listed in the Web Cams catalog is correct for it
........
Go ahead and shoot yourself in the foot going to a single carb.
Web cams did grind a cam for someone on here for a 440. It was a custom job
since nothing is listed last time I looked. Both the cam and rockers had to be
hard welded.

www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=39120.0


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Like I said, get it running before doing any mods.
Steve

Pulled the cover off of the ignition advance and had to pull it apart to free up the advance mechanism. Looked like water intrusion came up through the rubber grommet around the wires. The gasket was in fairly decent shape.
I ended up hot wiring the ignition switch to hook up a battery. Still low compression on number 2 cylinder, but as stated it's in the intake valve. I injected air into the cylinder with both valves closed and air escapes through the intake valve. I did find out their is plenty of spark and that the flasher doesn't blink, just comes on solid. Ah the little things, but that doesn't bother me. I also found a person on craigslist with 2 spare engines missing the carbs and some various other parts.

Nebr_Rex wrote: I am going to do the single carb conversion on it with the Mikuni VM34 carb.
Being I work in an automotive machine shop I'm going to port and polish the head, find a set of oversize pistons and bore and hone it. I'd like to find a slightly more performance oriented camshaft for it, but don't know if the camshaft listed in the Web Cams catalog is correct for it
........
Go ahead and shoot yourself in the foot going to a single carb.
Web cams did grind a cam for someone on here for a 440. It was a custom job
since nothing is listed last time I looked. Both the cam and rockers had to be
hard welded.

www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=39120.0


.

What is wrong with the single carb conversion? My current daily driver is an 81 Kz440 with a mikuni VM34. It runs great, the only trouble I've really had is being patient enough for it to warm up in the 15 to 20 degree mornings.
NVM...I didn't read the whole post. Yes, performance wise a single carb is going to be shooting yourself in the foot. Go with dual mikuni VM30s rather than stock for the extra power.

Figured out Web Cams is going to be more than I want to spend right now. They want something like $325 for a hard weld cam.
Performance wise I'm not looking for lot's of power just looking to smooth up the port flow, I might even take it and put it on a superflow 110 flow bench to just see the flow.
I've already figured I'm going to get a wide band O2 sensor for tuning purposes, and will probably leave it on after tuning is done.
I could probably go the efi route, I already have a Megasquirt I could possibly mount, but want to stick to a carb for ease.
I've also been rethinking the VM34 as I might want to go to the TM pumper series, or I might have access to a Keihin CV40 off a Harley which would be either free or really cheap. I'm not sure if the Keihin would be too big, I still haven't figured out how to size motorcycle carbs.

The ports and valves are the same size as the KZ1000. They are 250cc
per cylinder compared to your 221.5cc. Nothing to be gained unless your
going to twist it. No need for a wide band, I've been running a K&N O2 sensor
since 2003 on my ZRX and it works fine.


.

Did a clean up of the stock carbs, which was just a basic take the float bowls off and carb clean the gunk out, which wasn't really all that bad. Fairly clean just a little sediment which cleaned up fast. Checked the vacuum slides with an air gun that was far enough away and gentle enough to see that they moved. Yeah I know too much could rupture the diaphragm but I didn't.
I put the carbs back on filled them with a squirt bottle of non-ethanol gas, and fired the engine up. Fired up and runs, not great but the #2 cylinder is slowly getting compression back. Now I can tear the top end apart and freshen it up. Their were no odd engine noises so I think I'm good to go.
I know I don't need the wide band O2 sensor but I do have other non motorcycle projects I can use it on along with the megasquirt efi.
On a side note the intake ports on the Kz440 are bigger in diameter than the ported KZ1000 head I have sitting around. The head could be a 900 for all I know, I'd have to look at the casting numbers. Did the head years back for a friends KZ1000 project he hasn't finished yet. He's doing the big bore kit, and was toying with a turbo for it.

The valves are the same size as a KZ1000 and the ports are the same size as a KZ1000J.


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Machined up a set of bronze guides from another application I had laying around, basically just had to shorten them and cut the groove for the ring to keep the guides from walking down into the head. I made them all the same as the shorter Intake guide and tapered them like the originals. While the guides were out we did a little port work, nothing major just a little straightening and polishing.
The valve job still needs to be done along with a slight milling of the head, which will be just enough to make sure it's flat.