kz riders in MA?

Lets bump this up here. I want to ride with some fellow KZers.:woohoo:

My bike is still down. My mechanic can't take it until the 30th. Might be time to find a new mechanic.

sheesh bike night is right in my own back yard maybe 5 mins from me lol who woulda known?

Ituen, Become your own mechanic. Lots of help here in the forums as well. I'm willing to help as well. I'm not an expert but I know enough to get in trouble. An then I just use the forums.

fixer5000, I remember reading your posts a while back and you are close to Lowell. I'm a stones throw as well.

The bike died on me on the way home from work on rt3 last eve. Man thats scary with the cars whizzing by at what seems like 100 mph. The battery died. I looked at the records and the battery was replaced in Sept 02. Dah I wonder why the battery died. I'm thinking now that maybe that is why I had the high speed missfire too.

this is why i always write the new installed date on my battery lol.. seems we both use rt 3 to get to and from work too! im in westford just off rt 3 at rt 40 for those who'd like to know. ituen?? whats wrong with your bike?? steve

I have no idea what's wrong with it. I when first got it back from my mechanic and posted some pics, someone said the blueish color on the pipes meant it's running lean. It ran fine for a few weeks until I noticed it was running a little hot on longer trips (about 50 miles roundtrip). The valve cover gasket was also weeping a little. It didn't leave any oil on the pavement, but dripped a little down the motor. Last week when I had the problem, it backfired a little when I would shift it hard. We got stuck in rush hour traffic in the 93 tunnel heading toward Dorchester. I could see a little smoke, but my GF said it was coming from everywhere. The bike wouldn't idle. I had to keep it revved up to get out of the tunnel and stop at a safe place on the side of 93. Once it cooled down, it ran better, but there's still something wrong. The exhaust pipe has black residue on it. I think it's a carb problem, but they were rebuilt a couple of months ago. The motor has less than 18K original miles on it.

have you done the wd40 trick to the carb holders yet? age before mileage on these things and if they leak theres your lean issue right there. that was one of the first things i changed on my bike years ago...steve

I didn't know anything about the WD40 trick. The Kawi forum people say the KZ motors seep oil from the gaskets. I'm better off taking it to a mechanic. I have no idea where to start.

WD40 trick = run your bike at idle on the center stand. Once it is running steady, spray WD40/starting fluid or some other suitable flammable spray on the rubber of the hoses connecting the airbox to the carbs and on the carb holders holding the carbs to the head. If your idle increases it means that your carb boots are cracked and you have what is called a 'vacuum leak' which can cause your bike to run lean (also cause it to run hot and oddly, plus the blueing of exhaust headers).

If only the valve cover gasket is leaking, I'm sure you can open that and put gasket sealant on it or get a new gasket . I'll do about anything to avoid $75/hour

Update on my bike. I got tired of waiting for my mechanic to figure out what was wrong with it. I pulled the spark plugs and the inside plugs had oil on them. The outside plugs were just fouled. I may have some internal engine damage. I have to check the compression of each cylinder before I decide exactly what I should do with my bike.