Shop in Eastern MA to work on '82 KZ1000J2?

Howyadoin,

I've got my bike running, but I really need to get my carbs straightened out and synched, along with a leaking petcock. Can anyone recommend a shop in the Eastern MA/Southern NH are that would do the work?

I'm book smart about this stuff, but I honestly don't have the time or skill to do this right, and would rather enjoy a good-running bike for the rest of the season rather than chasing problem after problem.

I don't know a lot about carbs, but I know enough to know what I don't know is a lot more than what I do... Wow, am I related to Yogi Berra? :huh:

Thanks!

hiya mark welcome to the fray..i dont think there are any shops that do good work on our older bikes around mass. i could be wrong. im sure you can replace that petcock yourself two screws and your done. drain fuel first of course. i got a synchroniser you can borrow if you feel brave. its not really that hard to do...steve

That's very kind of you to offer the use of the synch tool, but I've already got one. I put an ad on craigslist for a mechanic just for chuckles, if I don't get a response I guess I'm the man for the job.

The sync isn't really the part I'm worried about, that's pretty straightforward. It's all the other BS you cn encounter; leaky boots, dirty pilot jets, which jets to use based on the engine work and aftermarket exhaust, worn needle valves, teentsy tiny screws and springs, all of which dictate if the bike is going to run after you're done... It's like taking apart a wristwatch that you are later going to use to run your heart bypass machine...

If it was me,I'd contact Rick Stetson at Harry's Machined Parts in Northborough,MA. 508-366-1455.

throw a can of seafoam in it and ride it a while to see if it gets any better. if you can id wait till the riding seasons over to pull those carbs off and have at em. i have some exeprience with carbs as you can see. they arent rocket science really... im just a hacker too... ya learn by doing and asking for usualy great advice on this board...steve

Howyadoin,

Thanks for the lead, Jack! I called them this afternoon and got a quote to do the work, unfortunately it's probably a bit out of my price range right now. It's good to know that there is a shop that can bail me out if need be, though. Anyone looking to buy blood plasma cheap?

I think I'll do the petcock replacement or rebuild myself, double-check all the screws are roughly where they should be, Seafoam it, adjust the idle, do the synch and re-adjust the idle afterwards. I've got the factory manual and can get the parts and tools.

Even if I can just get it stable (not leaking or idling at 3K) for now, I can bring it to the shop in the spring and have them dyno-tune it.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'm looking forward to getting this bike back to it's former kick-assness!

i shoulda warned you about harrys. these guys are pro's for sure. back in the early 80 they had a shop next door to where i worked and rick was the best there was then for machining these old bikes engine parts to perfection. i think he was also racing suzukis of the day too. shop specialty is broken harley motors normally which they had a lot of back then too. theyd even machine small parts for our factory machines once in a while. it was great to go over and chat with those guys for sure. mark if you decide to take your carbs apart this winter and want them cleaned ultrasoniclly maybe we can set something up for you just let me know...always glad to help out a fellow biker...steve

Howyadoin,

Again, many thanks Steve for the offer, much appreciated. If the carbs end up being really cruddy, it would be great to get them nice and clean before I rebuild them.

My horns came yesterday, and I've got the aux fuel tank and petcock rebuild kit coming from Z1 early next week, then I gotta get my motorcycle lift out of my buddy's barn. Speaking of which, I hope my Vance & Hines 4-into-1 exhaust doesn't prevent me from lifting the bike, that would be a drag.

I figure with those parts and tools and some more book learnin' and silly questions, I can get her past MA inspection, get the wheels off and get some new rubber on. After that I can start to triage, adjust and synch the carbs and figure out what other parts I'll need in the short term.

-Mark