Can't restart bike...what am I missing?

So tomorrow it looks like I'll take a look at the valve clearances again.

Question about adjustment of the valve clearance should they need to be made. According to the Shop Manual (page 17) found at kz400.com, once the adjustment has been made, "tighten the locknut...using the valve clearance adjust (special tool) to keep the rocker shaft from turning." Is this tool necessary? I'd like to think I could use a flat-head screw driver to keep the shaft from turning while using an open/box wrench to tighten the locknut?

Also, I'd assume a .13mm thickness is required for both the rear and front of both cylinders? If I follow the Shop Manual, I'm checking the clearance on the right/rear first. Then I move to the right/front.... but do I need to readjust the crankshaft before checking the front clearance? If so, am I aligning something to the timing mark? According to the text below image 28 on page 15, "the right cylinder is at the end of its compression stroke such that the inlet and exhaust valves for the right cylinder can be checked for clearance and then adjusted if necessary." I suppose I'm really confused as to the order of clearance check. Does someone care to elaborate a little for this simpleton?

Btw... I tried to upload the video I took earlier today but after, not one failed one-hour upload, but two...I've given up on trying to do that. Have I mentioned how much I dislike photobucket?

Did you check if the points are sparking? If they are, it's not normal. Yes, at TDC both valves should be loose. If your confused, pull the plugs and see if the piston is at the top and the TDC line on the advancer is even with the mark on the housing. Adjust your Valves. I've never used special tools but it can be difficult keeping the screw from turning when tightening the lock nut.

I just went to the web site. The valve setup is very much like my old Honda 350. Those are called eccentric adjusters. The rocker sits on a cam. When you turn the screw, it raises or lowers the rocker thus giving more clearance or less. The nice thing about these is you can adjust the clearance out side of the valve cover. The bad thing is you can get them too tight without knowing it. That's how I dropped a valve in the 70's. As a rule, you should hear the valves slightly. When I was 18 I was sure I could tell by ear if the valves were correct. I was wrong. Loose is better than tight. Check your valves again. If run too long too tight you can burn a valve, then the head has to come off. I hope not.
Good luck
Steve

The clearance for each valve is supposed to be measured when the cam lobe is pointed directly away from the valve, which position is when the valve is supposed to be fully closed.
Both valves for the cylinder are fully closed when the piston position is at top-dead-center (i.e., TDC).

Actually seeing the cam lobe pointed away from the valve is in my opinion the best way to know the cam position is correct when measuring the clearance with a thickness (feeler) gauge.

The resulting correct valve clearances usually don't relate to the order or sequence in which they are measured (checked). Nor does it matter exactly how the setting is mechanically held in position while tightening the lock-nut.

After setting and locking the clearances, measure all of them again to confirm the clearance measurements being within specs.
If a valve's clearance isn't within spec, repeat the adjustment procedure until it is adjusted and locked within spec.

Needless to say, a perfect measurement that's messed up during the locking procedure needs to to be done all over again, until the correct clearance exits after the locking procedure..

Good Fortune!

Confirming the cam position and the TDC mark can indicate a jumped tooth if it has happened. On hydraulic cam chain adjusters this can happen when a sudden shut down occurs at speed. K had a problem with their automatic adjusters back then and issued a recall to fix it. this one may have slipped by.
Steve

Patton wrote: Both valves for the cylinder are fully closed when the piston position is at top-dead-center (i.e., TDC).

This was the information I was trying to gather.

Thank you all for the help you have provided. It's greatly appreciated!!!!

Here is the video I shot yesterday while starting it up for the first time on the new B8ES plugs. In the research I've done, I should have put in B7ES plugs but I did not have them on hand.


Today I spent, what seemed like way too long measuring and adjusting the valve clearances. I think they were pretty close but then again, measuring the clearance is based on feel, something I have very little experience with. I took a video of me measuring the clearance of the right cylinder at the very beginning of the day. I was trying to perform the check while viewing it through my phone. As such, I kept hitting the feeler gauge on the rocker arm. In the end, the .005 gauge slid in with little drag.



I was unable to try to start the bike due to loss of daylight (damn the days are getting shorter.) I'll shot another video of me measuring them the way they are currently but that will be another day of course.

Thanks for the video regarding valve clearance measurements.

Appears the thickness gauge might be rubbing against the side of the porthole while trying to take the measurement.

Is it for certain that the thickness gauge isn't too wide, so as to interfere with an accurate measurement?

Good Fortune!

Thank you for the reply.

I've been on vacation the past week and a half (I sure miss those!) and I'd like to stay focused on this. Can I ask for a little advise/experience from those that might have used the Motion Pro Feeler Gauges like these:

Are these narrow enough to fit in without making contact with the sides of the porthole? I think you're right Patton, there was certainly contact between the sides of the portholes and the feeler gauges. I'd like to see these in person and pick these up locally but I don't have a place that I can. If these work, I'll order through Amazon, provided they're narrow enough to work for this application.

Though nice to have, not necessary. You can cut down what you have to make them thinner. The adjustments are behind the cam covers. It sounds like carboration to me. Did you check to see if the points were sparking while running? Start there. One thing at a time. Don't jump around. You'll get no where fast.
Steve

I don't mind spending a few buck (especially on tools) for a new set of feeler gauges. I don't want to hassle with trying to grind my existing ones down. I'll just pony up the cash and get a new set.

In terms of the spark at the points. Early on, I managed to pull the plugs out and ground them to the motor to check for spark. Hard to properly do by oneself, in the middle of the summer afternoon, using the kickstart. So I'm going to pick up a tester since that will help me narrow it down a bit.

My first thought was something like this:




However, I started to think that something like this might be better:




But I think I may end up getting one of these inline testers:

This way, I can just hook it all up and then kick the bike over without worrying about the tester falling off the motor. The price difference between all three is only a couple of dollars. Anyone foresee a problem with the inline tester?

first off, do you have a new or working battery in the bike? Second, I was talking about watching the points while it is running. If they're sparking, the condensers are bad. Simple. That bike has a starter on it right? Why aren't you using it?
Steve