Ethanol fuels

Whatever! Ethanol Gas SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pour Marvels Mystery Oil into whatever you have that runs on gasoline!
Been using it for 40 years! Never a wrong problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's right! Marvel's Mystery Oil!

Here ethanol has been in our gasoline for about 30 years. It has not caused any problems on my totally stock 1977 KZ650-C1, but it did damage the fuel line on my old lawn mower. Ed

Do any Kz's use brass floats? About 20 years ago, every Honda I came across had brass floats with micro-cracks and were slowly filling with fuel. I would heat them and a stream of gas would come out flaming. I would then solder up the cracks. But it didn't work for very long as the whole float would soon starts to show cracks everywhere.

I've never seen a float related problem on Kz's, but I haven't done a ton of work on the older, big motors. I wonder if Kawasaki saw the alcohol problem coming and decided to use the foam-plastic floats as a preventative measure. It wouldn't surprise me. It's one reason why I like the Kz's so much... it seems like Kawasaki always put in a bit more engineering.

Has anyone else had the joy of trying to balance a rack of carbs that use individual throttle cables after the cables get a little kinked or bent from age?

loudhvx wrote: Do any Kz's use brass floats? About 20 years ago, every Honda I came across had brass floats with micro-cracks and were slowly filling with fuel. I would heat them and a stream of gas would come out flaming. I would then solder up the cracks. But it didn't work for very long as the whole float would soon starts to show cracks everywhere.

I've never seen a float related problem on Kz's, but I haven't done a ton of work on the older, big motors. I wonder if Kawasaki saw the alcohol problem coming and decided to use the foam-plastic floats as a preventative measure. It wouldn't surprise me. It's one reason why I like the Kz's so much... it seems like Kawasaki always put in a bit more engineering.

Has anyone else had the joy of trying to balance a rack of carbs that use individual throttle cables after the cables get a little kinked or bent from age?

The floats in my 750 are plastic

loudhvx wrote: Do any Kz's use brass floats?


Has anyone else had the joy of trying to balance a rack of carbs that use individual throttle cables after the cables get a little kinked or bent from age?

I think 29 mm smoothbores use metal floats but not sure if they are brass.

Individual throttle cables? Do you mean four cables for four carbs? Wow!

The 29 and 33's have brass floats. I had the same problem. I took the plastic floats out of my 28's and use them in my 33's. They work fine. Same problem with my 69 Ford F250. Brass floats would crack but new ones are $10 all day. I think it's vibration and age that does it.
The four cable VM carbs are a PITA because of the splitter but once set they work well.
Steve

Oldjeep wrote: [quote=

Has anyone else had the joy of trying to balance a rack of carbs that use individual throttle cables after the cables get a little kinked or bent from age?

Four individual carb cables are not too bad if they are on an inline motor. You should try to sync the slides on the four cylinder Rg500 square four two stroke. You have two carbs on either side of the motor!!!!! Plus a 5th cable for the oil pump.

To keep the throttle cables from moving in the carb adjuster, I safety wire them to the adjuster so they have no chance of any movement of the cable in the adjuster. The carb slides stay in sync much longer when I do this. When I sync the slides on my Rg, I put my left finger in the top left carb, put my right finger in the top right carb, and open and close the throttle grip WITH MY TEETH!!!!! Then I just sync the top carb on each side to the lower carb on that side. If you do it right, when you drop the slides you should only hear ONE CLICK when the slides hit the throttle stop screws. If you hear more than one click, time to start the whole process over!!!!! You have to be a raving fanatic in order to keep a Rg500 running at its maximum potential at all times!!!!!

Safety wired cable to slide adjuster screw


The left hand set of carbs of a Rg500.

Screw that ethanol gasoline. I run everything I own (except my car) on VP110!!!
This stuff has that same nice aroma that all gasolines had when we were kids!!!
Today's gasolines have an obnoxious smell to them.

The 29 smoothbores are aftermarket? as in not Kawasaki factory parts, correct? Were the brass-float 33's from the factory?

To me, the Hondas with their cable splitters always felt cheap especially after a few people have been in there and the splitter starts to fall apart.

I used to occasionally see an RGV flying around, but I don't think I ever saw one of those RG500 squares in person. That'd be quite a conversation piece at bike night.

29 and 33's were race carbs. Not factory.
Steve