Please help!

I cannot seem to get my 81 kz440 to work properly. It will sometimes start (more easily if jumped or freshly charged battery). It will idle for a little while ususally the choke has to be on to get it going and even to remain running at all. Anyway after a minute of idling, it will just die and not want to start again.

I changed the oil, and rebuilt the carbs and it's still doing the exact same thing it was before I rebuilt them.

Also, (in the last day or two) when it is idling and I take some of the choke off and try to give it some throttle, it will die.

Someone please help me out, I really want to ride my bike.

What happens if you reduce the choke slightly (after it chugs the first time) without giving it throttle? I ask because for a while I thought my bike had an issue with dieing while idling and the symptoms were similar.

The solution for me was to pay close attention to how the engine sounds while warming up...when it starts idling faster, I'd reduce choke slightly. When it starts chugging I increase the choke slightly. The only caveat being (at least on my bike) is that the first time it starts chugging I actually have to slightly reduce the choke and then follow the above steps. After a bit it is warmed up sufficiently and I can turn the choke off completely.

Also, make sure you have plenty of gas in the tank. Don't ask how I know that one. :whistle:

have you checked the battery and the charging system you may have a bad battery and a non working charging system, and yes these bikes take a while to warm up

Ok, I got the bike very warmed up today. It didn't die or anything right off the bat, I just had to play with the choke for a long time to get it idling right. Nothing new. I actually got out and rode around the neighborhood for about 5-8 minutes. I'm thinking that the bike is ok.

Then, the engine starts to stuggle. It dies. I get it started a few more times but everytime I give it some gas or try to get it to idle right, it dies. Keep in mind that it should be thouroughly warmed up by now.

Then, it wont even crank up at all. The starter is doing it's job, but the engine just will not get going.

Finally, I pushed my baby home in disappointment. What do you guys think is the problem?

Post edited by: EasyRider1, at: 2007/12/09 14:54

Post edited by: EasyRider1, at: 2007/12/09 14:54

what does the fuel filter look like? also check the vent on the tank,

BSKZ650 wrote:

also check the vent on the tank,

I had this problem before too. My gas cap vent was all kinds of gunked up. Clearing it out took care of the problem. An easy way to test if this is a problem is to pop open your gas cap.

Also, if your petcock isn't set to reserve and the fuel is low in the tank, you may have "run out of gas" and now need to use the prime setting on the petcock and then switch it to reserve afterwards. Again, don't ask how I know! :lol: :whistle:

Little B wrote:

"Also, if your petcock isn't set to reserve and the fuel is low in the tank, you may have "run out of gas" and now need to use the prime setting on the petcock and then switch it to reserve afterwards. Again, don't ask how I know! :lol: :whistle:[/quote]"

Shouldn't my petcock be set to "on" while driving?

Also, I can't seem to find the vent, where is that exactly?

Post edited by: EasyRider1, at: 2007/12/09 16:55

More than likley the vent is in the gas cap. Seem to be a fuel starvation to me. It would be a good idea to remove the fuel line and see if gas flows freely. I use clear fuel lines on mine so i know i have gas.
When i check out a bike i always check to see if i have Gas,Spark,and air.
Just do one step at a time and you will learn to troubleshoot problems and then you can fix the problem.
Keep us informed. Roy

roy-b-boy-b wrote:

I use clear fuel lines on mine so i know i have gas.

Damn, thats a great idea Roy! I'm gonna use it when I replace my fuel line.

EasyRider1 wrote:

Shouldn't my petcock be set to "on" while driving?

Also, I can't seem to find the vent, where is that exactly?<br><br>Post edited by: EasyRider1, at: 2007/12/09 16:55

Roy's probably right about the vent being in the gas cap. To actually see it you'll probably have to disassemble the cap. If its anything like mine, there are really narrow channels that vent it. If you do take it apart, be very careful that you don't loose the tiny springs around the lock. They have a tendency to pop out. Its sort of fun after a while but the first time you're looking for that jumping spring, you won't think so. :lol:

The petcock can be set to on while riding but if your gas level is lower than that you won't get any gas to the engine. That is why I said to set it to reserve. Once you know how far you can go on one tank of gas, you'll know when you need a refill just by watching the odometer. Then you can leave it on reserve all the time.

When I first got my bike I ran out of gas on the way to the bank once in the middle of the night. I knew even less then than I do now and had no idea what was going on. It turned out to be that the gas went below the 'on' line in the tank. Switched it to prime, did some voodoo of some sort, and then switched it to reserve. She started up for me then.

Wow guys, I feel like an idiot!

Primed that baby and set on RES I rode around for probably 20 minutes with no real problems. I still can't turn the choke completely off but I think that might be because I don't have any air filters for resistance (that's on the short list of things to fix :lol:).

How hot should the engine be getting on this baby? My ankle touched the side of one of the covers and boy was it hot!

As to the clear fuel lines, I actually just got some yesterday from Z1 so I will put those on shortly. Another newbie question: Is the only fuel line the big one that goes from the petcock to the carb?

Post edited by: EasyRider1, at: 2007/12/10 09:37

EasyRider1 wrote:

Wow guys, I feel like an idiot!

Another newbie question: Is the only fuel line the big one that goes from the petcock to the carb?<br><br>Post edited by: EasyRider1, at: 2007/12/10 09:37

Don't feel too bad Easy...like I said, I was there not to long ago myself.

And yes, that is the only fuel line.

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