Had it running great for an hour, then she quit.

Hi all. I got my 79 KZ1300 running after replacing the ignition coils and adding a little starter fluid. She ran like a dream for an hour or so and then on a short ride started backfiring a bit. After a few more blocks the power decreased and she quit. Now the starter churns and churns but she won't turn over. What happened? I'm thinking the carbs might need to be thoroughly cleaned. Any ideas? The fuel line isn't kinked and there's plenty of good fuel in the tank, but she won't go. There's no way I can imagine the coils all went at the same time. Please help. Thanks for any info. -michael

Might be fuel starvation caused by clogged fuel tank cap vent which can give sensation of running out of gas -- first popping from too lean mixture, then quitting. Could try running with fuel cap loose (unsnapped) to see if that helps.

Would also check petcock screen and also screens on the petcock intake tubes up inside the fuel tank to assure none of the screens are getting clogged with crud hovering about them inside the fuel tank. If needed to prevent future occurance, dump fuel tank and flush with clean gasoline, re-dump and re-fill.

Also assure in-line filter isn't clogged.

Can check fuel delivery by removing a float bowl drain screw and seeing whether ample fuel is flowing to the outside without being vapor-locked, petcock screen-clogged, or in-line filter clogged.

Hoping for a simple easy fix.

Good Luck!

to be sure its not your coils, take out a plug and reattach your ignition lead, rest the plug on the cylinder head so the plug is getting a earth to the motor and ou can still see the plug, turn over the motor and see if there is a good spark, if there is then your coils are not the problem, give the carbs a good clean, then see if it made difference.

Thanks for replying. I will definitely check for spark but I have to think at least one or two of the coils would still be working, even if one failed. It really did seem like it was running out of gas. It had that same feeling when I forgot to turn on the reserve tank (when I had only a small amount of fuel in it. Any other ideas? I'll check the fuel lines and clean the carbs in any event.