Got my KZ650 running...I have a few questions...

So, my friend and I got the KZ650 running in a day. I was surprised, but happy about that. Here is the run down on what is going on.

The bike was sitting for 2 years before it was given to me.

We cleaned the carbs, drained all of the old fluids, replaced the fuel and oil with good stuff, replaced the spark plugs (they are gapped correctly), and redid the electrical work.

When I start it cold, it needs to be choked and doesn't start right away.

When it is running it is idling very very high...my friend was adjusting the idle with no luck.

And the last concern...when the bike is running, it seems very clanky.

What are some things I can check in order to get this bike tuned up and running smoothly now that I actually have it running?

Your help will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Two things come to mind... One, research "bench tuning" the carbs on these forums, it should help your idle. Second, you might need to replace the copper gaskets where the exhaust headers meet the heads. If they have a gap, you may be hearing valve clatter. Hope this helps.

KZ650's are know to be cold blooded. When starting cold, apply choke but DO NOT touch the throttle! Should start right up. Check point gap, advancer operation. As far as high idle goes I'm with Scatdrat about bench syncing the carbs. Out of sync carbs will allow the out of balance engine to sound noisy (primary chain) May want to check valve adjustment and timing also. Let us know...

Thanks guys...a lot of great information.

I just bought the Clymer manual last night, so I should be getting that in a few days. I'll check all of this stuff out.

Yesterday, I tried riding the bike into my back yard to put it in the shed, and it seemed sluggish at first, then all of a sudden took right off...I almost lost control. Felt like the throttle stuck. I lated it down in the grass lightly after I got it to stop.

This bike still needs a lot of work before I would feel comfortable riding it on the road.

Thanks for all your help.

Congrats on getting a 650! And welcome to the site.

As Bluemeanie metions; "KZ650's are know to be cold blooded", and they will not run right the first 10 minutes or so, until you ride them down the road and warm them up.
Takes a block or two before the throttle works somewhat right on my 650 after about 5 or less minutes of warm up in the driveway.

Check everything in the general maintenance section of the manual when you get it.

Also, post up some pictures of your new ride.

mrapino wrote:

...and it seemed sluggish at first, then all of a sudden took right off...I almost lost control. Felt like the throttle stuck...

Sounds like you may still have clogged idle jets in the carbs - they are VERY difficult to clean if they get blocked - and they are so tiny they clog easily! I would try cleaning them again, or even get replacements.

The "clanking" sound is almost certainly the primary chain - and there isn't much you can do about it other than get the carbs working properly, and increase the idle to about 1200rpm. On mine, the noise goes away if I put the engine under any kind of load - even just pulling the clutch and dropping it into gear is enough to stop the noise!

Good luck!