Engine surging when riding against the wind

Locozuna wrote:

FYI: He says in his original post he doesn't have pods...unless......4th dimensional pods are appearing where his airbox should be when it gets gusty!!:blink: I guess ya never know!!:silly: :silly: :silly: :ohmy:

Then again he doesn't actually say he has an airbox either....:huh: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :pinch:

Your exhaust would have to be leaking pretty badly for that to be the cause but stranger things have happened. Blow some smoke (insense stick or punk) around the exhust coupling with the engine running to see if you have a sizable exhaust leak. It's said if you cherry up the exhaust gaskets and quick quench them they will return to new condition (pre-crushed). I have never done this as they are pretty cheap and I usually have a set or two on hand but in a pinch I would try it.

i knew that,i was just testing you brother of Da Gris !:laugh:

turn around and go the other way and see if it changes.

It is fine when I go the other way.

Patton wrote:

Is air filter in good condition, not clogged, and not over-oiled, and not blocked with a shop rag or anything else stored underneath the seat?

Good ideas!...is the seat stock or can the pan be blocking the intake? Is the air filter seated correctly. Did you accidentally deploy the drag chute? Drop anchor? Go into motorcycle mime mode? Mistake a whipped cream bottle for the laughing gas? It's the 10 foot by 15 foot windshield you just added! You have to "tack" into the wind on one of them!

All kidding aside to me it sounds electrical. I'd check connections and then see if moving anything causes arcing.

Ok, this may be somewhat in the wrong direction So I'll open my pie hole just the same...

NOTE: I may have missed it where this bike has electronic ignition so please ignore if that's the case...

Is it possible it could be the points or more specifically the condenser?

I say this due to experience especially with the condenser failing, basically speaking in technical terms is a capacitor which may be breaking down under loaded conditions where the motor has to work harder. i.e... wind, elevations, over weight due rider or phat ass passenger etc...

Just my worthless two cents....

OMR

in front of the carb's the black boots, where the it mounts to the head they have to screws that hold them on, on, most Z1's and KZ's Iv'e seen they worp and leak air in, some time you see old brown gas around them, I saeled them with hi temp silicone glue, when I reinsalled them, this stablelized my jetting, yours are worped and hi wind mite afect your jetting low to mid throdle openigs as it did mine, but your sounds electical.:blink: hope this is of help:)

P.S. you changed you pipes this can make your jetting in the mid at aaround crusing seed 55 to 75 go a little lean.:huh:

Kawman wrote:

... new dyna ignition...

Would double-check connection where Dyna-S power wire taps into bike's switched battery voltage. Thinking maybe wind gusting is causing intermittent disconnect.

Admittedly still guessing and grasping at straws with regard to this bizarre problem.

Here's another - - - Is there a single key in the ignition switch, or possibly some sort of key fob flailing about causing an intermittant shortage within a faulty switch?

From the reported history, the issue seems causally related to wind-gusting accompanied by simultaneous ignition failure. Which to my thinking must be related to a wire or wires being disconnected.

If the previously suggested test with an air blower fails to reproduce the symptoms, might also try testing with a compressed air blowgun tip which would more specifically target each suspected area.

Could also run engine with tank removed (using auxillary fuel source), and wiggle and manipulate the wires and connections, and also use the blowgun, and attempt to reproduce the problem.

And here's another swag - - - where the signal wires from Dyna-S connect to the coil primaty terminals, and where the battery positive wires connect to the other coil primary terminals, is there a frayed wire end loose which could flop back and forth against a ground (under wind-gust conditions)??

Thanks for the reports.

Good Luck!

Lurker for over a year, but newb poster here, found this thread while searching...

I was wondering if a solution to this problem was found. I have a '77 KZ1000. New boots, good electrical system, stock airbox w/out silencer. I have the surging problem in wind, most notably with a cross wind from the right side. I removed the airbox and found that the gasket between the front plate (the one the boots enter through) and the housing body itself was missing. I suspected this joint because I found that if I blocked the area as best as I could with my leg, it had a direct effect on the surging.

I'm fairly confident that this is responsible for the surging but haven't had any luck with sourcing the gasket. Anyone have a source or experience with hand-making a replacement?

-Nathan

It's carb related. The wind is leaing out your mixture that is why the engine surges. There is supposed to be a plastic piece just in front of the air intake under the seat. It bolts to the frame just under the tank. This was put in place by Kawasaki to help prevent the condition you are getting. Is it missing? has the bike been running good then all of a sudden this sympton started or did this problem come up after some changes? If you have amde any induction changes then I would raise the needles one notch. That will richen up the midrange.

It's carb related. The wind is leaing out your mixture that is why the engine surges. There is supposed to be a plastic piece just in front of the air intake under the seat. It bolts to the frame just under the tank. This was put in place by Kawasaki to help prevent the condition you are getting. Is it missing? has the bike been running good then all of a sudden this sympton started or did this problem come up after some changes? If you have amde any induction changes then I would raise the needles one notch. That will richen up the midrange.
As far as pods go I have been running them for over 30 years on the same bike and I have NEVER had any problems with wind or rain. The carbs just need to be tuned for the pods.

It's carb related. The wind is leaing out your mixture that is why the engine surges. There is supposed to be a plastic piece just in front of the air intake under the seat. It bolts to the frame just under the tank. This was put in place by Kawasaki to help prevent the condition you are getting. Is it missing? has the bike been running good then all of a sudden this symptom started or did this problem come up after some changes? If you have made any induction changes then I would raise the needles one notch. That will richen up the midrange.
As far as pods go I have been running them for over 30 years on the same bike and I have NEVER had any problems with wind or rain. The carbs just need to be tuned for the pods.

It's carb related. The wind is leaning out your mixture at neutral throttle that is why the engine surges. There is supposed to be a plastic piece just in front of the air intake under the seat. It bolts to the frame just under the tank. This was put in place by Kawasaki to help prevent the condition you are getting. Is it missing? has the bike been running good then all of a sudden this symptom started or did this problem come up after some changes? If you have made any induction changes then I would raise the needles one notch. That will richen up the midrange.
As far as pods go I have been running them for over 30 years on the same bike and I have NEVER had any problems with wind or rain. The carbs just need to be tuned for the pods.