Too much oil?

Went to work Friday on my 1982 KZ1100 after putting in a small amount of oil (it appeared to be low). No problem going to work, but on the way home, whenever I got up to about 3000-3500 RPM power would drop out and RPMs dropped to about 2000. The bike stuttered and then regained power. This happened 3-4 times and then at the corner of Crackhead and Wino, it just died. Tried to start and not even a "click". Waited a bit and it started up like nothing ever happened.

Can too much oil cause that? I have had some carb issues recently, but they've never shutdown the bike (just farts and small backfires).

Thanks guys. I love reading all the information in these forums. Thought I'd post this one since it was my everyday rider and now I'm a worried man. :blink:

Troubleshooting a bogging problem can be very time consuming as it might be as simple as a clogged fuel filter,bad gas,ignition coil(s) breaking down,sparkplug wires grounding out,and/or sparkplug caps failing.

I'd drop the float bowls and look for sediment in the bottom of them, also check the fuel flow from the gas tank petcock(fuel control valve)If these all check o.k. then pull #1 sparkplug, ground it against the engine and crank it looking for a hot fat spark.

If the spark is weak you may be a candidate for the "Wired George Relay Modification".
His website is www.wgcarbs.com and on it lists parts and how to accomplish this wiring mod.

Symptoms might also result from fuel starvation caused by clogged vent in fuel tank cap. Could test run with fuel cap ajar (not snapped down), and see if that makes any difference. And -- duh -- be sure there's plenty of fuel in the tank. :laugh:

Might need to flush out the fuel tank if there's grit or crud inside which sometimes hovers around and blocks the petcock intake tube screens.

Would also check for clean tight battery cable terminal connections, and also for a good ground connection where the negative cable attaches to the engine or ground. And the temporary failure to even "click" may indicate some other wiring problem or loose connection.

Best not to overfill the oil, of course, but I don't suspect the oil level is causing the current problem.

Good Luck!

Definitely sounds like a fuel problem. Mine would do that when crud would get in a main jet then flush itself loose.

I echo what Patton said. I had a similar problem and found out it was the gas tank vent hole was blocked. Took it apart and cleaned it, seemed to solve the problem.

Best of luck.

Thanks guys! At least my mind is clear on the oil thing. Based on several of the replies, I'm leaning towards the fuel issues. When I originally examined the carbs, there was a bit of very fine rusty sediment in the bottom of the float bowls. The fuel line is new (and clear blue) and the fuel filter is brand new (and clear as well) and I don't see any gunked-up issues there.

I have not removed the petcock for a look since I painted the tank a year ago (so that screen could be clogged now too).

I'm not too sure about cable issues since I never had any indication that I lost electrical contact (but I will check the connections anyway to be sure they're golden).

Now the gas tank vent hole is interesting because I hadn't changed (nor inspected) that line or the petcock vacuum line.

Thanks again for the leads. Mucho appreciated!

As already suggested, do the WG Coil Repowering modification. It will improve starting and running immediately and is insurance against deteriorating electircals.

Best of success.

Stickboy, If you're running stock airbox, you might look to intake. i had similar symptoms on my gsf12, when it tryed to ingest my rear tankbag strap,G

Make sure your hose isn't kinked (ouch!).

You answered your own question ,,,,,,,,,,,,,
"NOT EVEN A CLICK" ,,,,,,,,,,,
That's electrical .

I agree. I think it is electrical too. Check the battery terminals, make sure they are clean. Also check the battery itself, if a cell is dead, or sulfated, it will lower the voltage and the bike will run, but will miss at running RPM, 3 grand and above. Also the plugs might foul and the engine may backfire. The starter probably will not spin fast enough to start, but the bike will start if kicked, if it has a kick starter. Use a volt meter and check the voltage of every cell, 2.2 volts each.
Also, it is possible for the starter button to stick or corrode in the start (pushed in) position. This might cause the starter to run continuously,and drain down the battery even while you are riding. Again, the bike will miss or hesitate at speed. You should be able to hear the starter engaged at idle, it is a terrible grinding noise. Quick fix is to disconnect the heavy red wire from the battery to the starter solenoid, at the solenoid. This will allow the alternator to charge the battery and the bike should run fine again. Don't ask how I know this. Good luck:)

Just a follow-up to kinda close this thread. The problem never reoccurred. I checked all that you guys suggested (so thanks for the leads!) The only modification I made was to trim down the length of the fuel line.

Thanks for all the responses!