Three problems, possibly related 82 KZ750e

The timing is dead simple. Take off the pickup cover and loosen the bolts holding the plate enough so you can turn it. Hook up your timing light to cylinder 1's plug and start the bike.

Behind the plate is your advance mechanism and a timing mark. It's visible through a little hole in the plate. Shine your timing light into the hole and twist the plate (like the dial on a safe) until your timing marks line up. Tighten the bolts holding the plate on so it doesn't slip and repeat the process using cylinder 3. It should be ok without any adjustment. If it isn't, you may need to loosen the actual pickup and adjust it independent of the other one, but it's usually not necessary. Apply a liberal amount of lube to the advance mechanism (the thing that spins behind the plate) while you're in there and see if that solves any of your problems.

Unless you've got a really good shop that works cheap, I would definitely try to keep the bike out of it.

650ed wrote:

It's hard to say whether or not the valves will be in spec. I have 47,000 miles on my bike and I check the valves every 5,000 miles. I have only swapped 1 shim (input) in all that time, and that was to adjust the gap from the tight limit to the middle of the service range at 5,000 miles (it probably came from the factory that way). Other than that, they have changed VERY little. Others have had different experiences so I guess it depends upon riding style, fuel used, and a bunch of unknown variables. Ed

As I am sure you have read and figured out, I have no clue about valves or when they should be messed with. I thought I remembered reading that the need to be adjusted every 3000 miles, but that may have been a different bike I was reading about. it could be that I didn't really read it at all and its just some assumption I came up with, I really don't know. Here is a lil story to show you how retarded I really am about this stuff....So today I decided to take it for a ride. Has anybody ever noticed a lil lever on the carb called a choke (haha, I do know what a choke is). Well I found out today that if you turn that off while your driving, the bike is alot faster(obvious, I know). I even opened it up and guess what... NO MORE FULL THROTTLE BOG DOWN. I have a appointment for the shop tomorrow, just to have it checked over, then I will work on what I can from there. I will apoligize now for being so utterly retarded about this bike. Sorry you people are dealing with me. I will learn tho... thx to all of your help.

l0g1c wrote:

The timing is dead simple. Take off the pickup cover and loosen the bolts holding the plate enough so you can turn it. Hook up your timing light to cylinder 1's plug and start the bike.

Behind the plate is your advance mechanism and a timing mark. It's visible through a little hole in the plate. Shine your timing light into the hole and twist the plate (like the dial on a safe) until your timing marks line up. Tighten the bolts holding the plate on so it doesn't slip and repeat the process using cylinder 3. It should be ok without any adjustment. If it isn't, you may need to loosen the actual pickup and adjust it independent of the other one, but it's usually not necessary. Apply a liberal amount of lube to the advance mechanism (the thing that spins behind the plate) while you're in there and see if that solves any of your problems.

Unless you've got a really good shop that works cheap, I would definitely try to keep the bike out of it.

Humm, sounds pretty easy. I really need my manual to come in the mail. As for taking it to the shop... I didn't want to, but the guy at the repair shop seemed really nice and was pretty knowledgable about my particular bike. I could careless how nice he really is, but he sounded like he would be willing to watch him do the timing and such, which works great for me, i am a more visual type person. Not so much consurned about cost, more concerned about getting stranded or braking something that I can't repair. Thanks for the post, timing is a issue i need to learn.

meNmyKZ wrote:

OKC_Kent wrote:

About the timing, I would think by 1982 this engine came stock with electronic ignition and there is not much to be done as far as adjusting it. Pop off the right side engine cover and see if you have points or two black electronic pickups.

If you have electronic then there is no need to take it to a shop, they can't do anything to set it.

Thanks for the post. I am not really sure what to look for, but I do know that it has 2 coils that the 4 spark plug wires come off of. I think it needs the valves adjusted pretty bad. Not sure about timing. Christ, I am not sure about anything. I have no clue. Would it also not need valves adjusted if it has electronic ignition? Thanks again for posting.

I forget what it's called exactly, but it's an opposing spark ignition system. I'm guessing one and three are on one coil and two and four the other. When one is sparking, the other is on the opposite stroke. Timing can be out of whack on any vehicle, regardless of the type of ignition. I have seen posts on these forums saying that cam chains skip a tooth or two, weren't set properly, etc. I wouldn't completely eliminate timing as the possible cause just yet!

OKC_Kent wrote:

You need to start reading that .pdf manual, and if you haven't really rode a bike before take a safety course. We don't want to see you get creamed. You do have a Kawasaki 750 and it's not a beginner bike, even 27 years old it will get you in some trouble if you aren't familiar with the power it has. Probably about 75 horses or more, right?

I think it was listed as 74 @ 9000 rpm. Pretty good guess!!!

meNmyKZ wrote:

650ed wrote:

It's hard to say whether or not the valves will be in spec. I have 47,000 miles on my bike and I check the valves every 5,000 miles. I have only swapped 1 shim (input) in all that time, and that was to adjust the gap from the tight limit to the middle of the service range at 5,000 miles (it probably came from the factory that way). Other than that, they have changed VERY little. Others have had different experiences so I guess it depends upon riding style, fuel used, and a bunch of unknown variables. Ed

As I am sure you have read and figured out, I have no clue about valves or when they should be messed with. I thought I remembered reading that the need to be adjusted every 3000 miles, but that may have been a different bike I was reading about. it could be that I didn't really read it at all and its just some assumption I came up with, I really don't know. Here is a lil story to show you how retarded I really am about this stuff....So today I decided to take it for a ride. Has anybody ever noticed a lil lever on the carb called a choke (haha, I do know what a choke is). Well I found out today that if you turn that off while your driving, the bike is alot faster(obvious, I know). I even opened it up and guess what... NO MORE FULL THROTTLE BOG DOWN. I have a appointment for the shop tomorrow, just to have it checked over, then I will work on what I can from there. I will apoligize now for being so utterly retarded about this bike. Sorry you people are dealing with me. I will learn tho... thx to all of your help.

And of course....that should have been the very first thing all of us should have suggested to check! Enjoy the ride!

~Clutch

Thanks Clutch for the timing suggestions. At this point I am just waiting for the mechanic to give me the thumbs up, then its off on my own. I have to say, since I mess with the choke, the bike is quite a bit faster and I have to take back my earlier comment about it being slow. How fast top speed can these things go? I can't see getting over 100mph without some wind protection or flaring. On my CBR, 130-140mph was comfortable, on this bike, I feel like I am brushing death at around 90...

And of course....that should have been the very first thing all of us should have suggested to check! Enjoy the ride!

~Clutch[/quote]

I can totally understand how no one mentioned it. I can just see people sitting in front of their computers thinking "there is no way he is dumb enough to leave the choke on, must be something else". Even I realize how stupid that is...

Probably fixes your high RPM at idle too. :laugh:

Guess we didn't start simple enough. :blush:

If it makes you feel better, I did the exact same thing about a year ago when I first got mine. Unfortunately, mine had a bunch of other issues, so it ONLY ran on full choke.

I think top speed is 120ish, though my speedo only goes to 85mph.

the cheap filters can block the air bypass jets. the pics tell the story. the K&N filters don't block these jets.

hoghaterkaw wrote:

the cheap filters can block the air bypass jets. the pics tell the story. the K&N filters don't block these jets.

Thanks, are these jets your talking about where I circled