dads kz550 has trouble starting

my dad has a 82 kz550, but he won't ride the bike much because it will not start unless he uses starting fluid when its cold. and he doesn't want to damage the engine. once the bike is warmed up it runs strong and is fairly quick for what it is. we went through the carbs and their very clean. new plugs, plenty of fire carbs are insink. timing is good.
any advise to pass along would be great. thanks guys

sry i didnt know the first one went through my computer died

A couple of things come to mind, if you have TK22 carburetors. You may have to take off the carburetors and check the choke when you close it. There are small, spring loadad flaps on the choke plate that can break off. You can see these flaps from the airbox side of the carbuetor, when the choke is closed. This can make it hard to start, even when the choke is closed. Also, if the battery is not in really good condition, the engine can crank over, but there may not be enough electrical power to fire the spark plugs. Replace the battery if there is any doubt about its condition.

Robert

Along with Robert said, I'd like to add that even if the choke flaps are there, it can still be hard to start if the choke flap hinge pins are walking out.

The pins can walk out a little bit, but the carb body will prevent them from falling out. When you pull each choke plate out, the pin can fall out so be very careful. If the pins have walked out, they can stop the flap from closing all the way. This will make it harder to start. Everything will appear to be ok, for the most part, but in fact, the flaps are not closing all the way.

The remedy is easy, just push the hinge pins back in all the way and maybe hit the end with a tiny drop of locktight to hold it in place. If you try to peen the end in, like it came from the factory, be careful. The aluminum choke plate is very brittle.

Here's the shaft walked out.

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Here is the way it should look, pushed back in.

Here's the small gap when the shaft is walked out. The gap is actually bigger than it appears in the photo. The camera's flash makes the gap look smaller. The gap is actually closer to about 1mm.

Here's when the shaft is back in. The flap moves properly when the shaft is in all the way.

Here's what happens when the shaft is walked out. The hinge dislocates and the flap moves improperly due to the spring tension.

Another issue on starting can be the fast idle setting for the choke.
Check out this mod to make things easier:
www.geocities.com/loudgpz/GPZchokeScrewMod.html

thanks alot for the tip. i'll pass it along to him.

Hey bud if your still out there i have the same bike and its a b*tch to start if you let it sit for more than a few hours.. And i go to work at 2:30am, so my neighbors hate me..
Anyway, with the choke on hit the starter a couple times till the motor starts to chug but doesnt catch.. Then hit the starter again but gracefully :blink: and at the same time give it just a tiny lit bit of gas.. Fires right up. Im sure theres a more complicated fix for it, butttt.. By the way i know this because my neighbor yelled out the window at 2:30am, and he yelled HIT THE GAS! Huh it worked.. :woohoo:

Hey, Vvc, do you start the bike in the prime position? Just wondering if you've tried that. If my bikes sit for a day or two, I have to flip it to prime for about 30 seconds to get fuel in the carbs. Two hours shouldn't need it though.