Rough start after sitting over night

Hey there, got my first question/issue. For the past couple days this beast has not wanted to start after sitting over night or even while im at work for an 8hr day, and when it does it idle's rough and even sounds like it's "dieseling" after it warms up and i ride it, sounds great, and i can kill it and i'll fire right back up with no problems and no sounds. Sorry for my ignorance and newbienicity, but I suppose this is how one learns. :side:

Welcome!

Well, easy stuff first

Changed the oil lately?

If you have a carburetion issue a can of SeaFoam from NAPA dumped in the tank can make a big improvement.

Part of regular maintenence with these old bikes is a regular compression check, and valve clearance adjustments yearly. Have these been done?, as these are most critical to a smoothly operating engine.

Best purchase you can make is the kaw service manual.

GL!

Sounds similar to a problem i was having before. It could be a very slow leaking float valve. That was my problem, if i let the bike sit for a day, it would be difficult to start again, however once i got it started it ran great and didnt give me any trouble until after sitting a while. After trying to start the bike, if it doesnt start up easily, check the plugs. If one of your plugs is very wet, it could be your problem. Its common for a very very small piece of dirt or grime to fall into your float valve and prevent it from closing. Keep in mind though, there's a lot of things that could be wrong, im just throwing out a suggestion.

Ignition points or electronic ignition? Carbs or Fuel Injection? Both systems can benefit from cleaning the many and varied electrical connectors.

For the most part, the connectors are open at the back, letting moisture get in to corrode the male and female "Pins". Don't forget the left and right handle bar switches as they get dirty/corroded too.

I've stated before,I use a brand of electrical contact cleaner/preservative called "De-oxit" on my bike,car,and around the house to remove corrosion and improve electrical contact. www.deoxit.com is their website.

It's available in the U.S. at Radio Shack stores and electronic supply places.

Also a fresh set of sparkplugs properly gapped,new sparkplug caps and possibly sparkplug wires(our friends to the north and the Brits call them "High Tension Leads").

My guess was going to be gas flooding due to float/needles not sealing. Does your petcock shut off well when you park it?

You should tell everyone about your bike, and add it to your Signature. Sound like you will be checking for air leaks at the intake and pulling and thoroughly cleaning your carb's, making sure your Ignition is in good shape, then performing a carb sync. Make sure you clean those carb's really good and put an in-line filter in place.