KZ 650 Hard to start

I have a 1977 KZ 650 that I performed a motor swap on and now I can't get it started. I checked for spark and it has spark. After kicking it over for a few minutes fuel leaks out of the bottom of the carbs, but when I check the plugs they are gas soaked. I will purchase some new plugs and try it again later. After several kicks the motor put out a sputter and then died. Any help is greatly appreciated.

If you haven't done so, make sure the float valves aren't sticking and causing the overflow condition along with flooding the engine. Also, remember when starting - choke on / no throttle. Ed

650ed wrote:

If you haven't done so, make sure the float valves aren't sticking and causing the overflow condition along with flooding the engine. Also, remember when starting - choke on / no throttle. Ed

+1 Sounds right. Carbs are overflowing, causing engine flooding when trying to start. Good info.

I tried different plugs and continued to kick start the bike. After a few kicks it would run for a couple of seconds and then die. After kicking awhile longer it ran again for a couple of seconds and then died again. I will check the plugs again later.Thanks for all the help.

Keep in mind the plugs aren't getting wet on their own. The fuel can only be coming from the carbs. If you stop the overflow condition first, you very likely will find theproblem keeping it running will be solved as well. In any event, you will need to stop the overflow condition, so why not start there? At this point, you should also check the oil for gasoline smell as you may have dumped enough fuel into the cylinders to contaminate the oil. Ed

I just checked the spark plugs and they're dry. The wet plugs must have been from trying to start by adding gas to the cylinders through the plug holes. Anyways now the plugs are dry after attempting to start. Tomorrow I'll look at the carbs, but they were recently rebuilt. Thanks for all of your help.