1980 550LTD Clean Cafe Build

Thanks clutch for that diagram really answers my question. as for the petcock the one I ordered is not the screw in kind its a direct replacement to the vacuum one I measured from hole to hole and the holes are the same length apart. I guess we will see once it gets here. As far as the floats, i do have the service manual and after the rebuild of the carbs i will check that the floats are to standard. I hope to get parts by friday so i can have at her this weekend. My plan is to at least have her running well before it gets to cold, and then work on cosmetics over the winter months. Ill keep you all updated. thanks for all the help

More than likely your float or the valve is stuck or gummed up. It's rare to have a float adjustment issue with the carburetors unless you've had them apart. Pulling them apart and cleaning everything with a good carb cleaner should solve your issues.

Also, I know you already have the petcock coming, but rebuilding them is easy, and pretty effective. In my case, mine was just gummed up. Pulled it apart, cleaned it up, lubricated all of the rubber with some assembly lube, and reassembled. Good as new.

djplatinum50 wrote: Thanks clutch for that diagram really answers my question. as for the petcock the one I ordered is not the screw in kind its a direct replacement to the vacuum one I measured from hole to hole and the holes are the same length apart. I guess we will see once it gets here. As far as the floats, i do have the service manual and after the rebuild of the carbs i will check that the floats are to standard. I hope to get parts by friday so i can have at her this weekend. My plan is to at least have her running well before it gets to cold, and then work on cosmetics over the winter months. Ill keep you all updated. thanks for all the help

That was Patton that posted the diagram, I had just quoted it to comment.

well thanks patton. i will have a little time after work today and will try to go through the carbs and see what i come up with

I also would leave the frame alone. As mentioned, just make a new seat, remove the rear fender and integrate a new tail light and small fender into a cool bobber rear. Then put on lower bars, and lower the headlight. It would be a tough street cruiser.

Yeah i have no interest in messing with the frame. i also would like to be able to put the 2 up seat back on when me and the old lady wanna cruise. Got some goodies in today.

New jets, pod filters. also got some drag bars and new grips. still waitin on the rebuild kit for the carbs, but i plan on going through them tonight.



Stupid question: i will be getting a 4 into 1 eventually but if i were to cut the stock pipes at say where the rear passenger pegs are (slanted cut) obviously this would get rid of the baffles correct? would it sound just plain terrible or what. I know it will be support loud, i dont mind that, but will be a bad sound?
Thanks

Emgo 39mm? That's what I use. It's a tight fit between filters, but if you rotate them right and average out the angle between 1-2, and 3-4, the filters will fit. Don't crank the clamps too tight or they can squeeze off from the carbs.

Also, the 105 jets may be a little too big, but will probably work, especially in cold weather. The needle position will affect things, so if you only have the 105's or larger, start with them.

Check the slide stop screw for WOT position. If the slide opens beyond full open, it will likely be too rich at full throttle. Adjusting the slide flush with the roof of the bore will prevent the overly rich mix at WOT.

For pods you will likely also want to use larger pilots. Stock is 32, you'll want 34 or 37, but they are not available. Info for drilling the pilots is on the site in my signature.

Once you get he rebuild kits, you will have adjustable needles, as you probably already know.

Sorry, I don't have much info on the stock exhaust system. If they are in good shape, I would try to sell them first. If they are rusty or banged up, then I might try chopping them.

Well i got her running. i think i still need to do a little fine tuning with air screw, and adjust the needles. I got a few test runs in, not on free way yet but i got up to 4th gear. seems like the rear wobbles a little at high speed. not a lot but enough. is there a way to fix this?
Also anyone ever cut the rear springs some to lower the rear end? Would this cause a major problem?
My exhaust was pretty shot, it was rusted through where it mounts to the frame and the tubes that connect underneath were non existent. So me being an extremest I just chopped em off right at where they start to curve at front of bike. Don't worry i will not be leaving it like this, I will be getting a system soon, if I can find one. Is MAC the only place you can get a 4 into 1 from. Heard they weren't that good. Anyhow it doesn't sound that bad but i'm sure it would cause noise problems with the cops.
Pics coming soon

Okay guys, so it has been some time since I posted anything but I got some work done on the 550. I have ran into yet another problem that maybe you can help.


First off since we have been having some nice weather in Michigan i have been out get some nice rides in. The bike is running okay but I still need to drill out the pilot jet and raise the needle a bit. I think after that ill have smooth operation all they through the throttle. The problem I have now is all of sudden im getting a hanging idle. it just started yesterday.I have been doing some reading that maybe something is clogging a jet in the carb or maybe there is a leak somewhere. Could the air screw have something to do with it, like could it just be the bike is running lean? If i let off the clutch a little it settles back down to normal idle. any ideas?

Next after i ride for say 20 -30 minutes or so then park I get a small oil leak coming from the clutch side of the engine, behind the engine cover by the oil filter. I replaced the gasket on for the clutch shaft but apparently thats not where its coming from. Maybe the gasket? but if it was the gasket wouldnt it leak all the time? any suggestion?

Here a pic of the work in progress.

If the problem is suddenly happening, then there is probably an air leak somewhere. Check for a possible lost cap on the vacuum ports of the intake manifolds. (Remember, two are on the bottom.)

Also make sure the vacuum line for the fuel tank is not breaking apart.

Have you removed the air-suction system? That can leak and cause a hanging idle.

The usual suspect is a cracked or unsealed intake manifold, but your problem came on suddenly, so the first place I would check are the vac hoses and caps.

BTW, you don't want to ride too much without the front fender. The farme inside of it is the fork brace. You can cut it down and install it, or get a fork brace of some kind.

You should also figure out why you have a wobbly feeling in the back.

Both of those conditions can lead to a crash at higher speeds.

Yeah I was just seeing how it looked without the fender, Im painting it at the moment. The wobble i had before is gone. I went through a re did the whole rear end. Brakes bearing and all. Ill check those vacuum ports, I hope that is it. i no longer have a vacuum system or that smog thing.
thanks for the reply

Okay guys i need your help. The bike is running perfect, THANKS A MILLION TO all of you especially LOUD, PATTON, and the other gurus....... So I have a small oil leak that only shows up after i ride. I replaced the oil seal on the gear shifter shaft thinking that was the culpret but still leaks. I attached a picture of the area but I cant pin point the source. Any ideas? any common leak spots on these KZ550's Let me know what you think



the drip is coming off that longer tab there in the front.