carbs

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07 Jul 2012 14:25 #534515 by Bear1
Replied by Bear1 on topic carbs
Please get a manual. You seem to want to learn, so that's good, but the manual is necessary on these bikes. A good mechanic friend is helpful too if you get stuck on something. I hate to see your bike end up as a bunch of miscellaneous parts because you got frustrated.
Good luck.

'82 750 LTD
The following user(s) said Thank You: LuckyLucOnBass

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10 Jul 2012 02:54 #534995 by Landon22
Replied by Landon22 on topic carbs
Thanks alot everybody! i really appreciate the help. i am trying to learn about my bike as much as i can befor i start working on it. All the fenders and the gas tank are at the paint shop right now. im trying to figure out what gpz and ltd and all those letters mean. My bike is a 1983 so what model is that? I dont know what carbs i have either.
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10 Jul 2012 03:40 #535004 by mtbspeedfreak
Replied by mtbspeedfreak on topic carbs
Is that a GPZ? A 550 was my first bike, I loved it! It became my brother's first bike too.

We all gotta start somewhere. I applaud you for your willingness to learn as opposed to dumping it off at the nearest shop. You'll have a great time learning!

2000 ZRX 1100
1976 KZ 900- Daily Driver
1980 LTD 550- Dalton Highway survivor!

If it has tits or tires, it'll give you problems!

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10 Jul 2012 04:08 #535010 by SpectreSteve
Replied by SpectreSteve on topic carbs
No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationGPZs are Ninja-type partially faired sporty bikes, like Tom Cruise's in Top Gun, with chain drives. LTDs are nice, comfy cruiser-style bikes. From your Avatar looks like a shaft-drive 550 LTD.

If the bike has no Kawa' manual, I agree your best first step is to hit eBay for one:



For me, another part of getting started in vintage bike ownership was to hit bikebandit-dot-com. They have a "My Garage" feature to narrow down the make/model of your bike, then look at nice exploded diagrams of the bike's parts with all the parts listed out and numbered too. Also, they do stock excellent Haynes manuals if you cannot get one on the eBay cheaper.

Also, for carbs that have been mouldering, I do find that a rubber or plastic mallet is a godsend for getting things moving. Drain the carbs, flush, very lightly tap the carbs to get the motion going, flush and drain again. Drain into a nice old canning jar to see if crapola is coming out or if they are totally stuck. If you can at least improve the situation, you may be able to get the beast to the shop for a proper carb cleaning this season if you have thrown up your hands.

In time, you ought to be able to rebuild the carbs yourself but that is a bit down the pike and will require synchronization tools, rebuild kits for the individual carbs including needles, floats etc.. You may want to do the easy stuff first like a good oil/lune job, check and grease the brakes, make sure the electric is up to par, take off covers and clean, inspect the shaft-drive.

Kudos to you for getting that bike on the road where it belongs! Shaft drive Kawas are awesome.

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