Starter and Kick Not Engaging (among other things)

OK... so... My '76 KZ750 hasn't run since last fall. It's been in surgury for almost a year. But I was determined to get the engine running before winter. Here's what it's been through:

Replaced Starter (refurbished)
Replaced Stator Cover (used, transfered the old stator to the replacement cover)
Replaced Transmission Cover (used)
Replaced Air Cleaner Boots (used, but in good condition)
Replaced Air Cleaner (new)

And I think that's about it.

Right now, the bike is still pretty stripped. I only wanted to get the engine running to get some fluids moving around. It's up on the center stand right now.

No Rear Tire
No Chain
No Engine Sprocket
No Head Lamp
No Tail Lamp
No Turn Signal Lamps

The battery was tested OK less than a year ago. It's been on a battery tender ever since and the "OK" light has been on the whole time.

Here's what happened:

I turned the key, and had no power to the indicator lights. I fidgeted with the key and the indicator lights turned on. "Neutral", and "Oil" were lit and "Stop Lamp" was flashing. When I engaged the font brake, the "Stop Lamp" indicator would stay solid.

I pulled in the clutch and hit the start button. All electrical went dead (until I let go of the start button). So I figured I'd see what the kick-start does. I pulled in the clutch, and the kick-start had zero resistance on it. I let out the clutch, kicked again, and it turned the engine. I pulled in the clutch, tried the electric start again, and this time it spun... but it spun freely. It didn't turn the engine.

The electric start never engages the engine. I've tried every combination of neutral, in-gear, clutch in, clutch out.

The kick start turns the engine whenever the clutch is out, but spins freely whenever the clutch is engaged.

I think the electrical going dead was a fluke. Hasn't done it since. And I'm not sure if this matters, but when I replaced the transmission cover I had to pull the clutch push rod completely out. The clutch feels normal to me right now.

So... that's it I think. This is my first bike and I bought it to learn on. So I have no idea where to begin looking. :pinch: And thoughts on what I should be looking at is greatly appreciated.

Squeezing the clutch lever will dis engage the clutch. As for the electric start, get some safety glasses/goggles and bridge the two large terminals on the starter solenoid. If the bike cranks, your solenoid may have internal problems. Rather than buy a new one at the dealership, take your old one for a visit at the nearest riding lawnmower shop. For about $15 or so, you should be able to get a solenoid that will work. Keep in mind you may have to add a ground wire to make the new solenod work.

MFolks wrote: Squeezing the clutch lever will dis engage the clutch.

I'm not sure what you're trying say with that. You squeeze the clutch to start the bike. Right? I feel like I'm missing something. :huh:

As for the electric start, get some safety glasses/goggles and bridge the two large terminals on the starter solenoid. If the bike cranks, your solenoid may have internal problems. Rather than buy a new one at the dealership, take your old one for a visit at the nearest riding lawnmower shop. For about $15 or so, you should be able to get a solenoid that will work. Keep in mind you may have to add a ground wire to make the new solenod work.

I will try that. I just automatically figured that the solonoid was fine since the starter does turn. It just doesn't engage the engine. I think I even have a spare solonoid for that bike (if that's the issue).

Thanks for the input!

The 650's, 750's and maybe the 550's have their starter clutches internal to the engine compared to the Z-1's,Kz900's,Kz1000's,Kz1100's & Gpz1100's. The rollers,springs and other starting clutch parts should be available at www.z1enterprises.com .

It matters what type of engine oil being used, as the "Car Oils" contain a friction modifiers not compatable with wet plate clutches.

JASO OIL SPECS:
Find an oil that shows the JASO-MA rating on the bottle; there are plenty of them available both dino and synthetic.

The ingredients in oils have changed over the years. For example, today's Castrol GTX oil (and pretty much all other AUTOMOBILE oil) is not the same as it was in the 1980's. Back then it worked great in KZ bikes. But, things have changed. Early AUTOMOBILE oils contained zinc phosphorus compounds (ZDDP) to protect engines from metal to metal contact. This was good for engines, but it was found to be destructive to catalytic converters. Consequently, in AUTOMOBILE oils ZDDP was virtually eliminated and replaced with different chemistry generically referred to as "Friction Modifiers."

These work fine and offer good protection for normal AUTOMOBILE engines. However, today's AUTOMOBILE oil "Friction Modifiers" are destructive to wet clutches. KZ bikes (and many other brands) have wet clutches. As a result of these oil chemistry changes a distinction needed to be made between those oils which are suitable for wet clutches and those which are not.

That distinction was documented by the Japanese Engine Oil Standards Implementation Panel (JASO). JASO developed a number of different oil specifications for different applications. The specifications that apply to 4 stroke motorcycles fall under the "4T Specifications." Within the 4T specifications the JASO MA class oils are specifically formulated for 4 stroke motorcycles with wet clutches.

Using oils that are not designated as meeting the JASO-MA standard may be destructive to KZ clutches. Here's a link that may be helpful:

www.oilspecifications.org/jaso.php

You pull in the clutch when you use the electric starter. You do not pull in the clutch when using the kick starter. Ed