1978 KZ200 fully back in action.

I purchased a like new KZ200 in 1992 (1800 miles, was stored from 1982 to 1992 in dry storage properly)......

www.dpreview.com/galleries/1280783007/al...0-1978-usa/slideshow

I put 3000 miles on it from 92-2001 storing it properly in winter.

Then, in 2001 I stored it in my garage, reasonably properly (oil in top end cycled without spark plug present, oil in bottom end to top of crank case, drained carbs.

I pulled the bike out of storage in early July, and, it would not idle, and, rpm drained off slowly on shifts. I pulled the carb and checked the idle jet and it was clogged. Unclogging enabled idling, but, still, not quite right on the idle speed and rpm return (too slow during shifts). I managed to rig up a float level check and found that the float height was 11mm from the gasket surface.....which surprised be because the bike ran good for years like that.

Long story short, I moved the float level so gas showed 6mm below the gasket surface. WAY to rich running....black plug, hesitation, etc.

So, I moved the float back to 8mm (not running, 10mm running) from the gasket surface. This is better, but, there is still every so slight hesitation at times.

At any rate, after fooling around with this bike for a while, it does run well, and, gets 72mpg.

What happened to the production of these kinds of bikes? I have a Suzuki SV650 that is a great bike, but, nothing beats this bike for light weight short runs.

Very happy it is all back in action.....even registered.

Glad to see it's back in action! "What happened to the production of these kinds of bikes?" I think the bike manufacturers are too wrapped up in their own hype. They believe everyone who buys a bike wants to pretend they are a MotoGP racing champion, Harley wantabe cruiser, or some other type of poser so they make bikes to fit those images. They seem to miss the idea that some folks just want fun transportation for short trips. Very few models are available that are just fun bikes to putt around on. I suspect this has a negative impact on those buyers, especially first timers, who simply want fun, economical transportation to use for local trips without looking like they are trying to be Rickey Racer. Those 400cc and under "standard" type bikes that were sold by the millions back in the day would still be lots of fun today if manufactured, but the folks making the marketing decisions don't seem to understand that. I bet they've never ridden one. Ed