KZ750 N1 Spectre Won't Start

jjackson7 wrote: Okay. I checked timing by pulling a plug and turning the crank and timing is right. I had the battery on the charger all morning and when I tried to start it again it ignited a couple times (like a weak cough). I'm gonna track down a portable battery jumper and check it out. I'm hoping it's that simple.

Dang good sign there son, good job, unless your rotor is magnetized, you have the type of electrics that requires a healthy battery to run right.

WITH THAT IN MIND, here's a 2-minute way to see if your battery is the problem:

1) you said you've kept the battery charged -- verify it reads at *least* 12.55 volts WITH ONE BATTERY TERMINAL disconnected, ie. measure the battery's voltage *disconnected* from the bike. If you don't yet have at least 12.55volts -- each of the 6 cells puts out 2.1 volts DC if the battery is charged up and not old -- if you don't yet have at least 12.55volts measured on the battery when disconnected from the bike, charge it until it reads AT LEAST 12.55 volts ONE HOUR OR MORE after the charger is removed (the battery always reads higher for a time right after you take it off the charger, so give it 1 hour to 'settle' before you check for 12.55vdc minimum)


2) if the battery reads 12.55vdc minimum, hook it into the bike's + and - terminals.
EDIT: if you charge and charge your battery but you *never* get it to read at least 12.55
volts (it should read, actually, 2.1vdc x 6 cells = 12.6vdc, hence the 12.55vdc
minimum) If you can't charge your battery where it reaches and holds at least 12.55vdc
ONE HOUR *AFTER* YOU HAVE REMOVED IT FROM THE CHARGER, your battery's plates have
lost the ability to provide proper voltage, which happens, batteries don't last
forever, batteries are a "wear item" -- get a new battery and don't waste any time until
the battery is "known good."

3) turn on the key switch but DON'T START IT, don't start the motor, just turn the ignition to 'On'

4) now with the ignition on, engine not running, read the voltage across the battery

5) if it is below 10.5 volts DC that is a problem.

THE ABOVE IS CALLED A "LOAD TEST" for the battery.

i got it to cough again this time after 3 hrs of charging and it happened as soon as i hit the starter button this time. took the batt to o'reilly's. it was at 19%. i'm gonna leave it on the charger for 8hrs and try the load test you recommended. i'm pretty convinced it's the battery and i'll probably end up with a new one tomorrow. thanks for all the advice. i think i've found a new home here.

-Jordan

There's a lot of good information here, many of us have owned Kawasaki's for many years, and can help the "Newbies" when they have problems.

You haven't been using a high amperage battery charger have you? Motorcycle batteries need to be charged at 2 amps or less otherwise they won't last. Ed

650ed wrote: You haven't been using a high amperage battery charger have you? Motorcycle batteries need to be charged at 2 amps or less otherwise they won't last. Ed

Listen to ed he knows what he is doing, and most of the time what you are doing also- no wonder I have trouble sleeping. little battery little amperage also there is the ground wires and terminal wires. maybe you will even need to fill the battery cells with distilled water if they are not topped up.

1 amp charger. Thanks for the info though. I generally by the cheapest thing the first time. I'm going to test in an hour or so. I've had the battery since late last summer and it's not a trickle charger so I have just been plugging it in for a few hours when I've thought about it over that time. Not the best plan but we'll see.

Okay the battery passed the load test. Just to be sure I took it to o'reilly's and they tested it. 12.9V full charge. Tried starting fluid again and only got the same cough. So... when I was spraying starting fluid I notice it wasn't really sucking into the carbs. To a small piece of paper towel and held it up to the back of one of the carbs in the airbox and it was blowing out. Then I held it to the exhaust and it sucked the paper towel inward. I may be crazy but that seems backwards. Did I not get the cams set up correctly? Is this a red herring?

Took valve cover off and indeed it looks like I was 180 degrees off. Re-installed the camshafts very meticulously and now I'm waiting on the battery to charge again. I'll check compression on all cylinders in a few and try it again.

jjackson7 wrote: Took valve cover off and indeed it looks like I was 180 degrees off. Re-installed the camshafts very meticulously and now I'm waiting on the battery to charge again. I'll check compression on all cylinders in a few and try it again.

180 degrees off? are you sure? the crank rotates 2 times per cam rotation. I am not sure, but if yours has the "non points" ignition you can tap a screwdriver against the magnet and the plug should fire.

Well I took the cover off and at 1-4 TDC mark the marks (IN and Z7EX) that should have been parallel with the outside edge of the head were facing inside. When i rotated to the 2-3 TDC mark they were in the right position. So I changed it to what I think is correct. Granted I'm a total noob and may have misinterpreted the situation.

they should be opposite one another, I think it was something like 23 chain links apart between the 45th and 46th pin from the other side. level with the cylinder on either sides.

Yeah if the crank rotates twice per cam rev then a full turn on the crank would put the marks to the inside. So I think I just set them the same as they were. Argg. The manual says the IN mark should be set between 45 and 46 pins from the Z7EX mark which points to the 0 pin. I'm grasping at straws here. I still don't understand the air movement thing but maybe that's not such a big deal. I'm going back out to double check compression on all cylinders and make sure I'm getting spark at each. If that is all fine then it has to be fuel. I was thinking the starting fluid would at least get it running for a few seconds if that's the case, but every time I spray it in the airbox while trying to start it just kinda wafts out instead of pulling into the carbs.