rough starting

Bike runs good when its warmed up but seems to be a little irratic the last few times i have started it. The tach needle has taken a few extra seconds to start responding. Just seems a little hard starting. I ran some seafoam thru and have put about 300 to 400 miles on it this spring. Not sure where to start. also it kinda sounds like a bag of bolts knocking around by the starter sometimes when i start it? thanks for the input please.

Bike is an 81 csr 1000

Carb enrichener (choke) functions best when the throttle slides are left in their fully down position.
When initially starting a cold engine, should not even touch the throttle grip. Don't "crack" the throttle, and don't successively open and close the throttle.
Just leave the throttle alone, at least until the engine starts running.

Where above procedure is unsuccessful, carb enrichener (choke) circuit may be obstructed, and need cleaning.







Good Fortune!

Thanks patton. I guess thats where i need to start. Carbs were clean last spring and had no problems all year untill the last few days. I have a fuel filter that look clean. Shlould i start just pulling the bowls or should i yank all the carbs and go thru them? also should I try a new filter its a year old about 5k miles on it.

Also I never touch the throttle when I start it.

So I rode last night all was fine till I ran through a short batch of rain and when I stopped Rpms dropped and I stalled it. Same thing today started and ran like a champ rode thru some rain at the end of my ride stopped at a sign and Rpms dropped and stalled ran seafoam and 90 octane thru seemed to help. What is this rain issue?

Water possibly getting into the open backed electrical connectors. I'd do this:

Cleaning Motorcycle Electrics

1. Get some of the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner and figure on spending a good day going from the front of the bike to the back. It’s a plastic safe cleaner/preservative. www.deoxit.com is their website. It can be purchased at most Radio Shack Stores or any electronic supply places. Or use any plastic safe electrical contact cleaner(NOT WD-40 !).

2. On the older Kawasaki's, a majority of electrical connectors are inside the headlight housing requiring removal of the headlight, then the fun begins.

3. Do one set of electrical connectors at a time to avoid mixing up what connects to where. Usually disconnecting, spraying with De-Oxit and reconnecting is about all you'll need.

4. However, when encountering the green crud of corrosion, a brass wire brush may be needed on the pins you can reach. Some 400-600 grit wet and dry sandpaper strips rolled into a tube should reach the male and female pins in the more difficult to clean connectors.

5. Smoker’s pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden toothpicks work as cleaning aids.

6. Really small electrical connectors may require the use of a welders tip cleaning tool assortment.

7. Most pins in the connectors are coated with a thin plating of tin, and others may be nothing more than copper or brass.

8. If moisture is added, the resulting corrosion lowers the voltage/current being carried causing dim lights, slow engine cranking, slow turn signal responce and lower input voltage to the ignition coils resulting in weak spark.

9. The left and right handlebar switch pods will need attention too as they have circuit functions like turn, horn, run/stop, and start. The older Kawasaki’s have reports of the soldered connections crumbling, if your bike has this problem, just ask, as I’ve got a repair procedure for this.

10. Usually a spritz or two with actuation of the switch is about all needed for these switches unless corrosion is detected and then careful disassembly is required.

11. The ignition switch may or may be not sealed to allow spraying the internal contacts. I urge caution if attempting to open this up as springs, and ball bearings may fly out never to be seen again!

12. If your bike has the older style glass tubed fuses, I suggest replacing them as vibration can cause internal failure. AGX is the type used, and most auto parts stores can get them for you, along with boating supply stores.

13. Clean the fuse holder clips, looking for signs of overheating(discolored insulation, signs of melting). I use metal polish on a cotton swab, followed by spraying another clean swab with the De-Oxit and then rubbing the inside of the fuse clip.

14. All battery cables must be clean and tight for maximum current transfer. Check the cables going from the Negative(-) battery terminal/post to the engine mounting bolt

15. Also the one going from the Positive(+) terminal to the starter solenoid and from there to the starter motor.

16. If any battery cable feels ”Crunchy” when flexed, replace it as possible corrosion is inside the insulation. Inspect all heavy duty battery cables and the smaller wire terminations(Bullet Connectors), for failed crimps, and those used in the electrical connectors, as they can fail over time.

17. Each "Bullet Connector" will have to be sprayed to ensure good connectivity, especially the ones going to the energizing coil of the starter solenoid.

18. The alternator output “Bullet Connectors” are usually behind the engine sprocket cover and will need inspecting and cleaning too.

20. The turn signal light sockets will benefit from a spritz from the contact cleaner along with the tail light/brake light socket.

21. Some brake light switches can be sprayed on the actuating rod, with the spray running down inside to the electrical contacts, others may be sealed requiring replacement if the switch is intermittent in operation.

22. Some people put the Di-Electric Grease on cleaned terminations/connectors, I don’t, as I’ve read/heard it can cause problems when it gets hot, actually insulating the connections, so the choice is yours to use or not.

I think I've covered about all of the electrical systems on the bike.........

“I spent a weekend going through every electrical connection and switch on the bike with a little scotchbrite pad and DeOxit - what a difference! Everything was brighter, gauge backlights, indicator lights, turn signals, I was getting a nicer spark, it fired up quicker, etc. Well worth my time. WELL worth it! “

From a forum member at www.kzrider.com


I'd also check the tightness of the primary(small wires) side of the ignition coils, and look for corrosion there too.

Well I ran some seafoam( a little more than recomended) and filled up with some 90 octane(no ethanol added) Rode twice and ran awesome until rain came(both times ) Then the engine bogged at the stop signs. So on sunday I took the coils down cleaned all connections they ohmed good so did the plug caps. I trimmed the spark wires back about 3/8 inch for fresh copper and used deoxit and then put copper coat on all the connections including the tops of the plugs. cleand a handfull of connectors with deoxit, took apart all the grounds and cleaned and added copper coat. Took apart battery terminals cleaned added copper coat. Then it was the test and boy did my lights shine like they never have before. Bike fires instantly! rode 35miles rond trip today to and from work with no hesitation. Thanks for all the info and I hope next time I hit rain my problem is gone!

If the ignition coil is old and cracked, dampness could intrude through the cracks and cause firing issues.

Then after drying out, the coil may resume working, until getting wet again.

Good Fortune!

Not cracked. They were in good condition. 2 of the connectors to the coils(plug wires) were finger tight. Might have been the culprit