kz400 beginner

I was hoping that there would be folk here kind enough to help a complete beginner. Your own personal experience as well as links to other posts/resources will be paramount in my project

I picked up a kz400 some time ago that I plan on moving the engine into a dune.buggy. Originally my dad was.going.to.help me with this project but he has bailed, and I'm clue less.

My first of multiple questions is what will I need to connect to the new chassis in order to get the motor to.turn over? Ie cables/wires etc.

Looking at the.motorcycle there.are tons.of wires and I.have no idea.what ones.control what components and what are necessary and which.arent. Thank you in advance



Sean

A couple of pics:)

Your Dad is a very wise man. :laugh: Ed

Getting a motorcycle engine running is fairly simple, electrically. On the left side (the side in picture 2) is an alternator. This needs to go to a rectifier and voltage regulator, which is then connected to a battery. The battery needs to be connected to a set of coils. If you don't include a switch, you're "hot wired" to the coils. A switch in that power line is your "ignition" switch. The right side of the engine houses a set of points with a condenser. This wiring goes to the "trigger" side of the coils, which generate spark.

Now, I understand that I haven't actually told you anything about the wiring, since you're going to need to pick up a factory service manual for this bike so you can get the engine working. The manual includes a wiring diagram that will tell you what wires are needed for what functions you are going to need. It also includes information about cleaning and adjusting the carbs (which is going to have to happen too) as well as the rest of the engine specific items (valve clearance, oil changes, etc.)

You have a long road ahead - you're going to need to build an exhaust system (the engine won't last more than a few minutes without one) and intake manifold/air cleaner system. You'll need to figure out a clutch system and gear shifters. You'll also need to figure out a "reverse" mechanism, since the transmission in the bike engine doesn't have one.

This project is NOT for the feint of heart or the slow to learn. There is a LOT of stuff in here that you are just going to have to figure out - you can't just drop the engine in and hope it's going to work. Getting the engine running is going to be a huge step, then mating the engine to the rest of the frame is going to be a second set of interesting challenges.

Stay in touch and let us know how it's going.

A Cylmer or Haynes manual will work just as well. You have a very steep learning curve
ahead of you. You will need the basic hand tools listed in those manuals. You should see if
the engine will even turn over before making any big plans.


.

Take a look at the link below. I think it has most or all of an electronic version of the KZ400 manual; hopefully that will help. Ed

www.kz400.com/WorkshopManFrameset-5.html

Thanks.for.the.great.starting point! I do have the manual in pdf form so.that should help

One thing that.confused me about the spark... I only have one wire coming from the engine that could possibly connect to a spark plug... Do I just need a jumper wire to connect the two plugs together so they both get spark?

Also the rectifier and voltage regulator, would those be a part of the.engine itself, or separate components between the alternator and.battery?

I.Will keep.everyone posted with pics along the.way of.the.build I'm hoping to have it running by.memorial day, well see though

Airious wrote: Thanks.for.the.great.starting point! I do have the manual in pdf form so.that should help

One thing that.confused me about the spark... I only have one wire coming from the engine that could possibly connect to a spark plug... Do I just need a jumper wire to connect the two plugs together so they both get spark?

Also the rectifier and voltage regulator, would those be a part of the.engine itself, or separate components between the alternator and.battery?

No. You must have an ignition coil. The coil must have 2 spark plug wires. Those wires run from the coil to the spark plugs. This is all shown in the manual. Regarding the rectifier and regulator, again, this information is shown very clearly in the manual. No offense intended, but this is all really very basic information. I understand that when it comes to learning about engines everyone must start at the beginning. We all did, so that's no surprise. I respectfully suggest you spend a good deal of time with the manual as it really is an outstanding resource. If you take your time and read through it you will learn all about the ignition systems, charging systems, and other critical systems necessary for the engine to run. Otherwise, you will end up asking many basic questions that are answered more quickly and very thoroughly and accurately in the manual. Ed

To expand on what 650ed said - these forums are full of people that like to help, but no one likes to be taken advantage of. If we don't think you're putting as much effort into figuring this stuff out, we're not likely to want to help as much. You've got a lot of stuff to learn about how engines work before you can even think about touching the engine. You need to know what you have and what you don't - your question above indicates that you don't actually know that stuff yet. You mentioned that your dad was going to help you with this - I suspect he'll come back to the project if you commit some time and energy to getting smarter on how this project is going to go.

It's time to either go to the local Tech School or start learning about engine theory from the Internet. I found this resource: education-portal.com/articles/List_of_Fr..._Repair_Courses.html which lists a bunch of free online small engine repair courses.

You also need to learn how to read the diagrams you're going to be looking at. The course above should help with that.

Partzilla.com also has a lot of exploded parts diagrams which will help you understand the nomenclature of the pieces. There are going to be times during your quest when you'll want to know the operation of some piece and knowing that that piece is called will help.

Don't think for a second that we don't want to help. Most of us do. What we don't want is to have to spend hours and hours explaining the simplest stuff that you could easily look up. Just because we're willing to help for free doesn't mean that what we have to offer doesn't have value.

The stock ignition coil is bolted to the frame above the engine. Fat spark plug wires go from the coil to the plugs. There should be ignition wires that attach to the coil as well.

Here's an aftermarket coil w spark plug wires that probably looks similar to the stock coil. I have no idea if this would be correct for your ignition... just providing for visual reference.

For some basics,
click here > www.dansmc.com/

Good Fortune!