1977 kz1000

A poor running engine will create more blow by than a good running one.
Steve

Kapahulu wrote:

z1kzonly wrote: Oily fumes are blow by! From worn pistons and rings. Do a leak down test and see how much pressure is leaking into the crank case.
So, if you want it fixed! $500 for a over bore wiseco set of forged pistons, $150 for the boring job, Do the head while your at it, $400, $100 for gaskets! Do you love your Kaw enough?? $$$. Blow by is caused by worn pistons and rings!

Right!

For jetting, 20 pilots and 120 mains are a good baseline for VM carbs on a KZ with headers and pods.

It really depends on where this bike is!!
When I lived in Detroit MI, I was only a little above sea level of about 600ft MSL
The KZ1000 had new Denco headers, pods and Dyna III ignition.
For full on, rich power mixtures, I had to use 20 pilots, and 125 mains with the idle mix screws out about 1.75 turns.
However, here in Colorado, I can barely use the 20 pilots, idle screws about 1.25 turns and max main jet is 115 but I think I could get away with even leaner....112.5 mains and go back to the 17.5 pilots.
I am now at around 5100 ft MSL here outside Denver.
I came to this conclusion a week or so ago when I went up to about 8500 ft MSL in the mountains and could feel the bike dogging a bit with too rich of mixture and low Oxygen / low atmosphere pressure... etc.

Yup. Same here.
Steve