symptoms of weak valve springs?

650ed wrote: You state "was riding it today in 5th gear I was letting the rpms climb higher and higher and all the sudden the power was gone then I let the throttle down a bit and it caught again."

That has nothing whatsoever to do with valve springs. Your clutch is slipping - no doubt about it.

Why do you keep using car oil if you have had problems with the clutch? You should be using oil that is JASO-MA compliant. Castol car oil is not. Take it from a guy who replaced the clutch in his KZ650 after using the new formula (years ago) Castrol 10W-40. If you keep using car oil you will continue to risk having clutch problems.

How did you adjust the clutch? Do you own a Kawasaki Service Manual for your KZ650? If not, what did you use as a guide regarding adjusting the clutch?

Tell what you did to "adjust the timing". Did you replace the points and condensers? What procedure did you use? Do you have a timing light and dwell meter? Replacing the points and condensers is part of normal maintenance, but it has nothing to do with the clutch slipping.

Your KZ650 should be very quick, but it will not be worth riding if it is not properly tuned and has a clutch that is properly adjusted and not slipping. Ed

+1
I believe Ed is spot on!
Ed ( TennesseeZ)

He's new and feels like he's been ganged up on. I know the feeling. That's not allowed here nor is outright profanity.
If you want us to work with you, it has to be both ways. Now, back to the question?
Steve

blink543 wrote:

kaw-a-holic wrote: sounds more like a clutch issue to me. If you have a service manual it will give you service limits for both. Just out of curiosity, what are you running for oil?

10W 40 castrol conventional oil. I changed the clutch springs but not the friction plates because they were in spec.

You stated the above which misled 650 Ed to say what he did. Take a deep breath and lets try this a different way. Ed has a LOT of 650 knowledge that could be beneficial to you. Keep in mind you are asking for help here, no one has to help you. There are a ton of awesome guys here with a lot of knowledge. Sorry we got off on the wrong foot.

Lets start with this. Do you have a service manual for your bike?

DITTO
Steve

kaw-a-holic wrote: Lets start with this. Do you have a service manual for your bike?[/quot8e]

Yeah a clymer

swest wrote: Keep it civil and at least abbreviate the F bombs. We understand your frustration. These are only opinions, not facts. Did you lose power or momentum. One could be fuel, the other could be clutch.
Steve

It's not like the engine turned off but I did loose power to the wheels so therefore momentum too. But like I said I let off the throttle to slow down the motor but obviously if I went to that rpm point again then it would do it again. Btw I haven't checked the fuel filters so that might be a huge possibility of the problem. I also haven't checked the gas cap vent. Gonna look at that sometime soon.

Look at your plugs. They tell a story. You havn't had the bike for long so a tune up is called for. If nothing else than to rule out things one by one. The valve adjustments are the most neglected parts of these bikes. Guys don't want to F with them because they take time, work and sometimes money. Once set, they will last for a few thousand miles or better. Once done you'll be glad you did, besides, like I always say, There's a certain satisfaction in knowing what's between your legs. :whistle:
Steve

swest wrote: Look at your plugs. They tell a story. You havn't had the bike for long so a tune up is called for. If nothing else than to rule out things one by one. The valve adjustments are the most neglected parts of these bikes. Guys don't want to F with them because they take time, work and sometimes money. Once set, they will last for a few thousand miles or better. Once done you'll be glad you did, besides, like I always say, There's a certain satisfaction in knowing what's between your legs. :whistle:
Steve

What color am I looking for at the plugs?

Should be peanut butter tan. I started a thread on this with pics.
Steve

Here ya go.
Steve

swest wrote: Here ya go.
Steve

[/quo7te]

What does cold mean?