1980 750 LTD TWIN

Hello from Alabama.Ive been reading the forums for a few days now trying to get caught up on what to do next to my recently purchased 1980 750 ltd twin.i owned the bike 7 years ago,sold it to a friend and he never spent any time on it.Bought it back ,tryin to get it back road worthy.A question or two.how do I search the forums? Other forums I have joined have a search block on the forum page . maybe i'm missin it.So far this is the forum to join,Great information .I am trying to do most of this myself and so far what ive read has helped me a lot.Ill try not to re ask questions that have already been answered if I can.Ive got it running, rode it for about an hour Sunday,carbs running a little rich,been adjusting on that,checked compression today,about 90 or so on both cyclyders.Id like to run some cleaner thru the gas and oil,i haven't did that yet.Does that compression sound right?The carbs have been cleaned and cleaned,and I'm gonna look at them pilot jets one more time just to make sure I'm able to use my fuel mixture screw correctly. Anyhow,mainly concerned about compression and cleaning carbon right now.trying everything before taking anything apart!

To search hold you cursor over "FORUM" then click on "SEARCH." Ed

Welcome, compression can come back up once it is run cleanly for a while. Valve guide seals may be leaking making it run rich.
Steve

Thanks for the reply and the welcome. What would be a good compression Number? Ill try the search,I had tried that route a couple of times and the security warning page would come up.May be my old computer.

As a guess 155 would be optimum,.
Steve

You really need to buy a Kawasaki Service Manual. I guarantee you will not regret it! It has everything and more that you will need to know about getting your bike to run well, how to trouble shoot problems, and how to maintain it. Just be sure to get one for bike's exact year & model as there are differences between models.

Regarding compression - Here's what the Kawasaki Service Manual says:

OLJOCLARK wrote: Hello from Alabama.Ive been reading the forums for a few days now trying to get caught up on what to do next to my recently purchased 1980 750 ltd twin.i owned the bike 7 years ago,sold it to a friend and he never spent any time on it.Bought it back ,tryin to get it back road worthy.A question or two.how do I search the forums? Other forums I have joined have a search block on the forum page . maybe i'm missin it.So far this is the forum to join,Great information .I am trying to do most of this myself and so far what ive read has helped me a lot.Ill try not to re ask questions that have already been answered if I can.Ive got it running, rode it for about an hour Sunday,carbs running a little rich,been adjusting on that,checked compression today,about 90 or so on both cyclyders.Id like to run some cleaner thru the gas and oil,i haven't did that yet.Does that compression sound right?The carbs have been cleaned and cleaned,and I'm gonna look at them pilot jets one more time just to make sure I'm able to use my fuel mixture screw correctly. Anyhow,mainly concerned about compression and cleaning carbon right now.trying everything before taking anything apart!

Min hot compression on a 750 twin is about 115 psi. 90 is bad. Check valve clearance.

Thanks folks, great start on this bike.Gonna be slow though,60 years old and still holdin down a job,wife,daughter,and dog.Gonna run it today for awhile and look at the compression again,I didn't warm it up befor I checked it yesterday.My carbs are mikuni.I haven't measured the bore.Unless its hiding somewhere I'm only finding a fuel mixture screw on the sides of each carb.Nothing under the bowl for adjusting.My title says it's a 1980 but the vin tag says 1979,you think theses carbs are stock?IT still has airbox,no leaks detected in boots.When I first pulled the carbs apart, the right cylinder brass float was split and busted.found a float to fit at local shop.It is plastic but seems to fit fine and working properly.The carb on that side was terribly full of crap.it was backfiring on the left cylyder un till the last cleaning.Also cleaned the tank,had some rust.Is there a thread with step by step timing procedure for my bike?...with pictures?When I first brought it home the clutch plates were stuck,I couldn't get the side plate completely off for the timing mechanism behind the points plate.Is that thing pressed on there?I was able to get some spray down in there though and free it up.Thanks again

Yes; there is a step by step procedure for everything in the manual. If you plan to keep the bike and do your own maintenance you REALLY need to buy the Kawasaki service Manual. No one has ever regretted buying one. Ed

tHANKS FOR THE COMPRESSION INFO.iWARMED IT UP FOR AWHILE AND RECHECKED IT .lEFT SIDE 132 RIGHT SIDE A LITTLE OVER 140.ITS SHOWING ABOUT 18000 MILES.WHEN I BOUGHT IT THE FIRST TIME THE FELLOW WANTED TO KEEP THE MUFFLERS TO PUT ON A BSA I THINK.i BOUGHT SOME SHORT PIPES WITH BAFFLES FROM THE LOCAL Honda SHOP.i DONT REMEMBER REJETTING,MAY HAVE THOUGH.MY MEMORY IS NOT REAL GREAT ANYMORE.IT WAS RUNNING FINE WHEN I SOLD IT IS WHY I M NOT TO QUICK TO CHANGE ANYTHING.CAN YOU RECOMMEND A GOOD CLEANER THAT WILL WORK FOR OIL AND GAS?IT SEEMS LIKE IT GETS A LITTLE BETTER EVERY TIME I RUN IT.IM RUNNING NO ETHANOL GAS,GOT IT AVAILABLE 1/4 MILE DOWN THE ROAD.LOCAL SHADETREES SAY RUN TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THE CRANKCASE FOR AWHILE FOR CLEANING.WHATS YOUR OPINION?ALSO,WHAT DO YALL THINK ABOUT SPRAYING WATER FOR CARBON CLEAN UP THRU THE CARBS?

Do not put atf in the engine. The engine, transmission and clutch share oil and the atf may wreak havoc on the clutch. Use only JASO-MA certified oil. Motorcycle specific oil and many diesel oils like Rotella carry the designation. Be sure to use a new, high quality filter each time, too.
Once the fuel tank, lines and carbs are spotless, install an inline fuel filter. I use these -


They are cheap, widely available and work well. 650Ed uses some sexy looking reusable filters that will likely be in my future.

Check valve adjustments.
Steve