82 csr 1000 engine missing/rebuild for beginner

I am brand new here so I apologise if this question has been answered before I couldn't find it.
Any way about ten years ago I bought my dream bike. 1982 kz1000 car. Ran and rode ok when I purchased it. I put hotter coils wires and plugs on it. Cleaned out the carbs. When it ran good it ran great. Then it seemed to start dropping a cylinder, especially at lower rpms. I rode her for a year or so before storing her til I had money to work on the beauty. That time is now. Want to start with cheaper ideas that will also help in the long run. Was going to buy new boots for the carbs, and thinking electronic ignition for starters. The machine only has 6000 original miles on it but sat for 18 years. I really don't want to open the engine up just yet if I don't have to. Are there any other suggestions I could start off with first? Any suggestions are very welcome! This project will hopefully get started next weekend.

Ok cheap and easy first. Check your spark plugs for fouling or rich or lean condition.
While the plugs are out run a compression check. Fully charged battery and throttle wide open, keep spinning the starter until the compression gauge tops out and will go no higher. Should be above 120psi and less that 10 psi difference between the cylinders.

Pull the valve cover and check valve lash. With 6000 miles I'll bet at least one valve is out of spec. Once you have the valve adjusted adjust the cam chain tensioner per FSM.

Once you have the valves in order and compression looks good try to sync the carbs. If one or more carb doesn't want to sync it's time to pull the carbs and give them a good cleaning.

Ignition system stuff. The motorcycle needs a good, fully charged battery to run right. I would check it with a digital multimeter & do a simple Hi-beam load test. I would also redo the spark plug wire connections as they can become poor from oxidation over time. Make sure the correct spark plugs are installed & properly gapped. Also, clean, check & lubricate the timing advancer.

These are all good suggestions, and they are all part of the routine maintenance that these bikes should regularly receive.
I would recommend opening the factory service manual to the maintenance section an performing ALL of the tasks in order. You will likely solve the problem and will have all the important systems working as they should.
If you do not have the manual, there is a PDF copy on the home page of KZR.

I read this post a couple of times this morning and have mulled on this for the best part of the day, so you rode it for a year or so whilst dropping a cylinder which may have been simple like electrical, carbs, or may even needed shims adjusting, and i guess it finally became such a pain that it got consigned to the back of the barn, garage or shed until now, unfortunately these are not cheap to get up to scratch, so i suggest you sell it to someone that can actually be bothered to do the maintenance when it starts to play up instead of limping it around compounding the original problem.

Thank you for the suggestion. It would only drop the cylinder every now and then, I'd work on it run fine for a bit and I'd start all over. It did get pushed to the back of the she'd, I start it regularly to keep things lubed. Just didn't have the money at the time to put in it. I do now, and will spend as much as I need to to get her running, I was just looking for suggestions to start with that we're on the cheaper side rather than cracking the motor apart first. A very reasonable way to start a rebuild.

I started at the fuel tank. tank. petcock. tubing. fuel filter. fresh fuel. airbox. new oem air filter. carburetors. ignition system. compression check while the carbs were off the bike. New engine oil & oil filter. etc whatever to get it running. Then refurbish the front brakes, then the forks. etc etc etc.

You need to check the valve clearances/lash, that means taking top cover off, it has electronic ignition and a very good one at that, it never needed hotter coils or wires, new spark plugs will be needed along with battery and air filter and as you will be taking valve cover off a new gasket which does not come cheap.

You say you put hotter coils and plugs on it. The first thing I would do would be to return these to original.At the very least it should eliminate these things as the source of your initial problem. Then as mention above,do a full service. Im not sure what order the manual goes in but usually the carbs are the very last thing you do.
Thats my tuppence worth.

Csrforlife13 wrote: ................. I put hotter coils wires and plugs on it. ..............

Exactly what plugs did you install? If they are not the same heat range as those specified by Kawasaki you WILL have problems - no doubt about it. Ed