Clutch Slipping, or Oil to blame? (79 KZ650SR)

How did you drain just enough oil to get it back into spec? Too much oil is certainly possible in my case.

John

Quick update:

I followed the manual to adjust the clutch at all three points. I still don't 100% understand the mid cable adjustment, but it's at the "loosest" setting (lock nuts all on top of each other). The adjustment at the engine needed tweaking from where it was, and when I was done, I left 3mm of slack at the lever, as per the manual.

I fired the bike up... which took an extra couple of minutes because apparently I needed to switch to reserve on the petcock LOL. It seems that more often than not, when I park the bike after a ride, the gas level is low enough that she won't start without being on reserve. After going on reserve, she fired right up.

Tested on the stand, the clutch fully engaged and disengaged, so time for a quick spin to verify. About a mile into the ride (total of 6 or 7 minutes of engine running), I got one slip in 4th or 5th gear at high RPMs, and then no more slips for the next 10 miles! I was shocked to say the least. I ran it up to high speed at least 5 or 6 times, running through the rev range in all 5 gears, hard throttle... and nothing but smooth acceleration! I stopped at the gas station and filled up, and then the starter made a funny noise when I started the engine back up, but she didn't do it when I tried again in my driveway, so it sounds like a one-off.

The best part (besides not slipping) is the shifting seems better, and now the clutch engagement point is much better - closer to the handlebar instead of way out at the end of the lever's travel. Makes starting off much easier.

About 10 minutes after shutting the engine off on the most level spot I could find, the oil is indeed too high. I'll have to come up with a way to drain a little at a time, and we don't have a turkey baster. Maybe that's a project for this weekend - find something suitable to suck some oil out of the fill hole with.

I can't thank you all enough for helping me out with this! I'll sleep well tonight knowing she's running better.

-John

Congratulations on you success

You could try and old turkey baster or flavor injector. Find a section of rubber hose that fits tight to the end of the baster/injector. Set the bike on the center stand in the spot you used to determine the oil level. Remove a small amount of oil threw the oil fill spot and check. Continue till you get oil level correct.

Yeah, I'll have to find something to do that with. We don't have a turkey baster that my wife is willing to part with lol.

John

A Mytivac would probably work, though I have never tried pumping anything so thick through one.

In these cases, I usually drain enough that there is a pea-sized air bubble in the window when all is level.
Then, like I said, it takes a few rides for the clutch to lose the excess oil.

We have a store chain called American Science and Surplus in the Chicago area. They sell all sorts of tubing and surplus medical supplies dirt cheap. (Not to mention old military surplus and tons of miscellaneous optical and electrical parts from unknown origins.)
You will want to have a bunch of syringes around for all sorts of things. They really are nice for working with hydraulic brakes and shooting liquid through carburetor passages to check for cleanliness.

Here's a 3-pack assortment for $3.95. If you go on their site they have quite a few other sizes as well.
You just need a about a foot long piece of vacuum hose stuck on the end to pull up oil.
www.sciplus.com/3-pack-graduated-syringes-57410-p

Larger one. $3.75 but maybe that is for 3 in a pack.
www.sciplus.com/60cc-thumb-grip-syringe-49257-p

If you don't want to wait, you can go to most pharmacies and get a small syringe, usually in the baby section of medical supplies.
But those will cost more and they won't be as good quality.
www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-true...=prod6191613-product

Thanks guys. I'll be doing something later this week with it and let you know how it goes. I have some kid syringes lying around that may come in handy here. My wife suggested using a straw (plug the top and pull out to get a tiny bit each time)... my my, isn't she inventive? LOL

-John

Well, went to ride the KZ this morning, got it started and idling, went inside to get ear plugs, came back out to a puddle of fuel under the bike.

The #2 carb appears to have a stuck float. Ugh. Gas runs down the overflow tube for the #2 carb and onto the ground, but only when running. The fuel flow stops a couple of seconds after the engine is shut off.

-John

Just an idea, did you have a vaccum petcock tube connected to carb #2? It could be the petcock diaphragma is leaking and sucking fuel into the bowl and overflow tube.

drakhen99 wrote: Well, went to ride the KZ this morning, got it started and idling, went inside to get ear plugs, came back out to a puddle of fuel under the bike.

The #2 carb appears to have a stuck float. Ugh. Gas runs down the overflow tube for the #2 carb and onto the ground, but only when running. The fuel flow stops a couple of seconds after the engine is shut off.

-John

Are you sure the fuel is flowing from the overflow tube? The overflow tube is at the very bottom of the carb bowl, and each carb has one. Ed

I'm pretty sure there are no issues with the petcock, since it's relatively new, and the fuel flow stops within seconds of shutting off the engine, and thus the vacuum.

I am relatively sure it's the #2 carb, because on my bike, there are 3 overflow tubes, one coming from each of the #2, #3 and #4 carbs (#1 seems to have fallen off?), and only the tube coming off the #2 carb is showing fuel flow through it.

Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology? There are nipples on the bottom of each carb, and attached to 3 of the 4 nipples are clear fuel tubes which collect together and go down towards the ground right in front of the center stand.

While I'm at it, what's the apparatus attached to the #2 carb, on its bottom? It has a spring-loaded gizmo attached to it.

-John

Some pics would help.