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

OK, thanks!

I was thinking about going to the gas station and topping off, to get a better idea of how much fuel is being leaked (assuming it doesn't leak the next time I fire it up), and staying close to home in case it happens again - until I know it's not doing it any more).

-John

Quick update: rode the KZ yesterday for almost 40 miles (about 80 or so total since the Seafoam was added). No leaks from the carbs! Valve covers continue to seep oil, but the oil level is fine, so I'll keep an eye on it.

The funny (good) thing was that it started up without having to put the petcock on prime for 10 seconds. I just opened the choke, pushed the starter button, and she fired up and RPMs went from about 1k to 3k, so I started slowly bringing her off choke. After 15-20 seconds, the choke was off and idle was around 1,100 RPMs. After the 1 hour ride, idle was around 1,300 RPMs... very nice!

Bike is riding really well, shifting smoothly and good clutch engagement. I'm going to keep doing local rides like this for a while, keeping an eye out for leaks. I'll be adding Seafoam every other tank to see if any more junk gets flushed through the system. Oh, and I'll be replacing the carb overflow tubes... just gotta measure the ID of them so I can get the right size tubing.

So much thanks to everyone for your help!

-John

OK, update time!

I have put 5-600 miles on the KZ this season, and it's mostly been running well. I replaced the spark plugs and now she starts up very quickly! No choke needed, either. I let it sit a few weeks and got a few short rides in, so its battery was down on power and it required kick-starting and even stalled on me. I put it on a tender and then adjusted the idle up a little bit, and no problems since.

Also during the last few months I've added Seafoam every other tank, and got mad at her for spitting fuel on the ground, so I went with the max 2oz/gallon ratio of Seafoam, and not a leak since, which is good.

Thanks for everyone's help!

-John