TOPIC:

I just picked this bike up cheap and it needs a bit of help. The carburetors look like a solid piece of varnish and I'm not looking forward to pulling them apart. It's a 1980 kz1000e (st?). From what I've read here it probably has the 28mm accelerator pump carbs. Since I'm interested mostly in low-end grunt, would it make sense to try a set of 26mm carbs? Advantages/disadvantages? Thanks.

-Doug

Well Doug, with all that money you saved on the shaftie, take some of it, pull your carbs and send them to WiredGeorge and let him do his magic (it's worth it!)...don't go to smaller carbs:)

I agree with Mcdroid. I've got 26's on my 900. They're OK for my kind of riding, but every 900 prior to '76 had the 28's. Those pre-76 bikes are wild ponies, but that's what helped make them famous.

I agree with the guys to a point. If at all possible keep the right carbs, but I doubt personally there would be any detectible power gain or loss going either way from 26-28mm.

well, i took the 26's off my 1000 and put some z1 28's on it. i could tell the difference.

yeah if youve already got the 28s id say go with them,anything up to 29s will give you plenty of torque and should fit wit minimal hassle

Stick with the 28's. You might want to find a new set on ebay. The 26's suck! They are ok for putting around town but if you want to move you will be dissapointed.

Okay, guys, I'm convinced. I'll have a go at cleaning them up myself, then go from there. Thanks for the input..

Well, I got the carbs off today. Man, those airbox boots were hard. I finally had to saw two of them in half in order to get any maneuvering room. So, now I'm wondering 1) what's a good source for boots?, and 2)should I just skip it and install pod filters? I'm leaning towards 2). By the way, what's with that convoluted air intake thing. I guess it's to keep things quiet or something, but I've never seen anything quite like that. A marvel of engineering. One good thing ... I found my kickstart lever. Cool!

I was tempted to use wiredgeorge's service (sounds like a good service and a decent deal), but the truth is I kind of like doing these things myself ... and I'm cheap. So I have some carb kits coming, but now that I have the carbs off, I see other little bits and pieces (such as the plastic bushings on the choke plunger) that will likely need to be replaced. What's a good source for stuff like that? Thanks again for the responses.

-Doug

I'm going to have to recommend Z1Enterprises .
Jeff is a member here and is very knowledgeable on our bikes. Go to their site and look and if you can't find what you need call or email and I think they can help you.