Please help me with my 77 KZ1000

Hi, I'm new to the site, someone had actually directed me to here. I own a 1977 KZ1000, bike is in great condition, motor is in sound condition only problem is, the bike will not start. I had my wires checked, they are good, I have spark all the way to the plugs, I replaced them today. I had recently rebuilt the carbs and have not synched them, my local dealer will not even touch the bike because it is over 30 years old (they wont touch anything over 8 years old). Im just looking to get this bike running otherwise I will have no option other than to get rid of it, I could use the cash but would love to get the thing running and be able to use it, Ive had it for 2 years and have only ridden the thing once, PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

I know this sounds obvious, but are you getting gas to the carbs? I use clear line now since I had that same problem when the petcock clogged. :S
Take the bowl off the bottom, and have something to catch the fuel. Look up into the petcock and see if the screen is plugged. I am assuming you have a bottom bowl petcock.

Everyone's going to ask for more info, so I'll start...
When's the last time the bike ran?
What did you do to the bike since it last ran?

Exactly what LTDrider said...more info.
And as mentioned...go to the carbs next.
What did you do when you had them apart?Did you use compressed air to blow out all the internal areas,and orifices(and jets).
Choke circuit?
The petcock at the tank...is it even LETTING fuel past,and to the carbs?
What carbs do you have on that bike?Came stock with 26's
Does the petcock have 1 or 2 lines coming from it,down to the carbs?


Is the engine making ANY noise,like it's TRYING to fire?(or fart).

Did you happen to do anything down at the ignition points,in that area?If you did...what?

We'll get it,just be patient.You DID have it running,so it shouldn't be TOO difficult.

So yeah...more info... ...

Are you using fresh gas? Are you trying to start it with the choke fully "on" and not touching the throttle? Ed

ok more info, here it goes:

bike ran perfectly about 2 years ago, the only thing that has been done since is rebuilt carbs and plugs and battery
when the carbs were apart i let them soak in a parts washer numerous times and cleaned them up and also used compressed air to clean out them the best i could, kits came with new jets. it has the stock 26s on it still, bike is pretty much stock as far as i can tell. the petcock only has one line coming off of it and as far as i can tell from the last time i checked the fuel was flowing out of it. the only noises the engine makes is the sound of it turning over, there is plenty of spark (new plugs and battery) i did a coil check and checked the ign system and it all checks out, its an electronic ign system, no points system

i just need help, i work on cars all day long and this should come easy to me but it just isnt, its probably something stupid thank you for your suggestions, i will put some of them into play and please anything else you can think of just post it thank you

If you rebuilt the carbs, did you properly set the float level? I have had that problem before after rebuilding carbs and the bike did not start because of that reason.

Before that make sure you are getting fuel to all carbs, no plugged lines.

You say the ignition checks out good so its most likely a fuel problem. There is a slight chance that there is a compression problem. After you make sure the fuel is good and if it doesn't start you should check the compression and see if that is good.

You say that the petcock only has ONE line coming from it,down to the carbs?...the 26's SHOULD have 2 inlets.
You probably have a t-fitting somwhere in that single line coming from the petcock.(that might cause problems at top-end,with fuel delivery).Somewhere,someone has changed that petcock,I think.
Make sure the lines aren't kinked anywhere,and if you have an inline fuel filter,make sure it's clean and not restricting fuel.

Who upgraded the ignition system,from points to electronic,btw? And what brand is the ignition,or can you tell?
Was the bike running WITH that ignition system?
And you say you did NOT play with the ingition(timing) at all?

Are you using the choke to start this bike?(I'm sure you are,but I have to ask)
Are the chokes actually lifting,and not just the lever?
Did you have the external(mechanical) parts of the carbs apart?...did you tighten the bolts on the shaft,that operate the choke plungers?


We'll get it.
And you're right...it probably IS something easy,that's being overlooked...it happens all the time,lol.

Keep us posted...

sean5775 wrote:

If you rebuilt the carbs, did you properly set the float level? I have had that problem before after rebuilding carbs and the bike did not start because of that reason.

Good call,Sean.
If the float levels ARE way off,then that would(could) come into play.I think though,that they would have to be WAY out of whack,to not fire at all.

Speaking of floats...are you sure that they were moving freely,after the rebuild?
Did you adjust them(the tabs) at ALL?

The air-mixture screws...did you remove them?
Are you running pods,or an airbox?
Can you get in and spray some WD40 into the air-side of the carbs,while you're turning the bike over,to see if it fires THEN?

after you try and start it, pull the plugs to see if they are wet with gas,

As a last resort , shoot some starting fluid at it to see if it wants to fire, this will let you know it is a fuel problem if it tries to fire

All good suggestions so far, I'd add:

1) Check compression in all cylinders.

2) do a static timing test to make sure it's where you think it is.

3) As said above, crank over and check spark plug tips for gas.

4) Put the timing light on the spark lead and make sure it is sparking while you are cranking to start.

If you have compression and fuel, and the spark goes off: it will fire.

if your carbs have drain plugs on bottem of bowls crak them open and check for fuel to carbs.where did you set the mixture screws on carbs at?i usually go 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 turns out from lightly seated as a baseline to get motor started;)