How do I make my cold starter KZ650 Start faster

I have the same cold start problems with my 1977 Z650. 15,000 k's on the clock.. how long should i use the prime setting and will it flood the bike. It is not unusual to run the battery flat when trying to start it from cold

1 or 2 minutes on PRI should be long enough to prime the carburetors. If the carbs are clean, the float needles should prevent any flooding. In cold weather when the engine is cold, you probably need to use full choke. In mild weather about half to 3/4 choke. When it's hot above 95* or the engine is already fully warmed up, the choke shouldn't be needed but you may need to crack open the throttle a little. The owner's manual should have some guidelines in the starting the engine section. The motorcycle needs a good fully charged battery. My 81 KZ650-CSR has the stock electronic ignition but no kick starter. It starts almost immediately when pressing the start button.

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I miss MFolks

A one step larger pilot should cure that.
Steve

Thanks Martin, Once warmed it's the best starter of my 4 bikes. I put a new petcock on and fuel hoses the rubbers were perished. The motors never been touched it sat in a shed for over 20 years. I will find someone to pull the carbs apart and give them a good clean may solve all the problems

bluej58 wrote: I miss MFolks

+1

RayCheck wrote: I have the same cold start problems with my 1977 Z650. 15,000 k's on the clock.. how long should i use the prime setting and will it flood the bike. It is not unusual to run the battery flat when trying to start it from cold

It sounds like someone has already screwed around with your bike. No 1977 KZ650 ever came with a petcock that had a "Prime" position. Ed

The rubber diaphragm in the original petcock was perished. I couldn't find a kit so bought a new petcock through Z1 that fitted. think it is made for a Suzuki. Works good.

RayCheck wrote: The rubber diaphragm in the original petcock was perished. I couldn't find a kit so bought a new petcock through Z1 that fitted. think it is made for a Suzuki. Works good.

The 1977 KZ650 petcock did not have a rubber diaphragm and did not have a "Prime" position. Also, the carbs on the 1977 KZ650 did not have an orifice to attach the petcock "Prime" hose, so if the petcock was changed how would that hose attach to the carbs? If your bike has carbs with that orifice either the carbs have been changed or you do not own a 1977 KZ650. Below is a photo of a1977 KZ650 petcock. It has ON, OFF, and RES settings - no Prime setting. Take a look at label on the bike's the steering stem and post the VIN and date the bike was made. If the label is gone the VIN will still be stamped in the neck. Maybe it's a 1978 KZ650 rather than a 1977. Ed

By RayCheck: Thanks Martin, Once warmed it's the best starter of my 4 bikes. I put a new petcock on and fuel hoses the rubbers were perished. The motors never been touched it sat in a shed for over 20 years. I will find someone to pull the carbs apart and give them a good clean may solve all the problems.

Cleaning the carburetors is not that hard. I'd never done it before & I thought it was easy. The same thing is done 4 times on most stuff & most parts only go back together one way, so it's kind of hard to mess up. Use good fitting tools & your eyeballs. The carb bodies do not have to be separated from the rack, unless it's obvious the orifices are clogged. That's more involved, but still not hard. pretty simple, actually. Expect to replace o-rings & gaskets and some of the rubber parts. no big deal.
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Cold start solution, if you have exhausted all other possible issues and you have an air box under your seat plug it off, I use a 2 inch diameter ball that fits nicely into the opening. If you have clutch safety start switch you will need to tie down the lever as you will need one hand free to remove the ball as you press the starter and hear the engine start rumbling. At first try to not use any choke and see how it goes.  I start my 1977 KZ 650 C1 that has gravity feed petcock this way because I have always had to squirt a little gas into the cylinders to get it going then I remembered how I started my old snowmobile which had a butterfly choke on the carb. Plugging the air intake is like simulating the butterfly choke which helps draws more gas into the cylinders. Hope this little trick helps, good luck.

Tessier
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