Carb cleaning

Ok KZ friends. I was told I might be able to clean my carbs while on the bike. I ended up taking the carbs off! I removed one bowl while still on the bike and I was shocked by the amount of build-up! After an extensive cleaning of jets bowls and floats I was pretty happy, however.... Before cleaning I manually moved the throttle up and down. It was slow and slugish. Half way through I tried it again and it was much better. Got done completely and tried it they went up once and down did it again and they don't act like they want to go back down! What am I missing?? Help!

Short cuts are long cuts when it comes to carb cleaning. You would be well served to full break the carbs down, soak the metal parts in carb dip, then reassemble with fresh O-rings and maybe gaskets (as needed). Cycleorings.com sells kits which should get you pretty close. Z1 Enterprises sells O-rings and gaskets too. Don't be tempted to waste money on "carb kits" that contain jets, which are often mismatched to your particular bike. Just clean and recycle the parts unless something is really butchered.

Good luck

eric77kz wrote: Ok KZ friends. I was told I might be able to clean my carbs while on the bike. I ended up taking the carbs off! I removed one bowl while still on the bike and I was shocked by the amount of build-up! After an extensive cleaning of jets bowls and floats I was pretty happy, however.... Before cleaning I manually moved the throttle up and down. It was slow and slugish. Half way through I tried it again and it was much better. Got done completely and tried it they went up once and down did it again and they don't act like they want to go back down! What am I missing?? Help!

Is the return spring attached? Are both throttle cables attached correctly?
A full tear down is the only way to go. Dont forget to do the clear tube method to get the float levels ajusted correctly.
Good luck

eric77kz wrote: Ok KZ friends. I was told I might be able to clean my carbs while on the bike. I ended up taking the carbs off! I removed one bowl while still on the bike and I was shocked by the amount of build-up! After an extensive cleaning of jets bowls and floats I was pretty happy, however.... Before cleaning I manually moved the throttle up and down. It was slow and slugish. Half way through I tried it again and it was much better. Got done completely and tried it they went up once and down did it again and they don't act like they want to go back down! What am I missing?? Help!

You're missing telling us what year/model your bike is. You're missing telling us more details like is this with the throttle cables attached or with carbs just on the bench?

It's impossible for us to give you any specific help if we don't know what kind of carbs you are dealing with. More info would also be helpful.

"Hey, I tried to crank my engine and it was kinda stiff, so I took it apart and now its stuck. Can anyone help me?" Could you give any sort of helpful answer to that? If you want to get good feedback you have to give us something to go on.

Sorry bout that. It's a 77 kz650 c. The carbs are on the bench, no cables. It looks like only #3 is having an issue. I'm into the top part but a little leery on moving forward to take it apart further. No real instructions or procedures to follow.

Something you should be aware of is that the 77 KZ650s came w varying carburetors. The VM24 carbs are all basically the same, but there can be differences, especially in regards to the air mixture screws (pilot adjusting screws)(also, it has been reported that some early 650s came w VM22s which are similar to the vM24s). I don't think any of the 77 models came with an accelerator pump, indicated by the extra stuff on the #2 bowl & the associated pump linkage.

Remove the float bowls & have a look at the underside of the carb bodies & maybe take a pic or two. The main jets should screw into bleeder pipes which are screwed into the carb bodies. Replace the main jet o-rings. My 81 650 has pilot jets that can be unscrewed -- I think yours are the same. There may be some sort of nylon plug fitted into the underside of the carb body: if so, there will be a pilot adjusting screw under there. Again, keep in mind that your carbs may not be identical to some of the other 650s from the 70s.

Got the slides from not sticking! I still wonder about the diaphragm I thought I should have ran into though. However I have high hopes. Hear are the pics requested. I would like to know the details on what type carbs I have.

Diaphragm? You don't need no stinkin' diaphragm. :laugh: :laugh: Those are Mikuni VM24SS carbs; standard KZ650 equipment. They are the air screw type; not the pilot screw screw type (info for tuning). They are not CV carbs, so they don't have diaphragms. IMHO that's a good thing because diaphragms can be an expensive pain in the butt when they fail. Ed

VM24 mechanical slide carburetors.
The main jets & bleeder pipes have been removed. Did you take them out or are they missing?

Note: since you were wondering about a diaphragm, your carbs do not have an accelerator pump - the AP has a diaphragm (some APs have 2).

For comparison: ~1979 VM24 carbs w accelerator pump.

Thats good news! Putting them back on today! Fingers crossed! Also, I took the pics while some parts were being cleaned. Hence the missing pieces. Also glad to see I'm not the only one writing on their carbs!

So now I can not get them back on!! What am I doing wrong!! Very frustrating! I just want to RIDE!!

If your airbox ducts are hard, then you should replace them.
Z1Enterprises.com carries the set for around $40 & worth every penny if yours are shot.

I remove the ducts from the airbox before installing the carburetors.
Then install the carbs into the carb holders.
Then install the ducts, check the fitment, & snug up the carb holder clamps (you shouldn't need to crank them down).