How the heck do I remove the carburetors?

Trying to pull the carbs on my '84 KZ750L. The manual(s) basically say "loosen everything, then remove the carbs" and that's about it. I understand from further reading that they usually get pulled from the engine first, but DAMN it's hard!

I can get the rack to budge, and I can see the lip of something coming from the engine boots, but is there a trick to this? Is there any way to get the airbox either out of the way or more wiggle room? I've heard ratchet straps are an option, but I'm thinking that might not be best if I can avoid it...

Thanks!

Old hard air box hoses are difficult to bend aside in order to remove the carbs.

If new buttery soft hoses aren't in the cards, heating the hoses with a hair dryer may limber then up a little.

Good Fortune!

I assume the suggestion could just be to cut em off if I'm getting a new set of boots?

I mean, I could, but I figure 1: I should know how to deal with the problem at some point, and 2: it's a solid $110USD+shipping to get a complete new set of engine and airboox boots.

Doesn't the engine side come off first though, anyway? My understanding is that they're not exactly supple to begin with, being that they have to deal with engine heat.

Am thinking the earlier model hoses may fit.
Could check with Z1E to confirm fitment before ordering.

www.z1enterprises.com/ItemDetails.aspx?i...50&item=14073-1032X4

Listed at $49.46 for a set of four hoses.

Good Fortune!

I usually fold the air box boots back over each other. It frees up about an inch to pull the carbs out of the engine. As the other replies said, it's a lot easier if the boots are heated up

Be sure to unbolt the 2 "L" shaped brackets at the back of the airbox that hold it against the frame. Ed

The airbox boots when new feel like rubber, after a while they turn to plastic. No way to remove the carbs with plastic boots. When the boots are rubber it is possible to pull the carbs rearward compressing the intake boots, then off to one side or the other to remove. With hard boots good luck, as not going to happen. Kawasaki had the hard boot problem crop up 6 months after sale on the KZs, and buy new boots they still harden in 6 months. Not the best rubber used to put it bluntly, and removing carbs is a real bear after miles and heat harden them boots to plastic.

Ah L shape brackets, this is what I was wondering. It's too late to check now, but I'm giving it another go tomorrow evening. I pulled the battery and tried to remove the battery box, but found it's connected to a lot of the goings on around it, and thought better of tearing into everything in my currently disorganized garage.

The boots are still pliable to an extent; they move and deform when I pry them away from the carb body, but they're more likely to push into the airbox than deform very much, it seems. If this is my issue, I'll be willing to buy a set of airbox boots.

All of this, by the way, in the middle of having the valve cover just hanging there not quite seating, because I forgot to lock the camchain tensioner when doing the valves, which is why the carbs are coming off right now! They needed cleaning anyway.

I just realized, the solution of buying new boots isn't really a solution for removing the carbs. Is the suggestion to just get the boots off any way I can, disregarding boot damage? I'll pick up a new set from the dealer asap anyway, because I'm sure I'll have to pull them off again in the future (murphy's law, it won't go perfect the first time)

If the ducts are pliable, you can remove the air filter & push them into the airbox. Once the ducts are out of the way, carb removal should be easy, so you may not have to bother with the battery brackets n stuff. At the cylinder head be sure to loosen the carb holder clamps floppy loose --- if those clamps are loose but not enough, the carbs won't budge, doh.

Z1Enterprises.com carries the ducts. The carb holders may not need replacing --- the rubber is thicker & may not harden as bad as the ducts. In the USA there was an 83 750-L3 but not an 84 model.

I had this problem, in the end I rolled the wire holders back and pushed the rubbers into the airbox, the rack did come off easy then, putting those rubbers back on after though....lots of hot water sweat and swearing

Yep, my '84 is a rarity in North America. Canada had an '83 and an '84 (L3 and L4, respectively), the rest of the world even had an '81 and '82. The L4 is identical in every way to the L3, except the paint scheme, which is a fat red strip over a yellow/orangey strip, as opposed to the L3's Yellow over orange over red.

I've ordered the airbox ducts, so removal after the first time, for fixes, should be easier.

No idea how good my engine-side ducts are; they feel pretty hard. How soft should those ones be? I suppose I can always test for vacuum leaks when it's all back together though.