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1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 26 Apr 2017 19:43 #760341

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All right, I think I may have a couple of issues going on at the same time, not sure. When I bought the bike the PO told me a couple of mechanics told him it had a bad stator. I am getting a Kaw factory manual for it tomorrow, so I am going to address that then.
The bike sat for seven years, so I:
--Cleaned BS34 carbs, rebuilt and wet set them.
--Checked carb manifolds with starter fluid, no air leaks
--New AGM battery
--Plugs okay... new NGK plug caps
--Compression tested it today, left to right: 140, 130, 140, 140 (seems acceptable); while I was checking compression, I noticed a nice blue spark at each plug.

First time I started bike, it did so by itself. The last two times, would not start until I squirted starter fluid in airbox. Bike is stock, airbox, exhaust, etc. 37.5 pilot jets and 127.5 mains. I have the main idle adjust on the carbs turned all the way in, and am at only about 1100 or so RPM. Besides the hard start, after it is warm when I crack the throttle, the idle drops to 500 or less and wants to die, but if I stand there and feather it some, I can get it to stabilize at about 1100, but the idle seems to 'wander' a bit, even so. What am I missing? Could this be related to a potential stator problem? I am kinda stuck... HELP!
1983 KZ1100 A-3 Shaft
1976 KZ900
1975 H2 Triple
1984 Yamaha XJ900 Seca
1984 Harley Davidson FXRDG

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Last edit: by Skiprrdog.

1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 26 Apr 2017 20:20 #760348

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The stator is not causing the running problems unless the battery is almost completely dead.

I take it you have pods and a header? How many steps richer did you go on the jetting?

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1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 27 Apr 2017 00:46 #760360

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How does the exhaust feel? Might have mice nests in the mufflers from sitting....I'm just spit-balling here. Could be leaky intake boots too.
1982 Kawasaki KZ1100 A2, Shaft

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1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 27 Apr 2017 04:56 #760367

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Nessism--Stock airbox, stock pipes, it had 127.5 mains in it when I got it, left them in. Must be the carbs I guess, cant even imagine, as i put them through a pretty rigorous cleaning process; cleaner-compressed air, carb dip-compressed air, ultrasonic bath-compressed air, two complete cycles of all three steps. Maybe Ill go through them again...not sure what else it could be...

SmokyOwl--Exhaust feels okay, held hands over ends of both mufflers while running, similar pressure and heat coming out...tested intake boots two times with starter fluid while running, nothing there...
1983 KZ1100 A-3 Shaft
1976 KZ900
1975 H2 Triple
1984 Yamaha XJ900 Seca
1984 Harley Davidson FXRDG

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Last edit: by Skiprrdog.

1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 27 Apr 2017 05:39 #760370

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You say the idle adjustment screws are all the way in. Do you mean the synchronizing screws or the mixture screws?
If it is the synchronizing screws, then the throttle plates may be too far open for the low speed circuit to work, and the carbs are trying to pull fuel from the needle jet.
If you mean the mixture screws, then something is messing with the low speed mixture.
Either way, they should not be all in.

Oh, if you mean the main idle speed screw that affects all four at once, then that suggests that the carbs might not have been properly bench synchronized before the carbs were installed. To do that, the idle speed adjuster should be set to the middle of its rannge and then each butterfly set to the same opening using the synchronizing screws to adjust, and something like a small paper clip as a feeler gauge.
1982 KZ1000 LTD parts donor
1981 KZ1000 LTD awaiting resurrection
2000 ZRX1100 not ridden enough
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Last edit: by TexasKZ.

1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 27 Apr 2017 08:18 #760383

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Yes, I meant main idle screw. I did not bench sync the carbs, because my laser accurate eyeball seemed to suggest they were close enough to mount and do a running sync :) But I decided to tear the carbs out again, and to replace the manifolds/mounts... I do not suspect them, but they may be original, so what the heck. When I have them out I will bench sync them, after probably cleaning them a third time...
1983 KZ1100 A-3 Shaft
1976 KZ900
1975 H2 Triple
1984 Yamaha XJ900 Seca
1984 Harley Davidson FXRDG

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1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 27 Apr 2017 08:21 #760384

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Might as well check the valve adjustments while you're at it. Routine.
Steve
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1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 27 Apr 2017 08:43 #760386

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If not already done, need to assure a perfectly clean and clear pilot circuit that that ends with fuel mixture entering through orifices into the carb bore..


Good Fortune! :)
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KZ900 LTD
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1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 27 Apr 2017 12:03 #760410

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--Steve-- Yup, going to do that when I take the carbs out again. One thing I noticed yesterday when I was running it was that it seemed entirely too quiet!

--Patton-- Thanks for the excellent drawings. Ill be looking very closely at the pilot circuits, and actually the reason I decided to take the carbs out again was that after reading a few carb posts on here, I realized that that I did not spend enough time (or actually any time :)) ensuring that the little wells in the float bowls were clear. Dipped the carbs, etc, but did not spray cleaner into the little openings and maybe run a small wire in there. Considering that they were probably the filthiest carbs I have ever seen...
1983 KZ1100 A-3 Shaft
1976 KZ900
1975 H2 Triple
1984 Yamaha XJ900 Seca
1984 Harley Davidson FXRDG

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Last edit: by Skiprrdog.

1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 28 Apr 2017 11:20 #760495

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If your old KZ isn't making you crazy, its not a genuine old KZ. Atleast that's my experience haha.

I don't know a ton about the 80s KZs but your jets seem really large compared to what I normally hear from people. Have you checked to see what the stock jetting sizes are? You said you checked the spark, what do the plugs look like?
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1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 28 Apr 2017 20:03 #760561

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Crazy... aint that the truth... but a fun crazy:) My book says 120 main/37.5 pilot. Plugs are dark, but not oily, just sooty dark... I still have to put in some new ones after I get the carbs dialed in.

Speaking of which, I have a new question. The BS34 carbs I am using ARE NOT the ones that came on the bike, had some issues with those carbs, long story, but I had another set of BS34's in the pile, so I decided to use them... I do not think they were even off of a Kaw originally, not sure about that. Anyhow, the original carbs had the plug on the pilot jet; the ones I am using now, came to me from a seller on feeBay *without* the plugs in the pilots. I noticed in Pattons image earlier in this tread, that there are models without plugs; the ones in there now DO NOT seem to have that passage between the two jets, and if so, that means I do not need the plugs? And actually, if they were the newer carbs, without that passage, wouldn't be putting a plug over the pilot, essentially disable the pilot jet?
1983 KZ1100 A-3 Shaft
1976 KZ900
1975 H2 Triple
1984 Yamaha XJ900 Seca
1984 Harley Davidson FXRDG

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Last edit: by Skiprrdog.

1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 Making me CRAZY... 28 Apr 2017 20:54 #760578

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The CV 34 miks fit a plethora of different bikes, not just Kawasaki so don't take anything for granted here.

Texas kz has the answer, starting / idling and wide open power are all different elements of carb tuning. quite a lot of variables involved here.

Try to tune for a hot engine tickover first, these take a while to warm up off choke and is quite normal. Don't touch the throttle on choke as it cancels the 'enrichment circuit' out.
1980 Gpz550 D1, 1981 GPz550 D1. 1982 GPz750R1. 1983 z1000R R2. all four aces

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