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The Petcock works on vacuum against a diaphragm. In on or reserve no gas should flow unless vacuum is present, aka engine running. In the prime position it will flow gas vacuum or not. Prime is used to fill the bowls prior to start if the bike has been sitting a while. If there is a slight drip in “0n” or “reserve” it might be enough to overcome the float and flood the carb. A float needle will not hold fuel back indefinitely. Most say if the needle will stop fuel for 15 minutes “ish” it’s considered good. 

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Everyting posted above.

Plus

With some carbs eg Keihnin CV34  (I think the 400 & 440s have Keihins) the seats are pressed in and are not replaceable. So, next time you open the carbs run a Q tip dipped in Brasso around the seat and rinse with carb cleaner.



 

I looked at his carb diagram and didn’t see a seat called out. Thank you. It appears your correct. 

The OEM Kawasaki float needles are good, but very expensive.  The Keysters are good too.  Those two types are the only ones I've found which have a spring strong enough to hold up the weight of the float.  It's easy to check the fuel level in the carbs using a piece of clear tubing attached to the drain nipple on the float bowl.  Also, the float bowl overflow tubes like to crack on those carbs.  It's easy to replace the tube though; check the archives here for a tutorial I posted before or search in the internet since the Honda guys make that repair often.

Well I figured out why its flooding on the left side......apparently in my haste to put the bike back together I didn't put the secondary main jet back in the left side.....idiotic I know.....problem is....its gone.....can't find it. Where can I order a new one? 

Go to your nearest dealer and ask them to order it.  Or....If you are in north america your best bet is to use Partzilla.

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Did you use an OEM Kawasaki float needle?




from Mike Nixon at motorcycleproject
motorcycleproject.com/text/float_valves.html

"As a carburetor rebuild customer there is one thing you need to understand above all else. A thing you have probably never thought about, a thing that has probably never even been on your radar, and yet it is the single most important aspect of your carburetor rebuild. It's more important than the method of cleaning, more important than shipping methods, and believe it or not, even more critical than the experience and reputation of the rebuilder you choose. Float valves. Ninety percent of carburetor rebuilders, including some pretty well known ones, ignore the simple but scandalous fact that the huge glut of available aftermarket float valves from all kinds of sources are absolute crap and will turn even the most skillfully and carefully performed carb rebuild into a disaster. They're simply not well made. And with a carburetor's float system already by design being a tenuous quest for liquid tightness, aftermarket float valves just turn a peaceful but delicate detante into a full-fledged war, guarantying that the customer will have to be constantly vigilent and learn to make allowances and excuses for chronically incontinent carburetors.

Float valves
When I began doing carburetors full-time I tried using aftermarket float valves. They were incredibly bad. I began vacuum-testing brand-new ones right out of the package before installing them. The result was I had to throw more than half of them away. They wouldn't seal. I had to buy ten to get four, at best. And even the ones that sealed initially quit sealing after a short while. Or the valves would fit poorly, too small in diameter or too long, both causing issues. I tested both OEM and aftermarket every day on every rebuild for over a year. I don't test OEM float valves any more. One hundred percent pass the vacuum test. Every single one. Now, the first thing a carburetor customer looks for is fuel-tightness. I'm going to use crap float valve and send him carbs I know are going to leak? Hardly. I can't understand why anyone would use these parts, especially people who rebuild carburetors for a living. And don't forget, these bad float valves are often found in rebuild kits. Between this and the abysmally bad Chinese needle jets and jet needles, carb kits are no bargain. In fact they're death to your carburetors. I won't guarantee carbs that contain them.

Now you know why I rebuild only Honda carburetors. They are the only Big Four brand factory float valves can be got for now. Later Kawasakis used the same brand of carbs as Honda so I do late model Kawasaki carburetors frequently also. But if I can't get factory float valves for a carb set I won't rebuild the carbs. I won't make excuses. That means I don't do older Kawasakis, Yamahas and Suzukis. There are no OEM float valves left for these.

And now, finally, and tragically, even the Honda float valves are drying up. I won't start using crap float valves and making excuses to my customers. What a terrible thing to have to do. Here's the thing, though. Why aren't the rebuilders who use K&L, Keyster, Napco and other float valves making such excuses? Why aren't their customers being warned that the carbs will overflow? It's perplexing to me. Maybe most customers fail to maintain their carbs from one season to the next, and thus they never realize the poor quality parts that are in there, chalking up eventual leaking issues to "it's time to rebuild them again." And it's even more likely most rebuilders just don't care. Too awfull bad, that is."

Agree with the above 100% I have had no end of problems with after market float needle valves including some whose springs give up after a couple if thousand miles, how hard is it to fit a spring that retains its spring rate if you are going to the trouble of making the assembly for gods sake. I often favour, even if old, the original jets, emulsion tubes etc over after market stuff, so don't chuck the original bits out thinking all will be hunky dory by throwing in new components, this rarely needs to be done anyway. It is difficult to find some new items but in the uk we do have some great suppliers who will sell you genuine carb components which are fairly generic and not bike manufacturer specific. I have found that float needle valves from keyster (japan made) to be pretty good although am dubious over some of the items in their rebuild kits so don't use. So if you see beaten up old carbs for your bike at swap meets or auto jumbles buy them for the oem brass bits indide!