Uh Oh

Just bought my first bike. My friends got bikes and I guess I got jealous. I went cheap, unlike them (R6, Katana, Interceptor).

I rounded up myself a Kz550. I think. It was on craigslist under Kawasaki 440. I got there and noticed the bike had 550 side panels and a 4 cylinder engine. Hrrrmmm. He had some 550 bike seats that he said didnt fit, so he said it was probably a 440. Any way for me to check? (Other than checking vins- its kinda dirty)

I scored this bike for one hundred dollars. I love it. It doesnt start, doesnt even try. Battery is low, but good. Clutch cable is cut (Its a two wire connection, does it matter which connects to which?). There is a missing 3 wire plug underneath the tank, don't know what that goes to.

I gotta jet tho, I will ask more questions later. Nice forum ya got here... I like forums, especially small ones like this.

JjSwee wrote:

I like forums, especially small ones like this.

Hey, he called us small!

Wecome to our Gigantic Site! We got people all 'round the world in here, even places you never heard of. Like "Canada".
Anyway, if your bike has 4 cylinders it isn't a 440. Sounds like the seller is clueless. The clutch cable you speak of- do you mean a wire from the clutch lever? There are some pretty smart folks here who will be able to walk you through the steps to get your bike roadworthy, it is a steep learning curve, hang on tight!

I am parts of other forums which member numbers reach 130,000.

Canada- never heard of it. lol

It wasnt the clutch cable, it was the electrical connection to the relay. My friends interceptor is an 84. It died pretty bad and I brought it back to life about 5 times. It died again and I just gave up. I am pretty mechanically inclined, I am good at fixing things. Bring it on, I can take it

I need a manual tho.

Welcome.

If the 550 (if that's what you have) is anthing like the 650, the 2 wires from the clutch lever is a clutch safety switch. Basically, you need to pull the clutch lever in to start her. If yours is cut, you can reconnect the two wires to the switch wires (doesn't matter which wire goes to which, as there's no positvive or negative), or you can just connect the two wires leading under the tank (or into your headlight) together. This bypasses the clutch safety switch, allowing you to start her without having to pull in the clutch (be careful your not in gear!!)

The 3 plug connection under the tank is probablly the low fuel sensor wire connection, which would light up a low fuel warning light on the dash (i think).

Someone with a similar 550 would be more helpful. First find out what you really have. Post up the VIN number for us. And get yourself the right manual.

Post edited by: rstnick, at: 2006/08/25 09:27

JjSwee wrote:

I am parts of other forums which member numbers reach 130,000.

Canada- never heard of it. lol

It wasnt the clutch cable, it was the electrical connection to the relay. My friends interceptor is an 84. It died pretty bad and I brought it back to life about 5 times. It died again and I just gave up. I am pretty mechanically inclined, I am good at fixing things. Bring it on, I can take it

I need a manual tho.

welcome to z-jungle!ill have to send you a picture of brownlee nebraska population 4!:evil:

I fixed the clutch problem. The battery is dead so I will have to recharge that. I am gonna google it, but is it ok to charge a motorcycle battery up to a car battery? I figure its all the same, but gotta be sure.

I think i did try it when it had around 10.5volts which should of make some clicking noises. I suspect the starter switch is bad, so I am going to check that.

The guy before me did some crappy work on the bike. Found some wires just spliced together. Also, it has no airbox, but does have these cone filters on each carb. The crank case has a small breather filter on it. Each carb has a little tube connection on the bottom. Only one carb has the tube, which goes nowhere and a screw plugs the other end. What is this for? Its not a vacuum port is it?

Edit: Checked a manual - Overflow tube. Only open when the drain plug is opened. For priming the system.

Post edited by: JjSwee, at: 2006/08/25 15:48

Well I took apart the controls on the handle bar. It seems the switch has gone bad. I dont understand how something so simple just goes bad tho. Its a spring and a contact.

Gotta love spamming my own welcome thread.

I checked the switch, it was broken. I put it all back together, use a screwdriver to act as the switch and my bike starts running. Doesnt run well, but its running.

Got my bike starting. Vacuum was missing from the petcock. Fixed that. Started it up - Runs beautifully! I am estatic.

Excellent news! Be sure to check out your brakes and steering and tires and all that stuff. Before you go anywhere, you want to make sure it'll stop when you want it to...

Everything works good on the bike. Its pretty hard to believe for the price I paid. The automatic turn signals is a nice touch.

I will try to get pictures up sometime. Its been raining here in philadelphia for a while now. Not a pretty bike, but I know how you guys like pictures.

del