Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build

Yeah Mark, something still isn't right with those carbs. It just started to get hard to start when cold. That's definitely a new thing. Thinking back, a couple of carbs the air passages plugged solid with dirt. I thought that all that stuff was cleaned out. I did as you suggested, buy poking the torch cleaners thru the holes and spraying carb cleaner, then air. It seemed good at the time, but maybe some crud that I couldn't see is just working it's way loose. I'm working on getting the 1075 kit together, so these carbs might just be on the way out sooner than later.

Anyway, I'll probably just pull them and see what's up, just have to find the time. I promised myself that I wouldn't spend this whole summer working on bikes like last year. I plan to spend half my free time riding and the other half with a fishing rod in my hand.

if the jets were plugged there's likely shit in the passages too.
i agree with spending more time riding and less wrenching. there needs to be balance. :lol:

now that is my speed....get em done one day and put em on trickle chargers with some seafoam and just ride em.....nice score on the cams ... :kiss: i just got some super clean instruments and cable and brakets for 80...i mean a really nice set with 30 thou and chrome buckets,super clean!...watch and wait..watch and wait...

i saw 33 cr specials go for 305 this week too i wanted to paly on that auction but the timing was bad for$

mark1122 wrote: if the jets were plugged there's likely shit in the passages too.
i agree with spending more time riding and less wrenching. there needs to be balance. :lol:

So where does the modern Kawasaki enthusiast go to find the best carburetors for his ride? Well the Suzuki forum, of course! I was checking out the GSResources a couple of weeks ago when a member posted a feeler ad for a set of 29mm Smoothbores. He noted that there were pilot jets stuck in two carburetors with broken ez-outs in each. He started out asking $400 for the set, as-is. Well if you know anything about that forum, they are very, very frugal, errr, cheap over there. Three or four guys chimed in with an offer to take the risk at $200, so the OP said, "Fine, I need 'em gone, $215 shipped to the lower 48, any takers?" I called his bluff. So I got me some discount smoothies that need a little TLC.

Recognize these. Yes they are complete, but I started to disassemble them to do a post mortem:



Here's the first problem that he disclosed, jacked up pilot jets:

Notice anything strange in that last photo? Like the screw in the side of the needle jet tower? Guess what that is a sign of? He didn't mention this little problem in his add, and I'm pretty sure he knew about it. The carbs smell just like Berrymans Chem-Tool, so I bet he had them apart for a cleaning when he got stuck at the two pilot jets. Anyway, that screw along with a small dab of JBWeld was holding the needle jet in that carb. Not the jet block. This is the most common problem with 29 smoothbores. Stripped jet block threads. I have three with stripped threads, one with the screw repair, one with just JBWeld, and another with a Heli-coil (Wrong, thread, mind you.)

Now I noticed that screw when he initially sent me the photos of the carbs, and was sure I knew why it was there. I have a plan to rememedy all of the problems that this set of carbs has. I'll post all the details after I get them fixed. Might take a few days since all the repairs will take place after hours at the machine shop I work in.

Here's some pics of the jet block for those who aren't familiar with these carbs:

The jet block:



A look at where they always strip:



Needle jet, notice the threads that screw into the jet block:



Here's how they go together:

Oh yeah, one last thing I noticed. Each carb body has a small rectangular sticker that is totally faded out. Once I got them separated I found this one:


I guess they are all Yoshimura stickers. Kinda cool, too bad you can't read any of them. I wonder if there are replacements available. These will come off so I can clean and polish the carb bodies, but if I had new ones I would replace them.

As probably already known ---

Here's a link to what wg says about repairing the jet blocs:
www.wgcarbs.com/index.php?option=com_con...view&id=30&Itemid=42

Z1E carb info says slide cutaway on Suzy smoothies is 2mm as compared with 1.5mm on Kaw,
and lists the slides:
www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=3472

Z1E also lists several other items for the smoothbore carbs.
www.z1enterprises.com/catalog.aspx?pid=KPCF3

When reassembling, if the the screw (not jet) into bottom of jet block is overly tightened, the jet block gets out of kilter enough for the throttle slides to rub against it.

Good Fortune!

testarossa wrote: So where does the modern Kawasaki enthusiast go to find the best carburetors for his ride? Well the Suzuki forum, of course! I was checking out the GSResources a couple of weeks ago when a member posted a feeler ad for a set of 29mm Smoothbores. He noted that there were pilot jets stuck in two carburetors with broken ez-outs in each. He started out asking $400 for the set, as-is. Well if you know anything about that forum, they are very, very frugal, errr, cheap over there. Three or four guys chimed in with an offer to take the risk at $200, so the OP said, "Fine, I need 'em gone, $215 shipped to the lower 48, any takers?" I called his bluff. So I got me some discount smoothies that need a little TLC.

Recognize these. Yes they are complete, but I started to disassemble them to do a post mortem:

Attachment aP1010126.JPG not found

Here's the first problem that he disclosed, jacked up pilot jets:

Attachment aP1010128.JPG not found

Attachment aP1010127.JPG not found

cheap? omr is cheap!those bastards over there on the other hand are tighter than 2 coats of paint! :woohoo:

check out my post over there in the carb section about the 17 page carb rebuild post! :sick: :woohoo:
that should get em burning crosses in my front yard! :woohoo:

wireman wrote: check out my post over there in the carb section about the 17 page carb rebuild post! :sick: :woohoo:
that should get em burning crosses in my front yard! :woohoo:

You realize that the 17 page thread is a response to another thread that was probably twice as long in one day where the guy felt like he got screwed on a $100 carb rebuild by another memeber? I know one thing, I ain't rebuilding any carbs for those guys for less than $400 with what they want done. Heck, they didn't even feel like I got that good of a deal on that GS750 for $300. I'll show 'em. I should part the thing out and prove I can double my money by selling it back to them in pieces.

Patton wrote: As probably already known ---

Here's a link to what wg says about repairing the jet blocs:
www.wgcarbs.com/index.php?option=com_con...view&id=30&Itemid=42

Z1E carb info says slide cutaway on Suzy smoothies is 2mm as compared with 1.5mm on Kaw,
and lists the slides:
www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=3472

Z1E also lists several other items for the smoothbore carbs.
www.z1enterprises.com/catalog.aspx?pid=KPCF3

When reassembling, if the the screw (not jet) into bottom of jet block is overly tightened, the jet block gets out of kilter enough for the throttle slides to rub against it.

Good Fortune!

Patton, George goes on to say that he makes a brass insert that gets pressed into the jet block in place of the aluminum threads. This is pretty much exactly what I'm planning on doing. If that doesn't work, then I'll make some billet jet blocks.

As for the slide cutaway, I was a little concerned about that, but this set has the 1.5mm slides.

Thanks for the tip about the jet block screw, I didn't know about that one.

testarossa wrote:

wireman wrote: check out my post over there in the carb section about the 17 page carb rebuild post! :sick: :woohoo:
that should get em burning crosses in my front yard! :woohoo:

You realize that the 17 page thread is a response to another thread that was probably twice as long in one day where the guy felt like he got screwed on a $100 carb rebuild by another memeber? I know one thing, I ain't rebuilding any carbs for those guys for less than $400 with what they want done. Heck, they didn't even feel like I got that good of a deal on that GS750 for $300. I'll show 'em. I should part the thing out and prove I can double my money by selling it back to them in pieces.

yeah i saw the other post last week! :sick:
i could have rebuilt 3 motors and 6 sets of carbs in the amount of time hes wasting,i should rebuild a set of 26s and post it over there to show him what can be done in a couple of hours! :woohoo: