Bobber kz650

Hello all, have a problem with my project it's a 1982 kz650 with the mikuni CV bs32's on it... I can't get the bike to fire unless I spray starter fluid into it. When I do it fires high revs then dies... Occasionally it will start without the fluid (1 to 3 times) but same thing high rev then dies, after which it needs starting fluid again.. any ideas? Thanks!

Troubleshooting this sort of problem isn't in my forte. When I decided to get my bike running after it sat unused for many years, what I did was to check & set everything as per the factory service manual. Check one thing, double-check my work, then move on to the next. I made a Word file w notes to keep track of everything. Fuel tank. petcock. fuel/vac lines. airbox. air filter. airbox ducts. carburetors >> several items. carb holders. spark plugs. spark plug wires. ignition coils. timing advancer. new battery. Then see if it would start.
It started, but was intermittently firing on #1 & #2 >>> the problem was the spark plug wire connections.
Later I installed new green Dyna coils & plug wire set.

My bike is the 81 KZ650-CSR which is pretty much the same model as yours except for the carburetors. Your carbs should be easier to work on than VM24s.

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What has been done since the last time it ran properly?
Air filter box removed?
Exhaust system chopped?
Sparkplugs replaced? Plug wires?
Wiring or other electrics messed with?
If it has not run properly since you have bought it, then the list of possible causes gets much longer. Martin's suggestion to perform all of the routine maintenance is a good one. By doing that, you will have eliminated many possible suspects, and might even discover the problem in the process.

Ok so, when I first got the bike I didn't run, I took apart the carbs and the Jets were all clogged and rusted, I took them apart completely cleaned the carbs and changed the Jets also went bigger because the bike is in a bobber frame and the original airbox won't fit so it's running pods. So at that time I would spray starting fluid in it and it would start and keep running. Took the bike to a shop were it basically sat unworked on for a year til I got it back. When I got it back I bought a new battery cleaned and checked the carbs installed new dynatek coils and wires and ignition to get rid of the whole igniter and points system. Also installed new pods to make sure they were free flowing. So mostly new parts, and again it'll fire high rev then die... Oh and the exhaust is original I believe 2 into one on both sides but it's chopped right before where the muffler would be on both sides.

You will not be able to get it to run correctly due to the hacked exhaust and the pod filters. Get a set of VM24 carbs those you will be able to tune with your setup. Or you can waste a lot of time and $$$ trying to get the BS cabs to work.

Ok, how would I go about making those into a set? Because I only seen them sold individually and not as a set of 4

10 seconds on ebay I found over 100 kz650 vm24 carbs.

Some sellers don't know that they're VM24 carbs, so search for KZ650 carburetors.
You'll also need the carb holders from a 1981 or earlier model; the 81 650 probably has the same cylinder head. not sure about the earlier 650s.

Just so you'll know, VM24 carbs have some variation from year to year, but they all fit the carb holders the same.
From about 1978-on the VM24s have an accelerator pump, distinguishable by the extra stuff on the #2 float bowl.
The early sets don't have the AP & some of the [strike] 77 [/strike] .78 650s actually had VM22 carburetors.
I have an 81 KZ650-CSR with stock VM24 accel pump carbs; the 81 csr is virtually identical to the 82 except for the carburetors.

...Here's a set from about 1979.

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martin_csr wrote: ..........The early sets don't have the AP & some of the early 77 650s actually had VM22 carburetors.

I've never heard of any 1977 KZ650 having 22mm carbs, and the manuals all show 24mm carbs on the 1977 KZ650 models. The 1978 KZ650B2A and D1A models did have 22mm carbs. The 22mm carbs are easy to identify as they have an extra orifice in the throat at the 10:00 position (see image below). Ed

Okay, thanks. I'm mistaken about the year, then.





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So these would be a vm24?

Also would I need boots with the nipples like these?
So thanks for the help guys!