!PROJECT! KZ650 Cafe racer

[anakinkenobe]

Yes i am curious too before i invest in an IC Igniter ...

[zeiss150]

I came home from work today and I checked my battery and it was 9.96 volts. So I'll try charging it for 5 or 6 hours tomorrow before I try starting it again. I have to get this bike running again, so either way I'll figure it out. I don't think kicking the bike over would cause that much of a drain on the battery so maybe I hooked it up to something that is causing a slow drain on the battery. I'll update more tomorrow.

Matt-

[anakinkenobe]

Question i have havent done the wired george mod where can i plug my ground and power wire into ? I received my IC today..

[zeiss150]

I would think that you can put the power to any power wire and any ground wire that you can find. I suggest the starter solenoid for power and the main frame ground. Let me know how it works for you. I still need to go get a new battery... mine is a goner.

I hope thats all that's wrong with mine.

Matt-

[anakinkenobe]

ok, ill hook it up quick tomorrow morning, err early lol

[blazer8689]

sorry but this might be a little off subject.... but im curious matt,
how is your headlight mounted straight? I have the same ears from the fork like you but mine tends to droop down, I had to replace the metal/plastic inner washers that i figured has grooves to keep the bucket from moving up and down,
I put regular washers thinking that i just need to tightin it down to keep it from drooping, Any ideas?

[anakinkenobe]

Can you take some more pics of how you have your wires spliced for the IC, i did mine today but it seems like im not getting any power to the IC so i wanna see if my splice looks the same.. It will crank over but its like its not getting any spark, i pulled the cover off and didnt see it sparking at all from the ignition so i dunno whats going on.
Thanks
Jason

[zeiss150]

I think my IC ignitor sucks. I check the resistance that the Haynes book says and it didn't come out right.

So I decided to put the points back on and guess what... I can't get that to run right either. DAMN IT!

I set the static timing just like the books says. I turned the crank until 1-4 point was as wide open as it can go then I set the gap to 14 thousandths. then I did the same thing for 2-3. It runs rough but it runs. I don't know what the hell is going on.

Does any one have a sure fire way to set static timing on this bike?

Any help would be awesome!
Thanks, Matt-

[Mike900]

Sounds like you set the gap but not the timing. Now you need to get the points to open/close with the "F" mark. You can either wire in a 12 volt light bulb or use a multimeter.

[zeiss150]

I have a multimeter and I have a 12volt light bulb. but I don't know how to set the timing. Do I use the continuity on my mutimeter? and were do I put the leads. then, do I just turn the points plate? I'm confused. grrrrrrrrr.

Matt-

[zoro]

Originally Posted by zeiss150

I think my IC ignitor sucks. I check the resistance that the Haynes book says and it didn't come out right.

So I decided to put the points back on and guess what... I can't get that to run right either. DAMN IT!

I set the static timing just like the books says. I turned the crank until 1-4 point was as wide open as it can go then I set the gap to 14 thousandths. then I did the same thing for 2-3. It runs rough but it runs. I don't know what the hell is going on.

Does any one have a sure fire way to set static timing on this bike?

Any help would be awesome!
Thanks, Matt-

Hi Matt, Ive been sitting here for more than two hours mesmerized by your thread on the Cafe build! You have done an amazing job! I really like the way you made that seat because its uniquely "Cafe" style, yet maintains that beautiful Kawi look,AWESOME! It almost looks like a "custom" Z1-900 seat,TOO COOL! Your tank is from a 79-80 KZ1000ST, as is the tail section. Ill get into my Kawasaki shop manual tomorrow and give you the electrical component test procedures as layed out by Kawi, they're way more detailed than Clem or Haynes. This thread and your build is better than watching "Orange County Choppers"! GOOD JOB! WOW!

[Mike900]

You can use the continuity checker on the multimeter but you may have to either disconnect the wires form the points or unplug the wire that goes from the points to the coils. Do which ever is easiest. Now connect one of the meter leads to ground & the other to the spring side of the points.

Rotate the crank until the "F" mark lines up. Now rotate the point backing plate until the meter either beeps or stops beeping - this depends on which way the backing plate needs to rotated. This should get you very close but double check it by rotating the crank & make sure it beeps (or stops beeping?) when the "F" mark is lined up.

Once the first set of points are set then you need to check the other set but adjust it by rotating the points instead of the backing plate.

[zeiss150]

Thanks Mike, I'll give that a shot in the morning. I was having a problem using the continuity because no matter whether the points were open or closed the meter would beep. So if i disconnect the points then I should be able to get a actual continuity of the points?

The circuit should be open (NOT making the beeping sound) when its on the "F" correct? The idea is that if there is a gap between the points it will fire the coil.

Ideally, the gap should be just at the point were the meter doesn't beep... 1 ten thousandth of and inch to the left (or right) and it beeps is just the right size of a gap.

I'll try it tomorrow morning and let you guys know how it go's.

Thanks Mike!

Matt-

[zeiss150]

Zoro you're very kind. Thanks for the kind words. I have spent a lot of time working on this bike. I love taking things that others have thrown away and turn them into something that everyone wants.

I think the old kawasakies are awesome. The only thing that could make them better is more parts availability.

I'm pretty bummed my electronic ignition mod didn't work. I'll have to figure it at a later date.

Thanks again Zoro and please let me know if you have any questions.

Matt-

[Mike900]

I thought it might beep constanty if the coils are connected. The condensers may also make that happen so I would just disconnect the wiring at the points.

The most accurate (also easiest) way to set the timing is with a timing light. I have an old Sears Penske timing light that's 30+ years old that still works. I just checked our local Craigslist & there's one for sale for $15. There's plenty of them on Ebay for less than $25 but I'd rather find one local & make sure it works.

[zeiss150]

I have a timing light. I should have just used that instead of messing around with the multimeter. At any rate... Something is up with my timing. I got it running but its rough. I've got spark to all 4 cylinders for sure but for some reason if I pull the plug wire off #4 the engine doesn't even stumble? If I pull the wire off #1 the engine will die.

I tried moving the timing all the way to the left (advanced) and all the way to the right (retard) and it didn't make much of a difference other than the more retarded it was I would get back firing with throttle.

It would only idle at 1200 and it wasn't smooth at all and the timing light was showing the timing as showing up between the "F" and the 1:4. At 3k rpm the timing was at the ll mark.

I know I'm getting huge spark because when I pulled the plug wires of the spark jumped about 1 inch to the case... so the accel coils are sparking like crazy.

So ... any suggestions would be great! What the heck is wrong with my motorcycle?

Thanks, Matt-

[Mike900]

Could you have a bad spark plug in #4?

[zeiss150]

Hey mike. No its not a bad plug... I check that. I bought brand new auto light plugs (I know, they're not ngk but that's all they had) I pulled the plug and laid it on the case and sure enough I had spark on all 4 plugs. Maybe I'll put my old ngk plugs back in. I don't know .... I'm lost.

Matt-

[Mike900]

It's possible for a plug to spark outside the cylinder but not inside under compression with the fuel/air mixture. I'd try another plug or switch 1 & 4. If you still get the same results when pulling #4 wire then you may have a carb problem.

[blazer8689]

Originally Posted by zeiss150

Hey mike. No its not a bad plug... I check that. I bought brand new auto light plugs (I know, they're not ngk but that's all they had) I pulled the plug and laid it on the case and sure enough I had spark on all 4 plugs. Maybe I'll put my old ngk plugs back in. I don't know .... I'm lost.

Matt-

Hey matt sorry for jumping on your thread but I pm'd you about some turn signal questions, Thanks Again!