Please Help Me... I'm New Here !!!!

[Newbie_3131]

hello everyone, I bumped into this site looking for info, and I first wanna say, I think its awesome the way you guys share the info back and forth. I just got a 77 KZ650, I'm so new to this I don't even have a license (Got roadtest about 3 weeks) this bike was sitting under a roof in somebody's backyard for God knows how long, amazingly the thing still ran (i think the guy started it once in a while) I brought it home in a trailer, installed a new battery, removed the fairing (didn't dig it) , the saddle bags (fiberglass) for repair, and am working on making the wiring cleaner. (plus the bike overall really needs to be cleaned up) so I have been kind of working on it and at the same time doing my practice driving. My buddy who is more experienced told me right away the rear tire was cracked and needed to be replaced so that was in line but while i did my practice driving i ran out of fuel, i pushed her back got some gas in it. the next day the plan was, run her to the local repair shop to have a new tire put on the rear, when we got to the garage, there was a poddle of fuel under the bike, looks like its coming out the carburators tire now low on air, had a hard time getting her started, the plan: get her to run drive her to get the tire replaced. after she warmed up she cleared up nice, put some air in the tire, a helmet on my head and started going BAD IDEA (but you probably already knew that) almost as soon as I hit highway speed rear tire blew out on me. (kinda scary). tried to get her off the highway at the next ramp. at the top of the ramp i made her stall. she would not restart. battery sounded week. pushed her outta the way and went to get the trailer (again) when we got back, she fired right up, I rode her onto the trailer. shut her off: fuel started leaking (dripping) out of the carbs again (she only does it after I shut her off). what tires do you guys recommend? (no big budget) what sizes (front vs Back)? and why are the carbs leaking? it seems to have started after I added fresh gas. my local kawa dealer said it sounded like the floater suck. maybe take'm apart and clean them? and how much is this thing worth once fixed and cleaned? (it looks like some sort of touring edition if that makes any sense...

[steell]

Kinda going backwards here

No "Touring Edition" for the KZ650, lot's of dealer and aftermarket options though.

If you still have the stock petcock, then it's vacume controlled and needs rebuilding/replaced.

Carb float valves are prone to leak on these bikes, that's why Kawasaki switched to teh vacume controlled petcock.

Many times when the carbs overflow, the gas will end up in the crankcase (at least some of it will), so check the oil for fuel contamination.

[Newbie_3131]

thank you steell, PLEASE FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE, when you say petcock, would you mean the (shut-off) valve mounted on the left side just below the fuel tank? it seems to have 3 positions (1 of them looks like is reserve) i might have moved that the day I ran out of fuel, and I dont remember the bike leaKIng fuel before that, that valve looks like it's leaking on the outside (it's wet). I went this morning to work on the bike, took out the air box (got new filters coming), carbs (wanna take apart perhaps to clean. they were in the way for taking the airbox out anyway), fuel tank, batt box and fenders. I noticed the fuel tank had next to nothing in it, and there was quite a bit of fuel in the drain pan below the bike. I did notice when i first got the bike there was a smell of gas in the oil (i added oil 'cause it was low) i was going to change the oil and filter anyway what do you guys think i should do with this carbs now that i got them out? think I should attempt cleaning? I really don't know that I want to spend a lot of money specially since I don't even know if the is worth much once fixed... thanx

[Newbie_3131]

I will post some pics later so you guys can see what I am working with...

[MFolks]

This website may be of help:KZ650.INFO

[steell]

Ah, I see, you inadvertently turned the petcock to the "prime" position, and the prime position mechanically turns the fuel on all the time. The "On" position does not open until vacume from a running motor opens it .

Prime is used to initially prime the carbs with fuel when needed.

Petcock has 3 positions "Prime", "On", and "Reserve".

I hope this is what you wanted to know.

Edit for more info:

I'd put the carbs back on, put the bike back together, and run carb/injector cleaner through it.
Why do a lot of work that may not be required? I have to much to do to, do things that are not needed.

I buy a lot of parts from Z1 Enterprises, best service and prices that I've found.

[Newbie_3131]

thanks a lot man, I thought for a moment maybe the fresh fuel had done something funky in there. I really appreciate the info. what about the fuel smell in the oil though? I had an old VW that had a fuel press regulator that worked on vacuum, just like you described, it was leaking so it made the car run terrible, fuel eventually contaminated the oil in that car, I smelled gas in the bike's oil before ever touching that petcock, which makes me think the diaphragm inside is probably damaged...

[Newbie_3131]

is there any kind of additive that I can/should put in this oil when I change the oil? I'm going to try to get tires tomorrow... any advice???

[steell]

I don't believe in additives in oil, at least not the kind the consumer adds. The additive package added by the producer is just fine.

Pull the vacume line off the petcock and see if it has/had fuel in it, if so then Z1 Enterprises sells rebuild kits.

[rstnick]

As far as tires go, you'll want something like a 100/90-19 (3.25 x 19) for the front and a 120/90-18 (4.00H 18 ) for the rear.
As far as the oil, no additives.
Change the oil and filter, using a motorcycle specific oil (for a 4 stroke motorcycle). Probably you'll want to change the oil again shortly after you get her running well.

I'd stick with the factory air box and filter (or a K&N filter that fits the box) instead of switching to 4 individual filters which will require jet changes in the carbs.

Do get some pictures up so that we know what your dealing with.
As far as value, that depends on the condition of the bike. I have seen some goe as high as $2000 or more in great shape.

[Newbie_3131]

????? you mean I Have to change the carbs just because I change the filter type??? all you want is for the air to be filtered before it goes into the carbs right??? again forgive my ignorance, I am a diesel mechanic and don't deal with gas too much, but i would think as long as the air is being filtered and enough is being provided we should be ok, no??? i bought the other filter kit because the original is all eaten away, I presume from the gasoline getting sucked in through the vacuum line, and the boots are busted, the coil clamps are missing, so I figured it would be probably cheaper and more productive to take the box out all together, so I ordered the filters... as i said. i am new, so forgive my ignorance, using these filters makes sense from where I stand, please educate me...

[Newbie_3131]

whst do you mean "motorcycle specific" do you mean I cannot buy oil at the auto parts store as long as its the same grade (10w-40). i was thinking of using reg for a couple miles, then dumping that to get rid of contamination then changing to synthetic 10w-40... please advise

[StarGate]

Removing the factory airbox and installing pod filters will increase the air flow (volume of air) significantly. When you increase the air volume, you have to increase the fuel volume to keep the proper mixture ratio. For small changes you could just adjust the mixture screw but what you are doing is more than can be accomplished with the mixture adjustment so you will need new/larger jets installed in the carbs. Now you can't go get just any "larger jets" because you will have to find ones the right size to balance the mixture again. I hope that clears it up a little.

Oil, there are lots of debates on it (bike specific/automotive/etc) but what it all boils down to is this. Because the clutch is saturated with the same oil that is in the crankcase, and a lot of automotive oils have additives (friction modifiers), a lot of oils will cause the "wet clutch" to slip. There are a few that seem to work fine but it's simpler to just stick with bike specific oil that was designed for wet clutches. I have been, and continue to use Castrol GTX in mine for many years without any problems. Others I know use Rotella, the same stuff used in a lot of diesel engines.

[elr658]

Join KZ650.info

Several of us are on both forums.

Use Rotella T 15w40 oil. Change it NOW. You have gas in your oil. Diluted oil will grind your motor to JUNK.

[Newbie_3131]

well thanks guys for all the info.. this definitely clears stuff up for me... see, I am used electronically controlled diesel engines where a turbo boost sensor will see the extra boost (generated by intake improvement) and then compensate on the injectors' side by keeping the solenoids activated longer (therefore injecting more fuel into the cylinder) this whole carb deal is kind of new to me (or old if you will) but what you guys are saying makes absolute sense... as for the oil, don't worry, the engine is not running, carbs are taken out, bike is half stripped apart, filters and oil are ordered.

[Newbie_3131]

this is what i started with...

[Newbie_3131]

then I went to this... I didn't dig all those accessories, the saddle bags might go back on after done

[Newbie_3131]

this is where I am now... I now I might be in over my head, but with the right info I think I can do this...

[Newbie_3131]

now... let me ask you guys what you think about this: I am going to re-jet the injectors given I've already purchased the high performance filters and the cabs are taken out, as part of the deal, I intend to remove the baffle from the exhaust to remove even more restriction from the airflow. I said this to the guy at the bike shop he recommended the following: main jet go from 102.5 to 110, pilot jet go from 15 to 17.5 he said given what I was doing, it was recommended i went up 2 steps on the main, and 1 step on the pilot, how do these number look to you guys?

[steell]

I believe you mean re-jet the "carbs"

You'd be lost in my shop, I spent the day working on a 3406B

Not a clue on the carb jetting, I dislike carbs so much I'm converting my 750 twin to EFI this winter.