1980 KZ1300 - Bad Day at the Office

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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Some Fall Freshening Up

#706

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Been doing something looking, and unless the weather has some surprises up here in Michigan, a long ride is looking a bit sketchy.

I don't want to take this thing out without sorting the rear master. The lid seal is trash, and it's a total pain to get at to repaint, so I don't want to risk a ride to make things worse (because I have before).

As far as carb performance after a cleaning- it's bettER, but not perfect. Now, because I do have some time before various parts from Germany show up, I've done the next best thing and ran a can of Seafoam through the carbs via the IV tank I've got hooked up for testing. It's not as good as a good flogging down the freeway, but I'm not putting Seafoam in the actual gas tank- it's got enough internal rust and crap to scare me, and I learned my lesson with adding Seafoam to a rusty tank with my XS1100. I'll run the whole can through via the Aux. tank before putting everything back together and getting an actual long ride in.

But if a cleanout and a run out doesn't solve my third cylinder problem, it's to the point where it's time to replace the carb body. The brass is all new, the float setting is correct, and compression is better on that cylinder than any other. Heck, something might just be worn out. There's honestly not much left to do with the carbs I have.

(Oh and I DO still need to re-bleed the front brakes when I get a minute.)
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Some Fall Freshening Up

#707

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Didn't get that end of the year ride, but I'm narrowing down my issues. Mainly, I'm doing all I can to completely clear our the central carburetor without breaking the banks apart.

I did some decent cleaning of the air cutoff circuits (all bored into the carb bodies, unlike older Goldwings), and I'm pretty sure that area is my issue. Unfortunately, I found this out because my minor engine miss moved from cylinder 3 to cylinder 4.

Still, no worries. The biggest issue right now is finding a way to block off all passages fed by the idle air passages and the air cutoff valve except for one, so that a suitable application of carb cleaner and compressed air will blow out the offending crud, rather than shunt it to someplace else in the carb.

I'm really, really, REALLY close. With any luck next year will be nothing but ride reports.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#708

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Image

THAT wasn't there before....

(And yes, that does feed the cylinder that's been giving me issues...)
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#709

Post by Lucien Harpress »

In all seriousness, swapping this out shouldn't be a big deal. When I rebuilt the motor I took the opportunity to upgrade the coils as well, and because most of these were sold in sets of two (and this bike uses three), I've got a spare on the shelf.

But while I'm at it I took the opportunity to order a valve cover gasket and will take another stab at getting the camshaft hole plugs on each end of the block to seal up. I've got a slow weep from all four corners whenever I run it for any length of time, and since you have to remove the coils to get the valve cover off anyway, now's the perfect time to do it.

After that, though, I feel no reason not to run the snot out of it.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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robin1731
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#710

Post by robin1731 »

New cam plugs might work better if you haven't already put them in. And a bit of three bond/Kawbond/Yamabond/Hondabond will help too.

.
1976 Goldwing Super Sport
1985 Honda Elite
1976 KZ900 Dragbike
1992 ZX7 Dragbike (KZ900 style motor w/NOS)
and a rotation of various purchases
Randakk approved Carb Rebuilder
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#711

Post by Lucien Harpress »

We've upgraded from "Hmmmm" to "Oh, buddy....."

Image
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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5speed
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#712

Post by 5speed »

Lucien Harpress wrote:We've upgraded from "Hmmmm" to "Oh, buddy....."

https://i.imgur.com/tkfSBLj.jpg
:shock: that would definitely cause a hitch in your get along
1982 1100 standard. (sold)
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
2000 Yamaha Roadstar
1976 GoldWing. running but not on the road
1978 Goldwing. future cafe project.
2019 Can-Am ryker (boss's new ride)

2002 Shadow American Classic(sold)
1983 Shadow 500. (sold)
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#713

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Yeah, the crack was up top, and virtually invisible without removing the coil. All the hardware has been moved to a replacement coil, and just needs to be slotted in. Honestly it's a miracle it worked as well as it did.

I did get the valve cover off (20 bolts later), and replacing the cam plugs will be a must. The Yamabond sealer I used when I installed them last makes them impossible to re-use, so I've got another set coming. Once they arrive, I think I'm only going to run sealer along the bottom side this time, and clamp them into place by installing the valve cover without a gasket and letting it set for a night or two. A simple job once I get all the parts.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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desertrefugee
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#714

Post by desertrefugee »

Lol. There are a boat load of bolts on that valve cover, huh? Looking forward to hearing some War Stories from you on the big Kawasaki this season. You deserve to get some seat time on that monster.
- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#715

Post by Lucien Harpress »

New coil is in, and about a half-hour ride done. Results were.... strange.

It started off running at a noticeable improvement- quick start, easy revs, no discernible funkiness, heck, even some of the 3-4K rpm vibrations got a little better. But as the ride went on, problems started cropping up again, until it was running worse at lower revs than before, stumbling quite badly any time I had to stop for any amount of time.

Might be the settings are a bit rich for those two pots. I'll do some fiddling and get back with you.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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robin1731
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#716

Post by robin1731 »

Isn't it fun???!!! lolol shakehands anim-cheers1 dancr :crosso lolol

.
1976 Goldwing Super Sport
1985 Honda Elite
1976 KZ900 Dragbike
1992 ZX7 Dragbike (KZ900 style motor w/NOS)
and a rotation of various purchases
Randakk approved Carb Rebuilder
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#717

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Oh, so much.

I honestly have no clue what this bike looks like with the tank on.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
User avatar
robin1731
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Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#718

Post by robin1731 »

Lucien Harpress wrote:Oh, so much.

I honestly have no clue what this bike looks like with the tank on.
Hey it did make it to my house and back home. Once at least.

.
1976 Goldwing Super Sport
1985 Honda Elite
1976 KZ900 Dragbike
1992 ZX7 Dragbike (KZ900 style motor w/NOS)
and a rotation of various purchases
Randakk approved Carb Rebuilder
User avatar
Lucien Harpress
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Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#719

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Something about this situation smelled electrical to me (not like BURNT electrical- I'm not that bad yet), so much to my displeasure I was forced to whip out the multimeter.

Thankfully, the ignition system is a transistorized electronic one, with only a couple parts to check. In order of "cost to repair":

--Ignition Coils (Cheap, and just replaced)
--Pickup Coils (Moderately expensive, if you can find them)
--CDI Box (Trade your first born child)

Obviously the ignition coil was good. Next up was the pickup coils- I leant towards the issue being here, because for a brief moment yesterday it ran BEAUTIFULLY before heating up. After a quick colortune check to confirm my mixtures settings (and because it gave me an excuse to heat the motor up), I popped off the pickup coils to check the resistance of each. 1+6 were good, as were 2+5. 3+4?

Infinite resistance.

I'm curious to retest when the bike is cold to see if this changes, but I'm honestly surprised this pickup coil worked at all. And sure enough, more evidence of PO repairs.

But anyhoo, now I have to decide what to do. The cheapest option for a full replacement plate is a $150 eBay option from Australia. z1300.de had the individual pickups for 96 Euros, plus shipping from Germany. BUT I'm curious how many other Kawasakis from the era used identical pickups- I've seen some that look identical, but have no clue if they match up electrically. Looks like we're off to do some research.

EDIT: Or, rather than do any of that, I could just grab the spare pickup plate I got with my other engine that I forgot I had from several years ago. That works too.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
User avatar
Lucien Harpress
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Posts: 4077
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Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Hmmmm....

#720

Post by Lucien Harpress »

So.... small update before the big one (with pictures).

I have no clue how this bike ran at all.

Peeling back the fabric wire sheathing, I found more evidence of PO shenanigans. The single pickup (from a different Kawasaki model) that was replaced was soldered to the correct (for the KZ1300) color wires farther down the wiring loom. Until you're about 2 inches from the plug connector, in which case both wires were heat shrunk AGAIN, to themselves. I decide to do some insulator surgery, and dig in.

The one green wire isn't bad- soldered together, a little ugly, but solid. I cut open the other splice (this one RIGHT on the plug)- and sure enough, this is soldered too.

Or it was.

There's a break of about 2 inches inside this insulation and heat shrink with zero wires whatsoever.

Now, I'm fuzzy enough on the operation of this type of ignition to not know why each pickup has two wires, but for as long as I've owned this bike, I've only been running on one of them.

I..... genuinely don't know. :IDTS:
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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