1980 KZ1300 - Bad Day at the Office

Discuss anything about other motorcycles, accessories, riding gear and other motorcycle related topics.

Moderators: Whiskerfish, ascot, Forum Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Mike-C
True Blue Steel Biker
True Blue Steel Biker
Posts: 2805
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:26 pm
Location: North Lancaster, Ontario, Canada

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#751

Post by Mike-C »

Lucien, all the wire connectors are available on E-Bay. Search for '2.8mm Japanese wire terminals' .
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 (un-Terstate)
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)
'96 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 (The Vulcanator)
Mike Coleman
North Lancaster, Ontario
Canada
User avatar
Lucien Harpress
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4077
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#752

Post by Lucien Harpress »

I forget the website, but I've ordered new electrical terminals before. I just haven't felt like waiting for the lead time on shipping, usually, especially if it's something minor like the fuel sender. Still, I really should just get a big box of miscellaneous connectors.

Decided to go to Gilmore, and I'm glad I did. I needed to get out of the house for a bit. No swap meet, but attendance for the show was surprisingly high for all that's going on this year. There were a few clusters of people outdoors, but overall maintaining 6 ft. spacing wasn't too hard.

As far as MY KZ goes, I've got a (metal) fuel filter coming in the mail. In the meantime, I really want to take a look at the idle circuit passages and brass for cylinder 3. EVERY indication is that I've got some kind of clog in the transition ports, or something otherwise messed up. I forget if I replaced the mixture screw, but I have extras.

And finally, for someone wanting a project, somebody in one of my Facebook groups in Connecticut posted a mostly complete KZ1300 project for $1000. I almost snagged it just for the spare 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.
User avatar
Mike-C
True Blue Steel Biker
True Blue Steel Biker
Posts: 2805
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:26 pm
Location: North Lancaster, Ontario, Canada

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#753

Post by Mike-C »

Lucien, I keep that kind of stuff 'in stock' just in case I need them in a hurry.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 (un-Terstate)
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)
'96 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 (The Vulcanator)
Mike Coleman
North Lancaster, Ontario
Canada
User avatar
Lucien Harpress
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4077
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#754

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Yeah, I'll probably buy me a box. Between the fuel sender and the fun with the ignition pickups, I've been having to fix them more than I've expected. Oh well. May as well do these things properly.

Speaking of a 50 page thread, I've went back and noticed some fun things pertaining to how long I've owned this bike. Take, for example, the ignition pickups. Some darn fool replaced one of the pickups, and (and the time) I though soldered and spliced them into the wiring harness. Looking back? Turns out that fool was ME! (the pickup was still replaced by the PO- he'd just used wire nuts).

As for my running issues- I'm going to do some picking. I've already pulled the carbs (again) to confirm the idle transition ports are clear (a known issue- they are), and that I'd replaced the idle mix screw for cylinder 3 (I have). But I've got a theory. I'm curious if I have a header or exhaust leak, enough to explain those pops out of the left muffler. Is it a perfect explanation? No. But I'm running out of ideas. (Really all that's left is "This bike is haunted".)
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
Membership Admin
Membership Admin
Posts: 21724
Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 8:31 am
Location: Decatur, Indiana

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#755

Post by robin1731 »

Here's an off the wall question. Did/do they ever offer aftermarket carbs for this? Like the best carbs for the 900/1000 are the Mikuni 29mm Smoothbores. Anything ever offered for the big 6?

.
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
gltriker
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 5053
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:11 pm
Location: central NY State

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#756

Post by gltriker »

A Question.
Did you perform a cylinder compression test on all 6 cylinders after reassembling the engine

edit
answered my own question

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Spring Update
Report

Quote

#598
Post
by Lucien Harpress » Fri Apr 22, 2016 3:30 pm
Whelp, I managed to get my (post-rebuild) compression test done. The results are in!

(Drum roll, please)

Cylinder 1- 126
Cylinder 2- 124
Cylinder 3- 148
Cylinder 4- 125
Cylinder 5- 125
Cylinder 6- 149

Done. tumb2
Cliff (74yrs ;) )

Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll learn something new, everyday. tumb2

New users please visit our "Shop Talk" for common tips and help: <---jdvorchak
http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/page/ST
^^^^^^^click up here^^^^^ :oldies

RE: a thorough fuel tank cleaning
"And your carbs will thank you. They no longer live down stream from a sewage plant." -gregforesi tumb2
"Can't see the paint when your looking thru the handlebars..........." -Oldewing ;)
"I'd rather Ride than Shine" -RAT tumb2 Me Too!!

Cliff

'75 GL1000 home built trike; http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=39996
October,2017 BOTM :shock: https://nakedgoldwingsclub.com/forum/page/Welcome

previous rides:
1953 H-D Servi-car, naked, 1969-1978 (serial#53G1559 committed to memory!)
1980 CB900 Custom (triked) 1997-2003 .... R.I.P.
User avatar
Lucien Harpress
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4077
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#757

Post by Lucien Harpress »

robin1731 wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:57 pm Here's an off the wall question. Did/do they ever offer aftermarket carbs for this? Like the best carbs for the 900/1000 are the Mikuni 29mm Smoothbores. Anything ever offered for the big 6?

.
Nothing I've ever seen aftermarket. I've seen maybe 1 or 2 custom builds that have run 6 individual carbs, but nothing with any kind of production run, and never for any performance gain. The stock twin barrel carbs have their design quirks, but nothing I've seen to consider them particularly unreliable, or even that finicky.

Just for fun I'll get another full engine compression test done while I've got the carbs off. I have got some decent milage on it since the last test, so I'm curious what the current numbers are.

But I never figured too much compression would be a problem. Sure, 3 is higher than the others, but it's right in the middle of where the compression is supposed to be. If anything, 1,2,4, and 5 are a bit low.
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.
AZNGW Rider
Chrome Member
Chrome Member
Posts: 112
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2020 5:30 am
Location: Arizona

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#758

Post by AZNGW Rider »

Looks like you have the start of a great project. Keep us posted.
1976 Goldwing GL-1000
1998 Royal Star 1300
2001 Honda Shadow Spirit 750
:crosso
Past Bikes
1975 Kawasaki KZ400
1977 Goldwing GL-1000
User avatar
gltriker
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 5053
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:11 pm
Location: central NY State

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#759

Post by gltriker »

AZNGW Rider wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:56 am Looks like you have the start of a great project. Keep us posted.
AZ, this thread started in June, 2014.
51 pages long now. ;)
Cliff (74yrs ;) )

Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll learn something new, everyday. tumb2

New users please visit our "Shop Talk" for common tips and help: <---jdvorchak
http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/page/ST
^^^^^^^click up here^^^^^ :oldies

RE: a thorough fuel tank cleaning
"And your carbs will thank you. They no longer live down stream from a sewage plant." -gregforesi tumb2
"Can't see the paint when your looking thru the handlebars..........." -Oldewing ;)
"I'd rather Ride than Shine" -RAT tumb2 Me Too!!

Cliff

'75 GL1000 home built trike; http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=39996
October,2017 BOTM :shock: https://nakedgoldwingsclub.com/forum/page/Welcome

previous rides:
1953 H-D Servi-car, naked, 1969-1978 (serial#53G1559 committed to memory!)
1980 CB900 Custom (triked) 1997-2003 .... R.I.P.
User avatar
Lucien Harpress
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4077
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#760

Post by Lucien Harpress »

And yet.... technically it IS more project than functional transportation at this point lolol

(I DID find that, for whatever reason, my center carb float setting is both insanely high, and probably leaking. Not sure how it happened, but I've got spare float valves aplenty, so I'll see what that does sometime this week.)
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
desertrefugee
SUPER BIKER!!!!
SUPER BIKER!!!!
Posts: 3947
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:33 pm
Location: Chandler, AZ, USA

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#761

Post by desertrefugee »

Lucien Harpress wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:52 am And yet.... technically it IS more project than functional transportation at this point lolol

(I DID find that, for whatever reason, my center carb float setting is both insanely high, and probably leaking. Not sure how it happened, but I've got spare float valves aplenty, so I'll see what that does sometime this week.)
...just in time to park it for the winter! shakehands
- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
Gowing
True Blue Steel Biker
True Blue Steel Biker
Posts: 2314
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:50 am

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Starting To "Get" It

#762

Post by Gowing »

Every time you add to your kiwi post, it reminds me of the fella I met at a motel in Oregon.
Us in our car and him, polishing his gorgeous, stock shiney Black kz1300 outside his room. He was 500 miles from home and was exploring the local ghost towns. Very impressive to stand next the a we’ll sorted running, reving 1300.

“Speaking of a 50 page thread, I've went back and noticed some fun things pertaining to how long I've owned this bike. Take, for example, the ignition pickups. Some darn fool replaced one of the pickups, and (and the time) I though soldered and spliced them into the wiring harness. Looking back? Turns out that fool was ME! (the pickup was still replaced by the PO- he'd just used wire nuts).”
Dave

1975 GL 1000
1980 XS650
1981 ct110
1972 F7 KAW 175
2000 moby blaze 40cc
Chihuahua (Ellie)
Chihuahua #2(Blaze)
User avatar
Lucien Harpress
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4077
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Spaceballs 2: The Quest for More Tinkering

#763

Post by Lucien Harpress »

In an annoying turn of events, it seems that maybe at one point I had the right idea, but corrected it in the wrong way. Recently I thought my left exhaust pop may have been a header leak, so I went ahead and replaced the gasket on cylinder 3 (my usual problem child). After no change, I realized that I heard a slight ticking sound from the left corner of the engine. In all honesty I'd noticed it before, but it was close enough to "valve train noise" I gave it a pass.

Well, after throwing the carbs back on after replacing an apparently leaking float valve, I decided to have some fun and try the "screwdriver as stethoscope" method, and sure enough, there's a pretty consistent ticking noise coming from the left side of the engine. Very similar to the description of an exhaust leak.

Specifically cylinder...1. :IDTS:

Thankfully I've got all the parts to replace the gasket, and if it DOES eliminate the exhaust pop, everything else is just a straight tuning issue. But looks like I'm prying the radiator off again....
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
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4077
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"- Well, Okay Then...

#764

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Well, I got SOMETHING figured out. Exhibit A: Cylinder 1 header gasket.

Image

If nothing else, I'm sure this explains my persistent (as in, "since I've owned the bike") popping out the left side exhaust, both at throttle and while slowing down.

Will it solve all my problems? Probably not. Will I have to go back in and address this again? Maybe. The chrome on the end of the headers is folded over the edge rim, and this almost looks like gas escaped between the ridges that resulted. I may have to get back in there and dress the header edge a bit if my new gaskets don't "take", but at least I know what to look for.
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
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4077
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Michigan

Re: 1980 KZ1300 "Kiwi"-Bringing Up the Rear

#765

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Seeing things go wrong on this bike is always a bit of a "butt-pucker" moment- how easy is this going to be to fix, and will the parts even be available?

This time? It's the rear shocks. I've neglected this bike a bit because any carb tuning isn't the best idea during cold winter temps, but getting back to it I immediately realized one of my back shocks was leaking. After doing a bit of research I found out they couldn't be rebuilt, replacements aren't common, and aren't in the greatest shape when they're available. And while I've been a bit of a stickler for period authenticity on this one, "functional parts that keep me alive" sort of trumps that. So I snagged a modern set of replacement rear shocks.

For comparison, the old stock shocks:

Image

And the new:

Image

They're a bit smaller around, and missing the chrome bit by the preload setting, but apart from that are remarkably similar. Just bouncing the bike in the garage seemed like they were of comparable stiffness as well, but I won't know exactly how well they function until I can get a ride in.

Speaking of which, I'm still thinking. I need to knuckle down and get this bike figured out. I HAVE to have some kind of mid-range lean condition on the left, for some reason, and I'd love to lock down which cylinder is doing it specifically. I'm leaning toward 3, but I've been wrong before. I have a Colortune (which really helps with setting idle mixes), but didn't realize it could check midrange mixtures as well. So that's something I'd like to look into next.

That being said, I look back at these.... 5 or 6 years? And part of me wonders if this engine/carb combo is just a dud. I'm not pulling the trigger on anything, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't keeping an eye out for affordable engines or parts bikes. I'm getting real tired of throwing stuff at the setup I have with nothing to show for it, and the motor has never felt right.

(shrug) But who knows. We'll see.
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.
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “General Motorcycle Forum”