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The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
That looks like the spark plug is too long. Are you sure that one is the same size as the others?

If so the spark plug guides all say that is the result of pre-ignition. I have no idea what causes pre-ignition. Wrong octane fuel?

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The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.

UserNotFound posted:

The only things bullet connectors are good for are holding probes in place :D

Alligator clips are where it's at yo.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
The oil drain bolt is generally on the lowest side of the case when the bike is on it's side stand. I'm pretty sure it's on the other side of the bike from the perspective of those pictures.

My only other guess would be the bolt that is directly below the filter. The one just above the exhaust.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a little out of your way, but well worth the side trip.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
Also, check the clutch lever free play. My transmission has been getting clunky lately and I just realized it was because my cable had stretched a bit.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
What do the spark plugs look like?

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
Also, if the chain is really dirty it may appear to have uneven slack. Before you decide to replace it, clean it and check it again to see if it still has uneven slack.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
My carbed Honda V-Twin cruiser also has a fuel pump.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.

Z3n posted:

Does it say energy conserving in the API bubble? The only concern is with energy conserving oils and wet clutches, besides that for topping off, oil is oil.

ChiTownEddie, see the above quote for oil is oil advice.

Having too much oil is bad, because the motion of the engine parts will cause froth in the oil pan. Then the bubbly oil gets sucked into the oil pump and fouls up the works because there's not enough fluid to maintain pressure. Too much oil is a bad thing.

Also, the method for checking your oil level is:
1. Run the bike till it's warmed up. This ensures that everything has expanded to the normal operational size.
2. Let the bike rest (turn it off) for 3-5 minutes. This ensures that most of the oil has run down into the pan and is resting there.
3. Make the bike level. That is, the seat and handlebars should be parallel to the ground.
4. Check dipstick/fill window to see if the level is within the proper range.

Don't be an idiot like me and try to check the oil with the bike running. A wonderfully fine mist of combustion products and vaporized oil will shoot out of the filler cap into your face.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.

2ndclasscitizen posted:

Anyone know anything about ignition barrels?

Not sure if this is helpful or not, but if your bike has the steering lock combined with the ignition barrel then you might try moving the front wheel around and seeing if that affects anything. If that doesn't work I would try a shot of WD40 in there.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.

The_Raven posted:

I've got a 1980 KZ440A1 (LTD) that I just picked up.

Hi there 80s Kawasaki buddy! My first bike was an 83 EN454, which I think is pretty close to your model.

Do you know if the PO rejetted the carbs to match the new air filters? It sounds like you have a bit of a lean condition. What do your plugs look like?

It could be either too much airflow from the new filter or it could be leaky carb boots. Try a spray test with WD40 to check if the boots are leaking.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
If the battery was completely dead and the bike ran at all then the charging system must be functioning enough to at least generate spark.

The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
The only way I think might work to check it is if you can get it started without the battery in the circuit at all. A steady 5V won't hurt a new battery, but it's likely there's a small short in your old battery that is draining the juice faster than the R/R can supply it. That's why it won't go above 5V.

The big concern with a new battery getting fried would be if the voltage was jumping around a lot above 14V.

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The NonBornKing
Jun 25, 2007
Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds, I took a shot o' cocaine and I shot my woman down.
Yes, it's very easy. At most you might need a pair of pliers and two crescent wrenches.

Also, make sure you aren't trying to shift into first gear while the bike is moving more than 10 mph, that can cause the clicking noise you talked about before. I used to do that before I learned how to engine brake properly.

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