A friend of mine recently bought a 1978 Kawasaki KZ 400. It is a bike that's been passed around amongst some of my buddies over the past few years, so I'm fairly familiar with it. My friend asked if I'd be willing to help him out with a few issues the bike was having. I reluctantly agreed. I say reluctantly because I am not a mechanic. Do I have a decent knowledge of motorcycles? Yes. Am I mechanically inclined? At least a little. But, I repeat, I am not a mechanic.
First thing was the rear tire needed a new tube. That I could handle! Without issue I removed the rear wheel, pulled out the inner tube and sent my friend to a local motorcycle shop to buy a new one (I couldn't fix the old one as the valve stem was ripped off). He returned with the new tube and we quickly installed it and put the rear wheel back on. Success! I was feeling pretty good about myself, mechanic or not.
Next was the big problem. The engine was running erratically at best. This is where I began to show my inexperience in being a mechanic. I decided to adopt the "fake it til you make it" attitude. An engine needs air, fuel, and spark to run. I began inspecting the components to narrow down the problem.
Air was easy, the air filters were like new, so I eliminated them. Next was fuel, so I disconnected the carburetors, inspected and cleaned them. The bike still barely ran. This pointed toward a spark problem.
After checking the spark plugs, spark plug wires, and ignition coil I moved in to the ignition points. I then pulled the points plate off and discovered that a weight on the timing advancer was broken. I found the problem! I had my friend order a used timing advancer on eBay and we just received it a couple of days ago. If I can install it while keeping the ignition timing relatively close, we should be good to go and my friend will be able to ride. Keep your fingers crossed!
"For the things we have to learn before we do them, we learn by doing them." - Aristotle
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