(KZ starter) I told him to buy an XJ...

... but he didn't listen.

Now his KZ won't start.

So the starter turns over the engine but it won't get the bike going. The bike kicks to life after about 30 tries. She runs fine and drives nicely.

Then we kill the engine and hit the starter. It turns over fine but it won't start. One kick and she starts right up.

Any ideas?

Thanks for your time all,

Apato

 

It's easier and less expensive to just replace:

Plugs, Points and Condensors before you advance to other Troubleshooting and Tuning.

 

Thank you Rick. Yes, he has done plugs and points. He's ordered a new ignition. The bike runs fine when you kick it and won't start with the starter. Strange, no?

 

If he has the wrong starter, it could be turning the motor in the wrong direction causing the motor not to fire.

 

pretty sure i have a kz550A starter in the garage, a good one

 

Go over to the KZ Site.

Review the Posts on setting the Timing.
An Old Trick for gapping the Points was to use the corner of a Playing Card.

You need a Test Light to see when the Points are Opening as you adjust Timing.
Once you get BOTH Sets of Points Opening right, ... The Plate that the Points are mounted on can be set to regulate Advance.

You can advance that Spark enough to make the Kick Starter kick back.
You got it too far Advanced when the first kick breaks windows and the second kick breaks your leg.

 

TCI in the 550A

 

Apoto, are you sure the engine is spinning the whole time the starter is engaged? I had a buddy years back that received a KZ750 (darn nice bike too) from his cousin because it wouldn't start either. Turned out that the starter clutch (just like our XJs) was shot. On the KZ, the clutch was easily removed without pulling the engine and three ball-point-pen springs later (with a healthy layer of permatex on the cover), the bike roared to life. True story.

 

Starter drawing too much current from the battery to let it power both the starter and ignition? Check out the battery and charging circuit to see if the battery is holding a charge and the charging system is operating properly. If they are good, the starter may be drawing too many amps and needs to be rebuilt (or replaced).

 

So he did a bunch of wiring work, including the following procedure.

http://www.wgcarbs.com/index.php?option ... &Itemid=26

She starts up with a push of a button and runs better too.

Thanks all. Anyone know a good KZ site that I can recommend?

Also, I've got a new electrical problem posted here:

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... tml#204726

Thanks for taking a gander.

 

http://kzrider.com/