i have a 77 KZ 400 thats been sitting for damn near 30 years i have lots of experiance on big gas and diesel engines i figured i'd give a little bike a try now where the hell do i start????

Thanks yall

Zig

 

As you are an experienced mechanic, start with the basics (inspection). Bad connections, cracked rubber components wreck havoc on a ride that has been sitting. If you are serious on the 400, check out the manual as well. good luck with the project and welcome to KF.

 

+1 on the basics

30 years!! wow man. You gotta get us a pic of that oil! lol

Is the engine locked in that thing or does it actually turn over?

Your screen name, are you an ltd guy or BB chevy? Welcome to the forums!

 

i haven't actually started the project yet it's still back in my parents shed under a cover buried in about an inch of dust. i'm a bb chevy guy

 

PICS!!!!!!!!

Start with a good wash, always helps find the problems. Then change all the fluids, flush it good before you try anything. Check connections, make sure everything is properly lubed. Check all the filters, and rebuild the carbs, if it was sitting dry then your gonna have some rot. Plugs and wires should be changed as well, basically anything for a normal tune up. Put in a new battery and cross your fingers. Good luck on the revive, and welcome to KF!

 

well i got it dug out drained refilled and new battery and plugs rubber parts are all in good shape other than the tires got a temporary fuel source set up since i haven't gotten the rust cleaned out of the tank yet kicked it over a couple times and she cough sputtered and took off but now she won't idle so it's time to start tearing into the carbs oh boy the crap in the bucket is the gas that i drained outta the tank and the other identifiable pic is the inside of the tank with all the rust and varnish

 

hahaha, that rust and varnish looks nasty! Sounds like you are progressing. Congrats. As mentioned above from Prom, wipe down the bike and get a good observation basis. (Like that oil/soot residue on the cylinders for example.)
When you pull the carbs for cleaning. You may find that the air boots are hard. Maybe I should say extremely hard and carb placement may be difficult. (if so, I have found it easier to replace the rubber components than to fight getting the carbs back into place with the non- pliable ones). Also verify that the carb boot/holders are not cracked.

 

Man that thing looks great, get those carbs and tank cleaned out, shine her up and she will make a great showpeice.

 

the ducts between the airbox and the carbs are like new, the intake ducts are cracked but still fairly flexable and still seal well and yeah they are next to impossible to find so they'll work i just gotta get the tank cleaned out without screwin up the paint that'll be the fun part.

Thank yall for the encouragement and the advice

 

Milage? ill give a nut for it **** i have two!!!! lol very nice find BTW..