I've got a Kawasaki KLE 500, a European spec twin trailie. The engine is also used in the EX500/ER500 Ninja (I think). It's only got 6000 miles on the clock although it's 8 years old. I have laid it up for 6 months and have only started it a few times butI went to use it last week and it was real hard to start - usually it starts immediately. It runs roughand barely idles,sounds like it's idlingon one cylinder. I took it for a high speed run hoping it would clear it out but it didn't. The bike runs far more smoothly higher up the rev range where the fault seems to clear, but really lacks power at low revs (as it would running on one)!
I have filled it with fresh fuel and cleaned the plugs but the fault remains. I don't want to just start replacing parts by guessing because of the expense. Has anyone got any ideas? It was running perfectly prior to the lay-up. Thanks!!

 

clean that carb!!!and welcome to KF

 

Yep ^, flush the fuel system, pull and clean the carbs.

 

You may be able to just drain the bowls and get by. Definitely bad fuel in the carbs, though.

 

Thanks for that. I thought it might be electrical but I will pull the carbs this coming week. Our unleaded does seem to goo up quickly. I'm sure the old leaded petrol didn't do this so quick.

 

Maybe just my fond recollection, but I seem to remember back in the 60's and 70's, leaving gas in the farm tractor and mowers and all kinds of stuff, and come Spring, they would all fire right up!! What happened?? Am I dreaming??[sm=sick.gif]

 

sounds like a blocked piolet and blened fules happened

 

94 octane (R+M) will degrade to around an 89 in as little as 4 DAYS!!! pretty sad, huh?

if you're mechanically inclined, take the carbs COMPLETELY apart. just don't separtate the metering blocks/carb bodies from each other (you'll throw off the synchronization)

flip em, take the float bowls off and BLAST them with brakleen or an equivalent. there may be some rust from your tank in there caked up on the bowl bottom. take your floats out keeping them organized with their corresponding carbs, remove te needle, and then remove the seat. there should be a phillips-style panhead screw holding the brass seat assy down in the carb body. theres almost always a domed screen on the other side of the seat. its o-ring sealed, so you can pull it straight out with pliers, clean it with solvent and medium pressure compressed air, and reinstall it without fear of blow-by and leaking.

you'll probably need a 8 mm wrench for the one jet and a 3/16" wide flat screwstick for the other jet. just don't get your parts mixed up! your #2 and #3 cylinders will more than likely be jetted heavier since the inside cylinders run hotter. (my outties on my 7-R are 170, the innies 180)

its an easy job tho if ya take your time and keep organized, and have some good metal playing and booze handy.

i always do a 100% cleaning on any carb i work on.. it just removes it from being a variable in ****ty running! if you don't, then you haven't ruled out if the carb is the culprit the whole way. failing coil packs will act like a fuel starvation problem.

 

hahaha, WH, good to know on the inny's and the outies on your 7. The 9's are also good for that.
This is a KLE 500 that is in need of answers. So the carb cleaning comment that you mentioned relates. Oh, the octane statement was cool and good to know as well. Good info.

 

thank you, sir! i try.... i learned the gas info while working on boats, since they tend to sit for extended periods of time between usage.. gas that looks like applejuice and smells like old brass is great!