TOPIC:

Bike: 1982 kz 440 LTD(Belt Drive)

Ok, so my problem is that i just got this bike. the first time i tried to ride it home it died, and only one pipe was hot, so i was thinking it may be a spark plug. The guy that i bought it from replaced them and it got home. But now every say 20 minutes it will die, and wont start up for about 15 minutes. There is some smoke coming out of the left bottom of the bike when it dies, but i'm not sure what it could be. Someone told me it might be electrical so i'm posting it here, but any suggestions on what i should check?(I do have a voltmeter and a father who is pretty good with this stuff)

also if you have any suggestions on how i can take care of this bike the best it would be great. Thanks!

Get another plug and put it on the wire and against the engine and look for a nice big juicy spark when running or you can get one of those little gizmo's that you pit in line that will flash the spark. They are about 10 bucks www.pressureparts.com/Pressure-Part-091126.aspx
If you have spark, it's the carb. If no spark is apparent then I suggest cleaning and inspecting all electrical connections before moving on.

Next time the bike dies try opening the fuel fill.

KZCSI

I don't think its the spark plug. The guy put in brand new ones, and both pipes are hot now, so they are both firing.

Did you try opening the fuel tank cap like KZCSI suggested? It could be a clogged vent in the cap creating a vacuum on the tank and not letting fuel flow to the carbs.

after it kills there is no spark. it has voltage to the coil, and after 10-15 minutes it starts back up. would it be the electronic ignition or the coil? It has gas, no spark.

Wonder if the coil is breaking down when it gets hot?

Bluemeanie wrote:

Wonder if the coil is breaking down when it gets hot?

That's exactly what mine did when it was getting flaky. They start to break down the high voltage insulation and they always get worse as they warm up.

BTW:

would it be the electronic ignition or the coil?

Did your bike come with electronic ignition, or is it an add on? I also put an electronic ignition on my '79 KZ750. They are great, but they do subject the stock coil to more voltage than the stock ignition setup did. Mine eventually killed the stock coil over about 40k miles. I put in another and am still on the second coil.

Thanks guys your awesome. i'll order one tommorow and see what they say. the coil is cheaper than the ignition, so thats a good place to start anyways.

Alright i got a new question. the guy at the shop said it was most likely the generator/regulator(part #21003-1009) and that that was exactly what it would do if that was bad. is this the right part i'm looking at? the problem with this is that it is 300$+ and i only paid 350 for the bike...

the part comes up as "STATOR.ASSY,GENERATER"

if they are the stock coils i would try a good known working one or (new ones) first before i replaced the stator. thats just me!
check out www.z1enterprises.com/default.aspx
they might have a good cheap set of coils for your bike!

i dont rely on "the shop" cause they just throw new parts at the problems.

i know someone will chim in here and give some good advice on how to determin your coil/electrical problem

also seach for the filebase for tips on your new ride

Oh goodness, the person who sold me it told me it was an 82, its an 81. blegh, hope that doesn't change anything.

EDIT:
We tried a working coil and it did the same thing. Looks like i'm giving it back to the guy. maybe next i will fix up my dad's old 81 kz1000. thanks for all your help guys, this is the place i will come with anything for bikes.