TOPIC:

Anybody know what's up with rebuild kits for '76 KZ400s? I know there was some excitement a while back about KZ400 kits coming out, but I didn't pay much attention & I can't seem to find much in the archives now...

-Kit, ain't sayin' nothin'...

I think the excitement was for the 74-75 KeiHin kits, at Siriusinc. Speaking of which, I should order some for a nice winter project.

Thanks,

George

I think the kits were based on a 76 KZ400 carburetor assembly as memory serves. If you have a different year, you will essentially be making your carburetor a 76 spec carburetor. Jeff at www.z1enterprises.com now carries them. I have used these kits on about half a dozen bikes and they work pretty well.

"Pretty well"? George have you done any test riding and tuning of the bikes withe the rebuildt carbs?

The jets and needles in these kits are for the 1974 carbs. Also a few of the 1975 models had the same carbs, but the only way to identify the racks is by the number printed on them.

And the short story is, these kits don't work very well. Not even in the 1974 carbs. I'm not the only one who has experienced this during tests.

Interesting comment... I have had great feedback from all the owners who have had their carburetors rebuilt using these kits and all have indicated their bikes ran great. Perhaps you didn't clean sufficiently or install the kits properly. Anyway, glad to see you are still around to chime in! Cheers.

Glad your customers are satisfied.

Thanks for reminding me. And thanks for the trust.
I guess I must have put the needles in the wrong way.
On all three carb racks.

It's still funny that they are working pretty well with the stock parts though.

Aww, man! The 2 people whose opinions I trust most for this question disagree!

Will the rubber parts from the kit work for the '76? I suspect a good cleaning will solve a lot of problems...

Will the 2->1 exhaust make a difference?

Can I swap carbs from another year onto this one easily?

Thanks,
-Kit

Well, I suggest you install the kits as they are and give them a try but of course, it is your bike and you need to do what you think is right. As far as jetting, I suggest you try using the kits as they are with only a 2 into 1 pipe addition if you are using the stock air box.

When I rebuild the 400 carbs, I use the float valve and gaskets out of the carb kit and re use the stock jets and needles.
The Keyster carb kits dont fit every model in 1 listing and you will often have to re use jets that are in place before the rebuild.
Daniel