Looks like Ive got some work ahead of me.... (Post Kat)

[green_bread]

Well, going through some routine maintenance the other day, I came across quite a few "points of interest" and pretty much determined why I was able to buy my bike for $1000... haha.

I have several years of mechanical experience but this is my first carb'd vehicle, so any assistance/input is definitely appreciated.

So, on to the fun stuff.

First off, the oil drain plug is rounded off so I get to deal with that. Not a big deal as Ive dealt with this many times before. The only thing that makes it a little more of a pain is the "ridge" that goes around about 1/3 of the plug which makes it pretty much impossible to get vice grips on the couple edges that I could grab. Looks like Ill be doing a little work with a dremel to try to flatten off a couple edges of the plug so i can grab them.

Here is where I will start to need some help:

When I go to start my bike, if I give it full choke, it immediately shoots up to about 4K RPMs. I can adjust it to about 1/2 choke and get it to come down around 3k RPMs but even that is too high according to the owners manual (should be around 2k-2.5k). Is this maybe to do with the choke cable being too tight? Routed improperly?

The next thing is that the idle is extremely low. Im talking like 500-800 RPM after being warmed up (should be about 1.2k). The previous owner had obviously tried to adjust it because the idle screw is turned all the way out and yet the bike still idles that low? Any suggestions to fix that? Could it have been turned with the bike off or not warmed up properly?

They had a Scorpion slip on installed on the bike but its all dented from the PO laying it over. I asked if they rejetted the carbs or did any A/F work on it and I was told that they hadnt (but who knows if I can trust that, anyway). I bought an OEM muffler/tail pipe which should be here tomorrow. I will be installing that as soon as it shows up.

Also, with the current muffler, I get a lot of "popping" on decel, which IIRC means I am running pretty lean, right?

I havent put too many miles on it because I didnt know what all had been done with it previously and wanted to get the oil changed, etc, myself before going out and hammering on it.

Thanks again, everyone! Hope someone has some words of wisdom for me other than "SEARCH", which Ive done... a lot!

[05RedKat600]

Well, going through some routine maintenance the other day, I came across quite a few "points of interest" and pretty much determined why I was able to buy my bike for $1000... haha.

I have several years of mechanical experience but this is my first carb'd vehicle, so any assistance/input is definitely appreciated.

So, on to the fun stuff.

First off, the oil drain plug is rounded off so I get to deal with that. Not a big deal as Ive dealt with this many times before. The only thing that makes it a little more of a pain is the "ridge" that goes around about 1/3 of the plug which makes it pretty much impossible to get vice grips on the couple edges that I could grab. Looks like Ill be doing a little work with a dremel to try to flatten off a couple edges of the plug so i can grab them.

Here is where I will start to need some help:

When I go to start my bike, if I give it full choke, it immediately shoots up to about 4K RPMs. I can adjust it to about 1/2 choke and get it to come down around 3k RPMs but even that is too high according to the owners manual (should be around 2k-2.5k). Is this maybe to do with the choke cable being too tight? Routed improperly?

The next thing is that the idle is extremely low. Im talking like 500-800 RPM after being warmed up (should be about 1.2k). The previous owner had obviously tried to adjust it because the idle screw is turned all the way out and yet the bike still idles that low? Any suggestions to fix that? Could it have been turned with the bike off or not warmed up properly?

They had a Scorpion slip on installed on the bike but its all dented from the PO laying it over. I asked if they rejetted the carbs or did any A/F work on it and I was told that they hadnt (but who knows if I can trust that, anyway). I bought an OEM muffler/tail pipe which should be here tomorrow. I will be installing that as soon as it shows up.

Also, with the current muffler, I get a lot of "popping" on decel, which IIRC means I am running pretty lean, right?

I havent put too many miles on it because I didnt know what all had been done with it previously and wanted to get the oil changed, etc, myself before going out and hammering on it.

Thanks again, everyone! Hope someone has some words of wisdom for me other than "SEARCH", which Ive done... a lot!

The choke issue isn't an issue, that's normal for the most part. Need to adjust the choke as it warms up and keep it around 2500 RPM's.

Turn the idle screw IN? That would be clockwise. See if the idle goes up. Should be about 1200 RPM.

[green_bread]

The choke issue isn't an issue, that's normal for the most part. Need to adjust the choke as it warms up and keep it around 2500 RPM's.

I cant adjust the choke down to 2.5k RPM, though. 3k is as low as I can get it to go. If I just "nudge" it a little more past that, its like the choke is off and goes back down to about ~500-800 RPM and dies if its not warm. There is a short "range" right in the middle of the lever throw where I can get it to sit around 3k but anything past that towards the "off" position makes the RPMs drop completely. I can get a video of this when I get home tonight, if needed... maybe Im just not explaining it correctly.

Turn the idle screw IN? That would be clockwise. See if the idle goes up. Should be about 1200 RPM.

Thats what I tried to do, actually. Its turned as far clockwise as it will go. If I turn it counterclockwise the idle drops even lower. Sorry if I was wrong by saying "turning it out".

Thanks for such a quick reply! I really appreciate it!

[05RedKat600]

Ah, dirty carbs. Time to pull, disassemble, dip, rebuild with new parts. The other thing you can do is check for vacuum leaks, although if you bought it for 1K I'd imagine it sat while. Sitting means dirty carbs.

[djdaredevil]

Here you go man, http://katriders.com/wiki/images/8/8f/Carbs102a.pdf
Welcome to the world of carbs read that than read it 2 more times
than follow it very closely as you clean and dip your carbs

[green_bread]

Ah, dirty carbs. Time to pull, disassemble, dip, rebuild with new parts. The other thing you can do is check for vacuum leaks, although if you bought it for 1K I'd imagine it sat while. Sitting means dirty carbs.

Thats what I was thinking, as well. The PO did say that it sat for a year while he was deployed but he said that they took it to their mechanic and had him clean the gas tank, carbs, etc. I know the gas tank is nice and clean cause I can easily look down inside of it but I do doubt the cleanliness of the carbs. Just wanted to run these issues by a couple people who had experience with these bikes to make sure I wasnt looking at a more serious issue. I do have the good fortune of working with a guy who owned a Pre Kat and he says he can remove/install the carbs and clean them in his sleep. Plus he has a CarbTune so I dont have to shell out the dough for one, which is nice. Should I go ahead and pick up the pilot adjuster screwdriver, as well?

Here you go man, http://katriders.com/wiki/images/8/8f/Carbs102a.pdf
Welcome to the world of carbs read that than read it 2 more times
than follow it very closely as you clean and dip your carbs

I have that open in the tab next to this one! I started reading it the day I knew I was getting the Kat, for sure. Thought it wouldnt hurt to go ahead and familiarize myself with the process. I also went ahead and went through pulling all of the plastics off the bike this weekend to get myself familiar with that process and what goes where.

So, it looks like I will be pulling the carbs and tearing them down sooner than later, then. I was thinking about going ahead and installing a jet kit while I had it apart. Either of you have experience with different kits? Which would you recommend? I will be leaving the bike pretty much stock other than maybe doing another slip on later down the road.

Really do want to thank you guys for your quick replies and input, here. I am on several other forums and getting good, helpful, info this quick is kind of a rarity!

[djdaredevil]

Well the consensus around here is Factory Pro jet kit and 5 degree advancer helps
with a lot of the cold start up problems once your carbs are clean of course.
Check under your seat there is a label that shows your ignition timing some
of us were lucky enough to already have 10 degrees of timing, if yours is
one than you already have the extra 5 degrees of advance.
Get your chem dip at Walmart its cheaper

[muffinman]

My bike had so many carb issues that I think I could take them off blind folded now since I've had them off so many times. I'm thinking about also doing a jet kit in the future since the PO knew nothing about the bike. GL

[green_bread]

some
of us were lucky enough to already have 10 degrees of timing, if yours is
one than you already have the extra 5 degrees of advance.

Thanks for the info! I checked last night and I am not one of those lucky people, unfortunately. The sticker under my seat said 4 deg BTDC, which, probably isnt a bad thing while running lean, anyway.

Jet kit and ignition advancer are now on my list of things to buy.

Got the oil changed last night. I was able to find a socket that fit enough that I could gently "hammer" it on to the bolt and was able to reshape it easily once it was off the bike. The oil that came out was DARK black, kind of cloudy, and had a bit of a gassy smell to it (though it could just be because its REALLY old). The bike already sounds like its running better/smoother with the oil change... could just be my imagination but I WAS actually able to get it to idle around 2.5K RPM last night with the choke on about 1/2 way, so I call that a success!

OEM replacement muffler should be here today! Im looking forward to getting that bolted up and seeing if there are any improvements.

[green_bread]

HOLY SHEET!

Got the OEM muffler bolted up and immediately noticed a HUGE improvement with how smooth the bike runs. Rolling off the throttle when cruising was much smoother, as well. I am surprised to be this happy with "de-modding".

I can now clearly see why people say even a slip-on needs a jet kit.

Still idling low and a little rough. Payday is around the corner so I should be picking up a jet kit and ignition advancer, then cleaning and syncing the carbs. Feels kinda like I'm bringing the Kat back to life!

[djdaredevil]

Sounds like your're on track with it you might try checking for vacuum leaks
now and after you do the carb work that might help to

[green_bread]

What would help me out is if someone could post some close pics of where the air box connects to the carbs on each side of a Post Kat.

[arsenic]

the holes

[JayBell]

the holes

I need you to be more specific.... "holes"

[arsenic]

the big holes