TOPIC:

Well I had some success today but i'm really concerned.
Took an age to try and get the fuel line routed correctly and while not happy and will need to be re-done, I came up with a compromise to get the bike fired up.
After a bit of coaxing it fired and ran really rough for a minute (poor fuel)then ran reasonably solid. Revved OK and even managed to get a good idle.
However, I noticed white smoke from the exhaust. Lots, and it filled the garage.....
Now keep in mind i dumped a fair bit of oil down the bores about a week ago as its been sitting for 10 years. Could it be that burning off?
Tell me, what am I looking at here??
Please say its just running rich or something simple......

KEL:

You could be correct in thinking it may be residual oil and years of idleness happening in those cylinders.

Purely white smoke indicates water leaking into the cylinders, either a gasket or a crack somewhere.

Blue smoke indicates oil

Dark to black would indicate excess fuel.

Provided it's not overheating, or making any abnormal noises, I could continue to run it for a while to see if it clears up.

If you can run it for a while, take the plugs out and have a look. If there is water in the cylinder, the plug will be steam cleaned, with little to no carbon deposits on the plug electrode.

Then do a compression check. while doing the check, hold the throttle wide open with the ignition disabled.

If it's oil, you'll see coking (Baked on oil) on the porcelain.

If it fuel, you'll see excess carbon.

Let us know.

T.

Toddh wrote: KEL:

You could be correct in thinking it may be residual oil and years of idleness happening in those cylinders.

Purely white smoke indicates water leaking into the cylinders, either a gasket or a crack somewhere.

Blue smoke indicates oil

Dark to black would indicate excess fuel.

Provided it's not overheating, or making any abnormal noises, I could continue to run it for a while to see if it clears up.

If you can run it for a while, take the plugs out and have a look. If there is water in the cylinder, the plug will be steam cleaned, with little to no carbon deposits on the plug electrode.

Then do a compression check. while doing the check, hold the throttle wide open with the ignition disabled.

If it's oil, you'll see coking (Baked on oil) on the porcelain.

If it fuel, you'll see excess carbon.

Let us know.

T.

Geezus thatnks for the info T.
I pulled #1 plug and it looked like this, suggesting it was all the oil i had dumped in (i hope) so i will press on.

I really don't like how the fuel line is set up. The petcock faces away from the carbs and the feed line. Is it cool to run it under the carbs? Will the fuel rise upwards or should i try and have it parallel.
And finally, I also had the left hand carb overflow a fair bit when it was on the side-stand that doesn't make sense either. Ideas mate?

Hello KEL:

That could be oil and it may be fuel, it was hard to tell by looking at the photo. Try snapping a photo in better light. Or closer to the center electrode.

As for fuel hose routing, do you have your OEM fuel tap and fuel shutoff valve on the airbox?

On my bike I have the factory tap and shutoff valve and route my hose accordingly.

1: Out of the tap, it runs left to right, then down in behind the cylinder head. I then turn it straight down, between the LH and Center carbs. Then back to fuel shut off valve on the airbox.

2: On top of the fuel shutoff valve, the fuel hose routes a short straight distance up to the fuel "Tee" fitting in between the left and center carburetors.


If you don't have the factory fuel shut off valve, I have used that same path with the carburetor fuel fitting "Tee" still turned down with the hose running up to the Tee, under the carbs.

In the past, I have used both combinations on the various 1300's I have worked on with no problems.

I have never encountered vapor lock with either combination. Have run those configurations in hot and cold climates.

Regarding the fuel overflowing, It would be best to troubleshoot why your float valve is leaking and cure that problem. Another 1300 item is to keep the bike off of the side stand and on the center stand. Plus at the end of the day's riding, get in the habbit of running the bowls dry with the engine running. (Shut the tap off about a block or two away from your final destination.) This way overnight your bowls will have nothing to leak or leach into the crankcase.

On every stop, about 99% of the time, I always shut off my fuel tap just to make sure. Encountering liquid lock on this bike can get quite expensive, with alot of downtime to repair.

Hope this helps.

Todd.

Thanks for replying Todd. Its appreciated!
I don't have the Solenoid fitted.
My original thought was to maintain the fuel line "above" the height of the T fitting rather than run it down below the carbs and up to the T. However I can see that this may in fact be forcing fuel down the T and causing the floats to struggle with the pressure and then overflowing.
If you are saying that it will draw fuel OK with the fuel line "below" the T, I shall try that and see.
Oh, and yes I was doing all my work on the side stand at the time. (I had a bad experience with the center stand as it fell over as I was trying to lift it up on the stand!!!!)
To me the whole thing is poorly designed.

KEL wrote: Thanks for replying Todd. Its appreciated!
I don't have the Solenoid fitted.
My original thought was to maintain the fuel line "above" the height of the T fitting rather than run it down below the carbs and up to the T. However I can see that this may in fact be forcing fuel down the T and causing the floats to struggle with the pressure and then overflowing.
If you are saying that it will draw fuel OK with the fuel line "below" the T, I shall try that and see.
Oh, and yes I was doing all my work on the side stand at the time. (I had a bad experience with the center stand as it fell over as I was trying to lift it up on the stand!!!!)
To me the whole thing is poorly designed.

Say KEL

In the past, owners have routed the hose either way. I personally like the over, below, and back up pathway because you can have a longer supply line when lifting up the tank to remove it. (This way also keeps it out of the way of the balance adjusters too.) It really comes down to how much line you have and personal preference. It draws fuel fine in either direction and it should not affect the pressure on your float valves.

As for the center stand, Kawasaki could have and should have spent a little more time thinking about the leverage needed to lift this beast up on the center stand. I am sure it has caused a few trips to the hernia doctor.

For most bikes there really is a proper technique to lifting a bike on the center stand. Some people try to use their upper torso when lifting, when in fact they only end up frustrated and fighting the whole process.

One should get very close to the bike and lift it up by pushing with their leg down on the stand. (Then pull back with your arm.) Kawasaki also did not give much of a pushing pad to stand on the pad. It really needs to be done with riding boots on. If you use tennis shoes, it can dig into your foot and smart a bit.

My newer BMW is fairly heavy but it is amazing to me how little leverage is needed to foist if up on its center stand.