93 kat and tons of questions.

[elcocaroach]

Hi all,
I have been a rider for a while going through yami rx100 and progressively getting bigger but stopped as far as the 600 and stopped ridin for good amount of years but recently started riding again, picked up a 93 kat 600, shops treated me like I had the plague..lol. I love the bike though so I have started to get back into fixing things that are in my capacity to do. The problems that I had when I got the bike :

a) wasnt turning over.....pulled the plugs cleaned them....( 1 & 2 plugs black, so im assuming running rich).....fixed start problems
b) idle problem........fiddle w/ the idle screw............temp idle fix
c) RMP's thru the roof when handlebars cranked left or right.........tank off readjusted throttle cable closers so that didnt catch on anything........temp fix
d) Horrible milage 200km/ tank (can smell the fuel thru the exhaust)........put in carb cleaner....(no effect)

Things that I have done since :
- 4 new plugs (NGK)
- engine flush
- oil / filter change (amsoil 3.8 liters)
- air filter cleaned (has a K& N installed)

Things that I have noticed since doing this minor tune up the bike came back to life, power on all gear no more boggin no lazy take off basically bike felt like a new bike. so heres where the things that are toubling me, I rode it for 2 days since the minor tune up and loved every moment of it. Took it for a short ride 10 miles each way last night and noticed a bit of jerking when the throttle was opened up(think its misfiring on the 1&2 cyclinders). Today noticed that my oil level was almost non existent( checked for leaks, spots on floor) bike was burning oil, blowing short burst of black smoke from tail pipe (still fuel smell in exhaust too).

Things to get fixed by a shop:
- clean and sync carbs
- full maintenance
anything else that i should get them to look at??

Sorry for the essay but i felt id give you guys an indepth situation report so that it would help diagnose the problem if anyone had the same problem with their kats. I would like to thank everyone in advance for their input and advice or solutions.

The Roach.

[Motorcycle Forum]

[MikeHump]

First off,

You stated that you have black smoke coming out of the exhaust, and you think it's burning oil? When oil burns, a blueish smoke usually comes from the tailpipe, black smoke usually indicates a rich A/F mixture, so your carbs probably need adjusted. Since you said the idle mixture was off AND you're describing a rich A/F ratio, I'd recommend a complete carb overhaul. I'd say start with that, and if you're still having some issues, come back here and post up what you did/didn't do and what issues are still going on.

[artistic_gore]

Did you check your oil level hot or cold? Was it on the center stand or were both tires on the ground? I know on my bike when I check the sight glass just after riding I don't have much at all visible but if I let it sit for a while and check again my level is normal.

[Easy Rider]

Things to get fixed by a shop:
- clean and sync carbs
- full maintenance
anything else that i should get them to look at??

Congratulations on knowing when you've reached the limit of your capabilities. Lots of guys, with NO experience, seem to think that they can fix anything......and sometimes end up making it worse.

I suggest you tell the shop what problem you are having and let them determine a proper course of action. I would certainly NOT have the carbs cleaned off the bike ($$$) without first checking the compression and being fairly sure that you don't have a high-voltage problem with paired cylinders (bad plug wire or coil ??).

If you have a lot of oil going past the rings, not much sense is wasting a lot of money on other things.

[bigkat1100]

Have you asked the guys on KATRIDERS.COM