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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
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Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 20 Feb 2011
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non start kle500a1 part 2
well i still have a problem starting the kle . its getting a spark and fuel . i have checked the timing and that seems fine .the valves were a little tight these are now ok . i did however find that the ignition pick up was out of spec . so that was replaced . still a no go . could this be compression ? are there common broblems with kle,s . as was running fine before i used carb cleaner
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  #2  
Old 25 Feb 2011
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double check the carbs

seems like you've either put em together wrong or dislodged/loosened some crap that's still there
used to have an import zzr400 that that ran poor despite using 3 cans of off the shelf carb cleaner got em ultrasonic cleaned and the bike was perfect

also check you haven't trapped a fuel/breather hose or a wire when putting the carbs back on
more info would be good as well...are the plugs wet or dry after trying to start and what did you do re the pickup coil?
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  #3  
Old 27 Feb 2011
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non start kle
plugs are wet . had the carbs apart 3 times now all seems fine . but will check again tommorow. as for the pick up. i replaced that with one in spec .
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  #4  
Old 4 Mar 2011
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if the plugs are wet it's either not sparking,sparking at the wrong time or it's getting too much fuel.

put new plugs in, make sure the choke is not sticking, the air filter is clean, recheck the float heights and double check the gap between the pick up coil and the rotor

did once have a bike that ran like a bag o shite everything else checked out ok but noticed the tag holding the pick up coil had been bent...closed the gap up to about 1mm and all was good

just trying to eliminate things as you said it was running fine before.

its an A1 yep?...if so are you sure it hasn't had an engine change to a 500s motor?...i seem to recall the pickups were different from the kle...might just be the grey matter breaking down tho
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  #5  
Old 6 Mar 2011
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non start kle500a1
yep its an a1 500cc . checked the carbs again last night . all look ok float levels etc . i didnt think the pick up coil was adjustable on these as theres no adjustment on the 2 bolts , air filter all clean . new fuel and new plugs . i am rearly stumped on this one . i have worked on my own bikes ( fzr zxr rdlc xl dt ) for 20+ years and never come across somthing like this . i may even try to get a second hand engine to try . as i need to get this back on the road asap
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  #6  
Old 7 Mar 2011
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Ok, I'm no mechanic and I'm jumping into the middle of the thread I know but I feel that I'm missing half the story. It seems like you have thoroughly checked the carbs and spark plugs but starting from the begining, if you will, what else have you done (failing that was there a previous thread that you explained all this and I've just missed it :confused1.

As with the usual 'bike doesn't start' issues, dunno if it will help but...

Check the following:
1. Battery has juice
2. Starter turns over
3. Spark plug actually sparks (pull it out but still connected, put it next to a piece of metal - turn over the bike and look for the spark)
4. Fuel - not flooded or dry - ensure no air bubbles in fuel line
5. Air - air flow/intake is clear

Failing that very basic checklist that I'm sure you've already done. What did you do to the engine? Can you turn the engine over manually by forcing the cam-shaft to spin, some bikes can do this with rear-wheel in gear and turn the wheel, if not then another way perhaps??

Again, apologies if you've already gone through all this, just not quite sure of the full story.
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  #7  
Old 7 Mar 2011
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kle500a1 non start part 2
well this is what happened

1. had a sticking choke . freed this up with wd40
2. used some carb cleaner as well on the carb body and bell mouths . coughed and spluttered but cleared after a few seconds
3. stopped the engine . cleaned inside carbs with carb cleaner
4. now wont start . it has back fired a few times but now nothing not even trying
5. taken carbs off and cleaned and blown out . new spark plugs . checked timing all ok and float levels . good spark . turns over well .

since this i have changed the pick up coil this was out of spec . i have also checked all the wiring . (found 2 corodded wire going to fuse box ) now rectified . have cleaned and checked carbs 3 times now . all ok . i have a very good spark with plug out of the engine turns over ok battery fully charged . and plugs are wet when removed . the valves when checked were a little tight now sorted though . next plan of action is maybe compression test . see if i have a burn valve or ring gone (its done 57000mls) failing that maybe a gpz500 engine or replacement kle500 engine
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  #8  
Old 7 Mar 2011
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Maybe you could try some extra "hot" plugs like irridium or something. These might help blow out extra fuel in the cyclinders.

But given that the KLE is back firing you might indeed have a problem with a bad valve or piston rings.

Sorry I can't be more help.
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  #9  
Old 7 Mar 2011
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Is the pilot screw set correctly? Is the choke adjusted properly? (cable)
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  #10  
Old 8 Mar 2011
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right....don't bother looking for burnt valves or doing a compression check..you won't find the problem there.

i can almost gaurantee it'll be carb related..was running...took carbs apart...now not running...see where i'm going?

have you totally dissasembled the carbs and held each and every jet up to light to check they're clear?..if not do so...just blowing air through is not enough.

i suspect it'll be the pilot air jets blocked...and yes they are a bastard to clear.

make sure all carbs settings are as per the book..mixture screw,needle clip etc and the butterflys open together

years ago i had a mint rd250lc i bought cheap as it was hard to start...really hard as in 20 kicks might get it started ..went through all i could think of to try and sort it..gave up and sold it on...turns out the chokes were assembled wrongly..

where abouts are you in the uk?..maybe someone is close on the board who can help

EDIT: just thought..have you checked that one of the floats doesn't have a puncture?
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  #11  
Old 8 Mar 2011
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non start kle500a1
well i have the carbs apart again . all jets look clear . no crap in float bowl . levels ok . still have good spark and plugs wet . it does thump thump as its turning over as though its trying but theres no vapours coming out the exhaust . i have even tryed easy start again with the carbs on and off the bike . still nothing
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  #12  
Old 8 Mar 2011
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lets get this right...you've tried easy start with the carbs off and just sprayed direct into the inlet port and it still ain't started?
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  #13  
Old 9 Mar 2011
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kle500a1 non start
yep that right . direct into the cylinder head intakes . this is why i think it may be compression or a valve . as i still have a good spark and the timing seems fine
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  #14  
Old 9 Mar 2011
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try swapping the plug leads round.

putting the wrong leads on the wrong plugs is easy...done it myself a few times

i realise why you're thinking valves/compression but it was running before you took the carbs off,and you haven't had the cam out and had to set the valve timing it's unlikely...hell even if one cylinder had bent valves it would still run on the other.
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  #15  
Old 9 Mar 2011
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kle500 non start
plug leads are 2 short to swop over . so can b that .
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