Four Cylinder with Carbs - HELP

[Jamie]

I am used to big singles, not in line fours and could do with some advice.

I went and bought a Kawasaki Zephyr 550.
It rattles a bit, it clunks a bit, but i was told that to get a true feel for the bike i need to balance the carbs, is this good advice or not.

I joined the Kawasaki Owners club forum, thinking they would be as helpful as you MZers have been to me.
I know its a bit cheeky but you guys have all been really helpful in the past I thought I would ask anyway.

Jamie

[Taipan]

Yes its very good advice. Twins, triples and IL 4s all benefit greatly from having the carbs or throttle bodies balanced. Its often a way to eliminate vibes as much as anything else.

[Jamie]

Thanks , i knew i would get a response on here..

JAmie

[hmmmnz]

yeah balance the carbs, you can do it by eye, by removing the carbs, and using a 1mm drill bit on the gap between the butterfly
and the carb throat, set all the carbs to open at the same time,
that mechanically balances them, but if you have a dodgy valve etc etc, the vacuum may still be out between carbs,

as a rule any new bike i get, i first change oil, filter, plugs, valve clearances, and finally carb balance,
and that pretty much sorts out everything, with in reason, obviously if there are more sinister problems, then
no amount of maintenance is gunna help