Not at all mate, this is a properly adjusted throttle body - when the choke is applied, it should advance the throttle just slightly, otherwise the engine would promptly die (no air whatso ever going through) I belive there is a small adjustment screw for this. When you close the choke, you should see your throttle wheel at the carbs move just slightly open - if you don't see this, then something is indeed misadjusted.
i would love to have the euro version with the triple discs. i have to say, on cold start, every single 550 i have heard (my own included) sounds like its filled with rocks. that is a very unnerving sound.
Michael Keith the best explanation i habe been given is that the 550 is a very high performance engine. (conside that it does put out a lot of power for its size) and the tolerances are very loose when cold but tighten up when its warm.
Ian Craig damn right it does. I got it up to 165kph today and it had room to spare. but aside from the speed (which I'm not a speed demon) it's the most nimble bike I've ever owned for a street bike. perfect for the mountain roads.
The sound you Are referring to. is not anything bad. almost all motorcycle from 70 and 80 does that. my kz does it, and the engine is like new inside. my xs750 also do it. and my friend's Suzuki. also do it. I think it can be fixed with some new clutch springs.
Yeh most of these early 4potssounded like a bag of nails untill you twist the throttle it's just a noisey clutch rattling away sounds worse than it is.
Um, no, this /is/ a z550, Vin: KZ550B004396. This is a 1982 B series, which was the Eurpoean varient and was never exported to the US. This style had such things like tripple disk brakes, a 'parking' light and a less restrictive emissions setup. Have a look on wikipedia for a 550 B series, you'll see a picture there.
AHA, thanks for explaining that, i have never seen a 550 with 3 discs, so i was like hahh, but ive never seen it because its a european bike, got it! haha thats sweet, why didnt kawasaki just make all the 550s including the 550 ltd with 3 discs? i want that haha
