Motorcycle Repair: 96 zx6r fuel/starting problem, kawasaki service manual, vacuum hoses

Question
I am having a problem getting my bike to start after I put it back together. I had to lift the valve cover to fix an oil leak and even though all the vacuum hoses and fuel lines seem to be in the right places, I have gas spitting out of the exhaust and coming out of the vacuum line opening, where a hose would be for California models (that go to some canister I don't have). There is also gas spilling from the bottom of the engine, but I can't tell from where exactly, but it's towards the rear of the engine. There is also gas coming from the vacuum line that sits on top of my airbox and exits just above the carbs.

The bike sat for almost 4 months and though it was supposed to be started up occasionally, it wasn't. Before I took the valve cover off, it did start for a few minutes but then died, I presumed it had bad gas since it wouldn't start back up, so I drained all the fuel and put new fuel in the tank. I haven't cleaned out the carbs yet and will do so when I get home today, but would stuck carbs really cause all that leaking everywhere?

Answer
Hi Michael,
It sounds like the fuel hose is connected at the wrong location, this explains the excessive fuel everywhere. It has ran down the throttle bores and into the crankcase of your engine. (it has filled the engine with gasoline, it's coming out the crankcase breather tube likely) You need to get a Kawasaki service manual and determine the correct locations where all the lines connect. Once this corrected clean out the air-box and replace the air-filter.  After you have these resolved, you need to drain the engine oil and remove the oil filter, let it set until it stops dripping, then reinstall the drain plug and a new oil filter. Be sure to fill the engine with the correct amount of specified oil before starting it. A new set of spark-plugs would be a good idea too.
Regards,
Terry.