Motorcycle Repair: driveability 1985 Kawasaki Eliminator ZL900, carbs, popping

Question
I have a 1985 Kawasaki Eliminator ZL900 with 13K on it. Nice maintained bike. My frustration is that it spits and pops at cruising speeds. I have no fuel delivery problems such as the fuel tank etc. spark is good and timing is on. I feel it is a carb issue. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer
It sounds like the carbs to me too, but before you start working on them make sure the air filter is clean and in good condition (& actually there) and check that there are no leaks where the carbs attach to the heads & airbox. Exhaust system problems can make an engine act up too, but it is not as likely a culprit.

Information on servicing the carbs is beyond the scope of this site, but your shop manual should cover it.

If you don't have a shop manual you should get one - your bike is an antique and you will have a hard time finding a shop that will work on it. The sad fact is that a lot of the mechanics working now are too young to remember bikes this old and aren't interested in learning about them so that they can do a proper job. This means that you will have to do most of your own work, and working on a bike without a good shop manual is just not worth the headaches. (My bikes are from the same era - that's why I fix them myself.)

I recommend that you get two manuals - a Factory Shop Manual and a Haynes or Clymer. That way when you don't understand the explanation in one you will probably figure it out when you have read the other too. If you spend some time on Google you might even find a factory manual available for free download.