How to Remove and Inspect the Carburetor on a 1972 Kawasaki G4TR

Working on vintage motorcycles is both a fun and rewarding hobby. Due to their age and rarity, it can sometimes be difficult to find guides for working on these old gems. One very common problem with vintage bikes is a clogged or dirty carburetor. In this guide, I will outline how to remove the carburetor on a 1972 Kawasaki G4TR.

Tools you will need: Phillips screw driver, flat head screw driver, 10 mm wrench, 1 can of carburetor cleaner.

The first step is to remove the carburetor cover. If you are sitting on the bike the carburetor cover is located on the right hand side of the bike. For the Kawasaki G4TR this means that it is located just in front of the oil pump cover and the foot peg.

Place the bike on its kickstand and then put an oil pan directly beneath the bike to catch any oil that comes out when you remove the cover.

To remove the cover you will need two screw drivers, one Phillips head and one flat. Start by removing the four screws located on top of the carburetor cover. Set these off to the side and move to the four Phillips head screws on the front of the cover. Be careful when removing the cover in order to minimize oil spillage. With the cover removed the carburetor will be exposed.

Next look at the front of the carburetor housing on the outside edge closes to the front tire. Here you should find a round black rubber stopper. Carefully remove this stopper to expose the screw inside. Carefully place your 10 mm wrench behind the carburetor and onto the nut. Then place your flat head screw driver into the opening you created when you removed the rubber stopper. Holding the nut in place with the wrench carefully loosen the screw. This will loosen the clamp the holds the carburetor onto the bike.

Once this is loosened you should be able to slide the carburetor out by pulling it away from the bike. You may or may not need to wiggle the carburetor slightly to loosen it up.

Be aware of the cables that connect to the top of the carburetor. The larger cable that goes directly into the middle is the throttle cable. The other smaller cable is the choke.

After the carburetor is off of the bike begin inspecting it by looking into the front opening. Here you will see a metal cylinder. This is the throttle slide. Check to make sure that it is moving freely by turning the throttle on the handle bars. The slide should move up and down freely as you twist the throttle.

Next inspect the bowl of the carburetor. This is often where rust deposits and grime build up. To do this remove the four flat head screws that hold the float bowl onto the bottom of the carburetor. Carefully pull the bowl portion away from the carburetor. Look in the bottom of the bowl. The bowl should be clean and free of any debris or rust. If there is any rust, debris or white build up spray the bowl liberally with the carburetor cleaner and set it aside to dry.

With the float bowl off the float and needle jet should be exposed. It is very important that you are very careful with the float. If any part of the float becomes bent or dented it will affect the way your bike runs and may require replacement.

Carefully press the float up and allow it to fall back down. The float and needle jet should move up and down freely and easily. To remove the float slide the pin out that holds it in the carburetor. Set this off to the side in a safe place along with the float. The needle jet should then slide down and out freely. Set this off to the side as well.

Spray the carburetor cleaner into the hole where the needle jet had been. Also make sure to spray out the slot where the pin had been. Squirt a little carburetor cleaner into all of the exposed holes to make sure that any obstructions are removed. Carefully reassemble the carburetor in reverse order, making sure to check each component as your replace it.