Bike fires up and dies immediately

Hi Warren. Thank you so much for your explanation of how the carbs make the engine start (I'm not being sarcastic, that makes sense and is not something I knew). I don't normally use the throttle in conjunction with the electric or kickstart, I only did so as it kept firing up and dying, so it seemed rational to believe the engine wasn't getting fuel. Evidently (supposedly. hopefully) this is simply due to the charging issue I've been experiencing, and my new battery will resolve the problem. (I was able to talk to the shop, they believe it is just that the charge is too low). Thanks again!

For any engine to run it needs three things, Air - Fuel - Spark so the first step is to establish which one of the three is missing

1. Air - is the air filter and the intake to the airbox clear (I would suspect yes given the work that has been done)
2. Fuel - spraying starting fluid into the air intake while cranking will establish if it's a fuel issue (if the motor fires on the spray the issue is with the fuel supply)
3. Spark- easiest way to check is to pull the plug leads off the plugs, put a plug in the disconnected lead and lay it on the cylinder head cover. Now crank the motor you should see and possibly hear a spark across the plugs (if not we can take you through the next steps)

Hi Coyote! I'm pretty lame with all things mechanical, but electrical? Way above my pay grade (I tried working on my vintage stop light and shocked the crap out of myself, even though it had no power source). So as you recommend disconnecting the negative terminal, I'm going to call my friend who hooked up my turn signals and ask him to come over with a voltometer, so he can oversee my work. The bike was NASTY, and I've been scrubbing and cleaning every inch of it - it's taken weeks - so it is entirely possible I pulled a wire loose. 
Thanks again!

Hi Wookie! So in spite of my inexperience, I'm not lazy, and only a little bit dumb. After some research (I always at least try to figure things out myself) I thought it would be a good idea to try spraying some starter fluid in the carbs to find out if this is a fuel issue. I have pod air filters, and didn't know if it would be a good idea to take them off myself. But it appears as though I can just remove the hose clamps and pull them off, no? I changed the spark plugs a few weeks ago, but I'll definitely check them as well. I thought an engine wouldn't fire up if it didn't have spark, fuel, compression, so since it "starts" (even though it then dies), I assumed it was unnecessary to check the basics. Lesson learned - thank you!

You are very welcome, it'll be fixed soon 

Yes you can take the pods off to apply the spray, I was under the impression the problem had escalated to a "non start" so apologies if I got the wrong end of the stick. I don't believe replacing the battery will resolve the situation (a new battery will only display these symptoms if it is faulty) if you charge the original battery will the bike then start ? If after charging you leave the ground lead disconnected is the battery still dead the next day when you connect it up ? (If the answer is yes the battery is still dead then it is faulty, if no the battery isn't dead when left disconnected then replacing it won't resolve the issue) once we have the answer to this then we can move forward   diagnosis from 3000mls away is never straightforward and time zone differences will mean delays in responses (it is now midnight here)

PS: the tank cap Scirocco reffered to is the "gas cap" on the tank, easiest way to check is leave it open and see if the bike will run. The cap has a "vent hole" if it gets blocked then the fuel can't leave the bottom of the tank (same principle as sucking soda into a straw and putting your finger on the top)

And today's "hero" prize is awarded to Wookie, who reminded me to stop getting ahead of myself, and start with the basics! I just got home from riding my bike. Instead of foraging around, looking for a voltometer, as I'm unsure as to whether or not I even have one, I simply pulled the plugs, saw that they were fouled, swapped those puppies out, and voila! She started right up - and because I'd charged the battery, I didn't even need to use the kickstarter - woohoo! This now means I need to figure out why spark plugs that were installed a month ago are already trashed. The usual culprit is that it's running too rich, no? I'm currently too happy to be kicking myself for not bothering to try that sooner - this serves as a perfect reminder to ALWAYS start at square one (and who doesn't love it when the bike starts - I care not that a chimp could have done the same - for now I feel like a genius mechanic! Hahaha) P.S. if you can't tell when I'm excited I can be a little chatterbox!

If the plugs have fouled that quickly it is possible that someone has overdone the "up jetting" to work with the pods. Are they quality pods or 10 for a buck from EBay. I have seen a lot of people on the forum struggle with getting the jetting right to run pods on a 400/440 (or anything else to be fair) I think given your current skill levels that you will need to find somebody in your area than can sort the carb jetting for you (no offence intended)

Congratulations!! I knew you'd find it. Reminds me of my weird spark plug story. About a month after I purchased my third generation RX7, when they came out, I noticed the engine down on power. It wasn't running rough or anything. It was the plugs. When I took them out. They looked normal. Nice and tan. I changed them anyway and it solved the problem . About a year later it happened again. Then a light bulb went off. On the first occasion I had tried some octane boost and on the second occasion I put fuel injector cleaner in it. I never put another fuel additive in that vehicle and have not experienced that in any other vehicle I've owned. I normally use seafoam in all my vehicles once or twice a year just to try keep the injectors clean. 
Congrats again!!

Keeper upright and between the ditches

Hi Wookie, I am well aware of my level of expertise (or lack thereof), and am not in the least bit offended or hurt. I'm trying to get my bike to the shop, and have a new issue (kill me now). Bike starts, idles, but when I put it in first the engine lurches a bit and does a put-put and dies. Similar to running out of gas. Even before reading your post I was thinking jets as well (that could be the cause of both problems, no?). The dude I bought the bike from acted as though he knew how to work on bikes, but the condition of my Kawa was SHOCKING (gas poured out of side engine cover. Seriously. And evidently carbs had some greenish goo on them, the oil was FILTHY - as well as the entire bike). He had tried re-jetting the bike and failed miserably, so I had someone put the original ones back in. As that's not something the shop did for me, and considering the atrocious state of the bike, I'm betting the jets are horrendous!
As ever, thank you so much - I am so grateful for your assistance! (As well as that of everyone else on the site!) 

The bike lurching when you put it in gear would suggest a clutch adjustment issue possibly (if you put it in gear with the motor off and the clutch lever pulled in then hit the starter button doe steh bike try and creep forward ?)