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Minor victory today, got the rear master cylinder rebuilt. It took far longer than I had planned, the fluid was rusty mud and I spent a couple hours with various wired brushes and polish before I was comfortable installing the new piston. I was not expecting disassemble to involve a dead blow hammer lol.

Over all though it was my first small victory towards restoring this bike.





Also started to clean up some other small parts.

medic455 wrote: .... I was not expecting disassemble to involve a dead blow hammer lol. .....

From the space Ninja factory manual:

I may have to print that out and hang it in the shop

Finally got the socket I needed to get the swing arm off and pull the engine! I think this was the last nut and or bolts that can be frozen on my, everything else is apart or has at least been loosened. I would like to thank PB blaster, My torch and a dead blow hammer for this small victory.

Also got my drag bars and grips in from Dime City Cycles. They were great to deal with and shipping was next day.





And just because I forgot to post it... Me taking it for a ride when I first got it to the shop... as you can see I couldn't handle the power...

No turning back now, broke out the cut off wheel today. Since I have almost no budget I am going to re-use the factory loop. When I insert it into the larger frame rail it has about a 1mm gap but I think if I get it placed properly it should weld up nicely. I also have about 2 inches of the smaller tubing inside the larger frame rail so I can drill some holes and plug weld it. Now I just need to get my welder back from my brother in law...

Awesome project and loving the progress and ideas keep them coming! Love the pic of you on the bike when you first got it hahahahaha!!!

Awesome project and loving the progress and ideas keep them coming! Love the pic of you on the bike when you first got it hahahahaha!!!

Thanks! progressing slowly but starting a new job in a few weeks so that should give me some extra cash! Most of my time is spent on here obsessing over ideas and learning as much about Kawasaki's as I can.

Medic, you are in good company for obsessing over ideas and learning as much as you can. Keep up the work. I love how you are using what you have, it makes those victories feel even more so. Anything in particular inspiring the shape and future of your build?

medic455 wrote:

Awesome project and loving the progress and ideas keep them coming! Love the pic of you on the bike when you first got it hahahahaha!!!

Thanks! progressing slowly but starting a new job in a few weeks so that should give me some extra cash! Most of my time is spent on here obsessing over ideas and learning as much about Kawasaki's as I can.

You sound like my twin hahaha, doing the same thing. If I get this promotion I'm going for in late September it's a dramatic lifestyle change and I will be able to purchase my own KZ650/750 to bring up and build instead of just riding the KZ's my Pops has. Brilliant to always have a old Kawi to ride but I would like my own to bring home and call "My precioussssss" and work on Best of luck on the new job!!

- Irish

Medic, you are in good company for obsessing over ideas and learning as much as you can. Keep up the work. I love how you are using what you have, it makes those victories feel even more so. Anything in particular inspiring the shape and future of your build?

I guess I am going for a brat look as close as I can afford. Mostly my goal is just to cut off what doesn't make it stop turn or run safely, and enjoy riding. I think I have decided on rear turn signals mounted on the shock mount and the front signals on the forks below the headlight, bar end mirrors and make some of my own side covers, probably aluminum.

You sound like my twin hahaha, doing the same thing. If I get this promotion I'm going for in late September it's a dramatic lifestyle change and I will be able to purchase my own KZ650/750 to bring up and build instead of just riding the KZ's my Pops has. Brilliant to always have a old Kawi to ride but I would like my own to bring home and call "My precioussssss" and work on Best of luck on the new job!!

Thanks and good luck with the new job also! I am also starting school soon with the GI bill so I will get paid for that. I am swapping poor with free time for money and no free time haha.

Not so good evening last night working on the KZ. The motor was rebuild "professionally" by the previous owner. But I wanted to pull the head and see what I was dealing with.



Before I get into the bad, I am loving this kawasaki engine, simple and easy to work on so far. Coming from being an engine tech for VW and mainly working on VR6's and 2.7TT this is a dream!

After I pulled the head the bored looked great, the pistons a little dirty but looked good. And then I noticed the Cyl wall to piston gap was rather large. It looks like it was bored about .020 or .030 over and bigger rings installed. I know this technically should be alright but to me that's a hack way to rebuild and engine. If this was a 8.5:1 compression truck engine I wouldn't mind but being performance oriented this bothers me. The previous owner has the receipt from the rebuild and if I remember correctly he was charged for new pistons. I need to dig it up but this may be a case of him getting screwed over.


Can't see much here but I was taking pictured of everything. I left my good caliper at my house so I couldn't take a bore measurement, but I have built enough engines to notice right away what was done.


I think come tax season this is getting sent off to Cavanaugh racing to get freshened up.


Forgot to get a picture but after I pulled the head I turned the engine over and it looks like I might have a couple of bent rods. Two of the pistons were not reaching full extension if thats the right word for it by about 2mm compared to the others.



So a bit of a disappointment and I need to look up all my paper work but I think the PO got had. He didn't have much mechanical experience which is why he sold the project.

Anywho... After that I turned my attention to my friends Daily driven slowly becoming a sleeper 67 cougar. I wanted badly to learn how to tune a points system but after 2 weekends this happened...



Accel points eliminator is a great kit lol. Right now the 289 has a fresh bottom end with eagle rods and JE 10:1 pistons. Tax season he will be investing in the top end and painless wiring to get the car less.... Ghetto.. for lack of a better term. It's always nice to have friends projects to work on when you are frustrated on your own haha.

Of course at 2am when the cougar was done it was time for a cheesy beefy night cap.



And then of course remembering this is what it is really all about!

Not sure how far you've gotten here but, how did you determine there was an overbore of.020"-.030" with no measuring tools?
If you just looked down the bore holes and saw pistons with a big gap around the top crown/land... then you really don't know anything about it yet. Many pistons are even made that way on purpose!