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Great looking bike. Love the GPz style. Classic!.

Sometimes I find I have to do clutch adjustment a couple of times until it feels just right

Yes, particularly those whacky ball and ramp actuators, which work quite nicely when set up right, just difficult setting the up first time around.

I usually set it roughly on the coarse adjuster, leave the inspection cover off and armed with a 10mm ring spanner and screwdriver I find a quiet road to 'nail it', see if the clutch will slip under full power and adjusting accordingly. I rarely get it right first time around.

Thanks , I'll play around with the clutch a little. I pulled the wheels last night so I can get some tires mounted. The brake pads were shot. The fronts were super thin and the rears were down to the metal. The right front rotor had fork oil on them as well.

New short list: brake pads and fluid, Fork seals and oil, 530 chain and sprockets (17/40).

Check your upper and lower fork bushings too, I needed these for mine. The top bush is the same part nuber as the 550d1, the bottom never available, but pattern bushes are availailbe if you search with the dimensions. If they are badly worn you will see it .

I'll check that too, thanks. Looking at the parts diagram it looks like they consider the lowers as part of the inner fork tube.

530 Sprockets and chain. Check! 16/38 is supposed to put me a 2.34 final drive ratio.

Right fork seal. CHECK! I'll do the left this winter.

Tires on rims and back on bike, CHECK! Don't tell anyone I didn't make sure the chain went over the center stand before I crimped on the master link and had to remove and remount the stand.

New brake pads..................; GD! SOB! They gave me the wrong GD freakin pads!!!!!! At least they're open tomorrow.

Glad I got into this thread, just had a z1000j tool box donated to me been looking for that for a few years now .

Thanks Bo !

Alright! I got the correct pads and got them installed. I figured out the clutch adjustment. The principle issue was that the actuator lever wasn't correctly seated and or oriented. It took me a little trial and error and a three block push back to the house to get to the bottom of that issue.

It seems I've got her up to 100% operational, I'm going to ride it to work, see if I cant get it inspected and licensed tomorrow. I'll drive it for the rest of the "season" and decide what types of things I want to do to it in the second phase of my project.... No tabs or original parts will be harmed in the execution of further modifications.

No tabs or original parts will be harmed in the execution of further modifications.

Create what is in your mind's eye, that's what I did on mine: probably the only Dec 1980 registered '81' 550 in the world, ex kawasaki uk, frame number 000022. first thing was to grind the centre stand lugs out, the helmet lock holder tab, then light bracing and gusseting the frame... then in the interests of keeping this important historic artefact intact I then grafted about 10 different bike parts onto it.

I wouldn't do this to a a double digit Z1, but then market decides the value of these early standard early GPz's... I value it more. Just careful about grinding bits off before you are certain where it is going.

I think I'll leave this one "intact" I've come to appreciate what I have. Besides, I don't have the gear to go nuts on a bike like many of you do. I'll save the insane stuff for something else.

Smart move! That bike is really nice as is. Ed

I hoped you would see the light after getting it up and running, I really can't fault the bike in any way.
I'm really smitten with mine.

I've said before I though the 750 had the disadvantages of the bulky 1100 but not really a lot quicker than the 550's...I still feel that, just what a great compromise ! both for shopping or rides down to the South Coast