TOPIC:

Always come in handy when working in the garden or on the bike
But after 20 years they are starting to fall apart.
Don't think I am throwing them away, to much memories

Super nice job to date.
I am not familiar with that type of oil drain plug on a KZ1000. The washer portion of the bolt always has a groove cut into it so that the o-ring sits in it slightly proud with a dab of oil on it to allow it to spin.The filter cover plate has the long bolt through it, the spring gets dropped on, the flat washer goes on next against the spring to let the filter spin if it needs to and then the filter drops on and the assembly goes up into the crankcase. Always apply a small amount of oil to the o-rings to allow it to spin on freely. Your previous owner may have substituted the bolt as they get damaged easily. If the oil pan surface is also flat then an o-ring is not correct and your model may use a copper washer but not both.

Thanks Kawboy,
I came to the same conclusion.
In some pictures you can clearly see the groove in the plug but mine did not have one.
I put on the copper washer and hope it does not leak, so far so good.

Eric

Question....



I am going to install a hydraulic clutch.
Now I have to shorten the rod but do not exactly know by how much.
It all depends on how far the plunger will come out.
I like to push it in far enough that nothing is sticking out and cannot get dirty from the chain but if I push it in that far the spring is pushing it back out.
My question is... if I shorten the rod so that the plunger does not stick out, will it stay in that position or will it push back and engage the clutch?
My guess is that the spring of the clutch itself is much stronger than the spring of the hydraulic part but I am not sure.
There is only one change to shorten the rod at the right length.

Leon you made a few, any experience with this?

Thanks
Eric

Eric, Im going through the same thing with a homemade hydraulic clutch conversion. I have no idea about the distance yet so instead of chopping up the push rod,Im usining the spacers to find the right distance. I have aluminium tubing spacing the plate from the engine block (with the bolts running through them). Its a lot easier( and cheaper) to cut the spacers too short than the push rod !
I havent figured it out yet as Im waiting till the last minute to put liquids in the bike but once I have the clutch bled,I can play around with different length tubing until I get it right. No chopping up the push rod !

Mine is on a fixed plate so also at a fixed distance.

But are those tubes fixed to the plates? If not,just replace them with some sacraficial alu pipe (they sell it in Praxis or Gamma) and use that to find your spacing.

Even if the tubes are welded to the plate, washers could be used to set the spacing, then pretty ones could be made to the final specification for permanent install.

But that still leaves the question if I can push back the plunger flush with the outside?
Or will it engage the clutch a little because of the spring behind the plunger?
My guess is that the clutch springs are much stronger and keep the plunger and rod at its place.

i'm up against this myself.
and,
haven't had time to proceed to further answer your question definitively.
but,
there has to be a small amount of freeplay between the pushrod and the piston.
in order to completely disengage the clutch.
you do not want any spring tension pushing on the clutch pushrod at all.
it seems to me you are going to have to mount the cylinder and plate and then slowly trim the pushrod until you get the right amount of freeplay between the pushrod and hyd.piston.
hth,

leon

p.s. and then post the length of pushrod and spacers so you can save me the time of having to figure it out myself

Well,its a while since I last looked at mine but I seem to remember that I could push the piston (and spring) completely into the master cylinder assembly and mount it tight against the push rod. There didnt seem to be enough strength in the spring alone to move the push rod at all. I reckon that the spring is only there to help the hydraulics . BUT, I could be wrong as I havent sorted it yet.
If you CAN fit temporary tubing (on the D&G web site the photo shows the plate and spacers as different parts) then you could start with the longest spacers, MC fully out,no tension on the spring and work your way in until you find the sweet spot.
Also I know that Kawaholic was also busy with an hydraulic conversion.I dont know if he succeded, have a look at his build.
Hope you get this sorted (then Ill know how to do mine!!)

When I did mine it was trial and error on the rod length but I seem to remember taking off about 5/16" which also will depend on the slave cylinder size and depth properties. There will only be play in the piston until you use the clutch for the first time because it acts as a brake caliper piston and slack will be taken up by fluid. If you have a bit of brake fluid on the piston seal it should come to rest where it wants due to the spring behind it and then you can mount the slave holder plate and measure to an easily referenced spot on the plate. Remove the plate, install the rod, (and don't forget the 3/8" ball) then measure to the same place on the rod and do the math to arrive at a cut point. Slightly long will push the piston back a bit and slightly short will extend piston travel slightly, no biggie.
As I recall, the clutch pack only moves about 80 thou to disengage so we are not talking a lot of travel in any way. Make sure your master fluid level stays proper.
David