Project Deja Vu: 1980 KZ550A1

Partzilla shows two different part numbers for the throttle cables although they are unavailable. Searching eBay for those part numbers may find you some NOS cables. In the meantime leave the push cable off and just use the pull cable. 
Partzilla

@That:

I was wondering about that. 

I’d also like to figure out how to roll my own, or at least shorten one of these.

Here's a post i made for the clutch cable.  The throttle cable shortens basically the same way.  You just have to get the correct size ferrules and barrel ends.
Shortening Kz550 Clutch Cables (gpzweb.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com)

Quick update: i noted in an earlier post that the chain seemed really loose. Today it skipped a couple of (front?) teeth under load (hard acceleration in 1st or 2nd on an uphill). 

When I got back to the garage I finally counted the links. 

102.

Lol.





Coming soon: more blah-blah-blah. And a chain-breaker. 

So I’ve hit kind of a what-do-I-do-next moment. It’s an Existential Motorcycle Moment. The good/done so far: 

• Brakes: I’ve replaced the rear shoes and adjusted the linkage. 
• Wiring/electrical: other than a couple of munged connectors, everything looks intact and original. Wiring matches the published diagrams. 
• Gauges are present and accounted for (albeit borked). 
• Mechanical: no visible leaks. One chip off the end of the right-side cylinder head, under the half-moon seal. All tubing is intact/original. Exhaust is original. 
• Chassis: straight, intact, and original. Bike is straight, bearings seem ok. Tires are from late 2019. 12,5xx miles on this bike seems about right. 

 How far do I want to dig into this thing? I at least want to make it safe—or as safe as I can make it. So that means… 

• Brakes: at the very least, rebuild the front caliper and master cylinder, and get new stainless- or aramid-braided lines. Finish off with semi-metallic pads and new fluid. Rear brake torque arm needs a proper mounting bolt. (This bike can use all the bite it can get!)
• Wiring/electrical: must be safe and reliable. Need to inspect the fuse box. A lot of the outer cable wrapping is on its way out, and everything is grungy. So…take apart and rewrap the main harness? What about led lighting?
• Gauges/indicators: busted. Needs new control-panel mounting parts, tach. Needs new front blinker mount. 
• Mechanical: bike should at least provide reliable power. So yes, I should rebuild the carbs; the bike runs like shit: rough idle (though better than it was), midrange bogging/surging, not much get-up-and-go. Do I need to go deeper than that?
• Chassis: check bearings/bushings/seals/fasteners. Suspension is ooooollldddd.

 What else does it need?

• New tach, indicator panel mounting
• New blinker mount
• Rebuild/sync carbs
• New exhaust seals/bushings
• New intake trumpets
• New fuel/vacuum lines
• Clean the paint off the pipes, front mudguard, rear wheel. 
• Various new bushings/mounts
• New/fixed mirrors

 What does it want?

• Chrome euro bars
• Uprated fork springs
• New shocks
• Dual-disk setup

 What don’t I want?

• Frame-up rebuild
• Top-end rebuild
• Concourse perfection

 
I’ve done some preliminary splicing and so on, and the wiring at least looks intact and original. I’ve taken apart and cleaned/greased the left handlebar switch assy, and made good progress with the chrome.  

I added another canister of grease into the swingarm fitting; still nothing coming out the ends. I’m starting to get worried, and I’ve run out of grease.  

Somebody’s been inside the carbs recently; among the spare bits was one of the air box mounts. (But not the other one.) Like a shelf mount from IKEA, only overbuilt in Japan.  (It is kind of a fun game: Where Does This Bit Go?) Vent lines are missing, as are a couple of the Absurdly Expensive Intake Trumpet Collar Springs.  www.partzilla.com/product/kawasaki/92081-047  The drool-lines for the bowls are missing, too, and one or two of them is on backwards. (Just the float bowls are backwards; not the entire carburetors.) 

Once I’d at least shoved half of the airbox into alignment—enough to stuff IKEA into the battery box on one side—the trumpets were aligned better with the throats. I can’t tell if they’re still leaking or not.*

 *(Answer: probably.)  

So it was running fine for a while the other day—other than a too-long chain—but then it started stumbling badly, like it was on three cylinders. This was long after I’d cut back the choke, so it was already warm.   

Perhaps something is going on with the carburetors. 


oil in the airbox (but no grease). Mopped it out but it looks like the drain is clogged. Drain goes to…?


Selfie after scrubbing the paint off the mudguard. Because priorities. 


Look! Shiny OEM exhaust! Leaky O’Reilly gasket tape!



IKEA bracket makes for happier airbox. 

The only things I would add to your list are all of the routine maintenance items listed in the factory service manual and the owners manual. This will eliminate a bunch of potential problems. Among the most avoided maintenance items are valve adjustment, steering bearings, and brake hydraulics (which you mentioned).

Complete carburetor cleaning. There are tutorials on this site. And yes, valve clearances should be checked. And please remove that awful air suction thingy. 

wrote:

Complete carburetor cleaning. There are tutorials on this site. And yes, valve clearances should be checked. And please remove that awful air suction thingy. 

Do you mean the vacuum-powered reed-valve snorkel thing on the exhaust side? Why or why not? Would I need to do anything about jetting/exhaust, too?

I was kinda wondering about that whole setup, and about new hoses/plumbing throughout. It’s already missing its bowl drain lines, which makes me a little nervous parking it hot. 

When the clean air system is working properly, it uses no horsepower and weighs almost nothing. It uses a vacuum operated valve to introduce fresh filtered air into the exhaust ports in order to keep the EPA happy. When the system gets really old, the rubber lines and the vacuum valve can start to leak, which can cause crazy fuel mixture fluctuations that can be hard to track down.
The easiest way to be rid of it is to connect the two reed valves together with a hose, put a plug in the air filter box where the main transfer hose goes, and toss the rest in the trash. Oh, and get some plugs for the two vacuum ports on the carbs that the small tubes from the valve connected.
The best way to get rid of the rest is to pull the cam cover, tap some threads in the transfer ports and plug them with grub screws. The reed cages will have to be retained, but the tops can be replaced with flat plates. APE makes some, or you can fab your own.

At least one of these guys has the clap.

Quick update: The rains have begun, and Grandma’s Garage is facing a naval blockade. 

 

In the meantime, I’m ordering up more bits and pieces.More soon…

An update: 

After much hemming and hawing, and uggaing and duggaing, I resected the carbs from the bike.

Wedgy wedgy  
 

Now I’ve got the intake throats cooking in a bath of wintergreen oil and rubbing alcohol. 

Squishy squishy

(Hope that wasn’t a bad idea!)