1966 Kawasaki A1 Samurai restoration project

I definately wouldn't be hacking up stock pipes! That's crazy!

You have a 45 y/o bike, the last thing you should be worrying about is performance. lol Get it road worthy and reliable, then play with pipes, etc. Is that a rotary engine? Send Harry an email if you are going to tweak it at all. www.klemmvintage.com/ Nice guy and he knows his stuff.

Personally, like my Z1, I take it for what it is. If I want to go fast I'll get another ZX6R. Just DO NOT F**K with those original pipes!

531blackbanshee wrote: see what i found on that highwayman page :ohmy:

leon

I like those. Can't seem to find a price for them so I think I will email them.

Kidkawie wrote: I definately wouldn't be hacking up stock pipes! That's crazy!

You have a 45 y/o bike, the last thing you should be worrying about is performance. lol Get it road worthy and reliable, then play with pipes, etc. Is that a rotary engine? Send Harry an email if you are going to tweak it at all. www.klemmvintage.com/ Nice guy and he knows his stuff.

Personally, like my Z1, I take it for what it is. If I want to go fast I'll get another ZX6R. Just DO NOT F**K with those original pipes!

They're beat up pretty bad, and getting replaced. Just want to dissect them LOL

After stripping and removing the 14 screws on the clutch cover, it was off! I will be replacing them with allen bolts.





A pic of the clutch assembly




Not sure if this is a big deal, but on inspection, I found that this one plate has a broken tab. I'm guessing a PO didn't have a clutch holder tool...





The clutch off, and done for the day...

If you do get silencers, go mad, they're cool as shit, but get silencers for sure.

Today I went crazy in the garage. I removed the left side cove, oil pump, left side (rotary) valve cover, the alternator cover, and the alternator. I am hoping there is a way to bench test the alternator, since I don't know if it's working properly. I did bench test the rectifier and found it to be bad, so I am going to attempt to replace that with a regulator/rectifier unit if possible.

I also removed the primary gear nut and washer, and in the process lost one of the pins from a piston pin roller bearing. It fell into the engine, so I will find that when I split the cases. Before I can do that though, I need to figure out how to remove the actual primary gear! I removed the nut and the lock washer, but I still can't pull it off the shaft. I've gone through the parts lists and only see the nut and washer...so I don't think there's any kind of clip holding it on...Any thoughts?

Spent a little time trying to get that primary gear off. I did manage to move it out an inch or so, which may be enough to get at the rotary valve, and split the cases. I also flipped the motor and removed all the case nuts off of the studs in preparation for splitting the cases. Here's a few pics to hold you guys over til next time:

Search around for an old print of a clymer repair manual for that bike. I got one for my KE100 with the special "Hop Up" section that describes a TON of tuning you can do to those engines. From building a custom intake to modifying the rotary valve, cutting pistons, etc. I got my copy off Ebay for like $5, but my version is based on the rotary singles, not twin.

Between that and the info Klemms gave me I have alot of ideas for the winter. I can only get 55mph on my KE, trying to get another 10mph out of it. Those rotary engines have a ton of potential.

Kidkawie wrote: I can only get 55mph on my KE, trying to get another 10mph out of it. Those rotary engines have a ton of potential.

this from the guy that said:

You have a 45 y/o bike, the last thing you should be worrying about is performance. :pinch: :whistle: :silly: :woohoo:

leon

531blackbanshee wrote:

Kidkawie wrote: I can only get 55mph on my KE, trying to get another 10mph out of it. Those rotary engines have a ton of potential.

this from the guy that said:

You have a 45 y/o bike, the last thing you should be worrying about is performance. :pinch: :whistle: :silly: :woohoo:

leon

LOL. I have a clymer for the bike, though I'm not sure if it has a performance section or not. I'm doing this to make sure the bike is safe and roadworthy. I want to keep it as stock as possible, and spend very little money on it (LOL). My intention is to have this bike as my daily rider (decent gas mileage)...and maybe to show off a little too , and the 750 E3 will be for fun rides in the twisties

EDIT: Locally, the highest speed limit is 50mph where I mostly ride. 55mph if I feel like going fo a long drive...so top speed is not a huge issue.

So......

I went into the garage tonight, and since I have the primary gear moved out a little on the shaft, I pulled the right valve cover out of the way and attempted to split the cases since I already removed those nuts. I don't think I budged the darn thing AT ALL!

I need some advice here. I was thinking that maybe a little of the magic 3-in-1 oil on the studs while upside down soaking for a while may help, but what else might work???

I took my own advice and I dribbled some 3-in-1 oil over all the case studs. That stuff worked wonders for freeing up the gunk on the brakes, so it can't hurt. I will try again tomorrow to see if that did the trick.