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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 29 Dec 2009 22:16 #341157

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gershom wrote:

An impact driver works very well. Not to mention no risk of injury.
The Phillip head screws on these older Jap bikes are different than what most of you have for screwdrivers. With the correct screwdriver bit, there will be no marring of the screw head.
Your pointer about setting the screwdriver first is good though. You are correct in that the force will break the corrosion formed by years of aluminum to steel. When reassembling, I use a little bit of Bel Ray assembly lube. It fills in all possible air gaps and prevents future corrosion. Don't worry about the bolts loosening up in time. If you use just a little, you won't have a problem.


Good point about the impact driver, but I don't have one, so you get the poor man's version. Also good point about the assembly lube. If you do nothing to steel screws in aluminum housings, then you will suffer the ravages of galvanic corrosion.

As to the different Phillips heads from the Japanese you are also correct, but I don't think these fasteners are on my bike. JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) screws do not have the torque-limiting tapers inside the "cross." They should also be marked with a dot outside the cross as in this example:



You will also notice the lack of a radius on the corners in the picture.

I believe that my fasteners are regular phillips head as they have no dot and they do have the radius on the corners. I have no idea if they are correct for the bike or not since I have only owned the bike for one year. Who knows what the PO did with the bike. My guess is that these fasteners are correct as my bike was built in the USA. Here's a pic of the best three fasteners I could find from my bike:



Plummen-I see it now. Usually I just blaze past the quote since I wrote the quoted section. That comment was hiding in plain sight. Would you still use those bearings if I told you that the light colored dots in the pictures are bumps that are 0.005" tall? Its really amazing to see just how much of those cam bearings never touched the cam journal.

Tomorrow's lesson will be how to tear down an upside down fork for those that are doing the conversion like me.
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 30 Dec 2009 09:21 #341191

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As promised here is the disassembly of one of the fork legs from my donor 1995 GSXR 750. This should be basically the same for any modern upside down fork. Generally speaking these forks need seals and dust covers replaced either from age or from the PO's tendancy to wheelie the bike alot. Unfortunatly, you have to tear the forks completly apart to get the seals out, and this does require special tools - usually.

Let me start with my disclaimer: I post this information for reference only. Please note that these forks have coil springs under compression, which can store a significant amount of potential energy. Anyone who attempts this himself must do so, knowing that a certain risk in inherent in this type of repair. Furthermore, I accept no responsibility for any personal injury or property damage that anyone incurs by attemting this repair themselfs.

I apologise in advance as this post will, necessarily, be lengthy with many pictures. I am assuming that you know how to get the front fork legs out of the triple trees, or you have no business trying this one.



Ok, step 1)
Make sure that you have all of your needed tools at hand, or at least a helper who knows were in the hell all of this stuff will be. I started with three crescent wrenches, (I'll explain why as I go) my trusty workbench with vise, floor jack, various wood scraps to block things up, I used a spanner socket attachment, but you would do well to have a proper fork spring compressor, small flat blade screwdriver, and a scraper.

Step 2)
Chuck that fork leg in the vise using some wood scraps to pad the vise jaws, or you'll do some real damage here. Tighten the vise carefully. Not too tight or you'll bend the outer tube. It's a thin wall aluminum tube.



Step 3)
Unscrew the preload adjuster (the smaller hex on top of the fork.) It should stop against a circlip at the top. Don't try to remove it, just back it all the way off. This removes as much tension on the spring as possible.



Step 4)
Now get out your big wrench and undo the big hex which will unscrew the whole top cap from the fork tube.



Once it comes loose, you should be able to slide the cap up until you see this:



Those holes in the metal sleeve are where you need to hook your sping compressor up to. You should really have a spring compressor here b/c most of the newer forks will have a plasic sleeve here. I am a cheapskate, and I get away with it here since my sleeve is steel.


Step 5)
Compress the spring to expose the jamb-nut pair on the end of the dampner rod. THIS IS THE DANGEROUS PART! I did it by placing my spanner socket hook in the vise. Once hooked through the hole in the steel sleeve, the spring is compressed from the bottom of the fork leg by my floor jack.



Please note that everything needs to be in a straight line, or that spring will shoot your jack out the side. Its best to keep a hand on the tube to keep it all lined up. Now jack that baby up until you see those jamb-nuts.



Here's where you really need to have those two crescent wrenches handy. The reason I used crescent wrenches is that I had no prior knowledge of what size the nuts would be. This is no time to be fumbling to find the correct wrench.



Now undo the jamb-nuts and remove the top cap. This would really be easier with the proper spring compressor, as it should have a clip to hold back the spring while you work.

Next, carefully release the jack or compressor to remove the spring pressure. Now you are safe again.
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 30 Dec 2009 09:48 #341195

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Now for part two of fork disassembly:

Step 6)
Dump out as much of that nasty oil as you can. Work the dampner rod back and forth and this will help. You can't get it all here but every bit helps.

Step 7)
Remove the sleeve and the coil spring, being sure to keep this stuff in order. Helps to do one leg at a time, then you have the other as reference. They aren't always exactly the same, but most are.



Step 8)
Unscrew the dampner from the bottom of the fork leg. This one took a 8mm allen wrench inserted through the bottom. Sometimes you have to use something to jamb the dampner from the top to get it to unscrew. Sometimes you can use an impact gun to undo the banjo bolt. I got lucky with this one. It was tight, but unscrewed without holding the dampner at all.





Step 9)
Now pry out the outer dust seal using a scraper with a fairly wide blade. (1") Be careful not to scratch that lower fork leg.






Step 10)

Remove the circlip with the small flat screwdriver.



Step 11)
Carefully pull the upper, and lower fork legs apart. This may require some force since the seal is a light press fit in the upper fork leg.



Step 12)
Clean up everything as you are likely quite oily by now.

Step 13)
Have a beer! You are halfway to saving yourself $250!
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 03 Jan 2010 14:23 #341703

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testarossa wrote:

OMR I had considered your idea about the steering stem, but I was concerned about the KZ stem being welded into the lower clamp. So did you grind out the weld, and then press out the stem? Which direction did the stem press out? This sleeve would def. be easier to turn than a whole new stem. A little less "Government Work" would be easier to get approved by the Boss-man.

Grind the weld off the bottom and press the stem out from the bottom. take the gxr stem chuck it in the lathe and drill a hole in the end the same size as the KZ stems bottom O.D. now cut the end off and u have a sleeve for the bottom of the KZ stem. Press the stem into the sleeve then press the sleeve and new stem back into the GSXR tree. Done. i drilled and bolted through all 3 pieces for piece of mind.
Now make new steering stops.
For the gauges , u can cut the gauge tabs off the KZ top tree and weld them on the GXSR tree.
Now just hunt up some risers on ebay. I used some off an old yz125 I think?B)
Here is a link to my project.
kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...w&catid=11&id=103381

look through the projects, there are lots of guys who have documented this for your help. OMR did a very nice right up.
As for the cam bearings. if they are bent up as u say, u may be able to find new 1's on ebay, or in the for sale section hear.
If they are not to bad , u could rap emery paper around the cam journal and rotate the bearing around it to sand off the bumps. but in the end, if u are not happy with these, get some more. u should have no trouble finding good used 1's . they dont wear out.
76 KZ, frame gusset work,1200CC.Ported by Larry Cavanaugh, 1.5mm.over intakes, Carron Pipe, ZRX12 rear end, and seat,96zx9 front end.
01 CBR600F4i Track bike.
Cobourg, Ont. Can.

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 03 Jan 2010 14:31 #341704

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Dont skimp on the frame gussets. there will be no point in firming up the front and rear end if u dont firm up the middle(frame) . B)
Good luck.
Mark
76 KZ, frame gusset work,1200CC.Ported by Larry Cavanaugh, 1.5mm.over intakes, Carron Pipe, ZRX12 rear end, and seat,96zx9 front end.
01 CBR600F4i Track bike.
Cobourg, Ont. Can.

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 03 Jan 2010 15:08 #341710

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testarossa wrote:

Monday update here. Also, looks like the alternator rotor spun on the crankshaft. The end of the crank was slightly galled and that bugger was a bear to remove. I need to get some pics of the hidden bolts to remove before you try to split the cases. I'll try to post these tomorrow.

how are u going to resolve this?
this is common to the z1 cranks. the kz crank has a big ass bolt on the rotor (95ft.lbs.)the z1 is small(17ft.lbs.) if i recall correctly. u will want to have the crank welded to prevent the pins from slipping. they are only press fit together and with added cc's and compresion they recommend welding.
I have 1 in great shape, all welded and redy to go . PM me if interested.
76 KZ, frame gusset work,1200CC.Ported by Larry Cavanaugh, 1.5mm.over intakes, Carron Pipe, ZRX12 rear end, and seat,96zx9 front end.
01 CBR600F4i Track bike.
Cobourg, Ont. Can.

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 06 Jan 2010 08:12 #342001

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Thanks for the pointers Mark1122. I must say that your bike has served as inspiration as well as OMR's. I finally found OMR's build thread and I will consider my options for the stem.

As far as the crank is concerned the galled section is just the tapered end where the rotor mounts. I just figured that I could polish and re-assemble. Will this not work? My plan is to use this motor with stock pistons so I want to slap it back together as cheaply as possible. I will be spending most of my budget on frame mods and paint. Once I get it running I'll start working on the hot-rod motor. Possibly next year on that one, so hang on to that crank for me.

Finally, I plan on gusseting the frame myself. This actually raises a point. What size tubing are we using for frame braces? Is everyone using 4130? What wall thickness are the standard frame tubes?
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 06 Jan 2010 19:06 #342050

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I could not over come the rotor slipping until i replaced it. i tried lapping it on with valve grind compound, and red locktite. it keeps coming loose and stranding me.each time it would shear the woodriff key, and score the crank a little bit more.
so i gave in and replaced it.
u could try a harder bolt. i actual got a spare crank end to test a harder bolt in. i thought i could torque it until lt it stripped, then i would know how many ft lbs torque it could handle before failure. but i never bothered to test it. i just got another crank. i had guys tell me they used a harder bolt and a impact gun, but that was too unscientific for me. lol.
On the gussets, moly would be lighter, but not necessary. u dont need to go as thick as stock wall thickness. i have some info if u would like it just PM me with your e mail addy.
76 KZ, frame gusset work,1200CC.Ported by Larry Cavanaugh, 1.5mm.over intakes, Carron Pipe, ZRX12 rear end, and seat,96zx9 front end.
01 CBR600F4i Track bike.
Cobourg, Ont. Can.

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 06 Jan 2010 19:19 #342052

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Funny, mine doesn't have a woodriff key.
You have PM.
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 07 Jan 2010 14:01 #342121

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testarossa wrote:

Funny, mine doesn't have a woodriff key.
You have PM.

Sorry, I’m bad. u have a 78. OK then, u should have a large bolt in the rotor end. check and see if it is about 10mm , or a smaller 8mm. I could be wrong on the exact size, but if u have the small 1 it's not great. Most 78/80 kz's have the big 1, but not all.
But the same applies to what I said above. u must reduce the scoring on both surfaces to have a chance. But if u have the big bolt, u have a better chance of success.
I will try to round up some info for u on the week end.B)
Have fun with your build. And thanks for the great write up on dismantaling the shocks. i will keep a for copy myself. B)
76 KZ, frame gusset work,1200CC.Ported by Larry Cavanaugh, 1.5mm.over intakes, Carron Pipe, ZRX12 rear end, and seat,96zx9 front end.
01 CBR600F4i Track bike.
Cobourg, Ont. Can.

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 24 Jan 2010 19:49 #344419

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I know its been a while since my last post, but I have been a busy boy. First I must publicly thank Mark for all of the info that he has sent me about frame bracing. The man is a saint. He has saved me many hours of research. I hope that I can return the favor in the future.

Now, on to the progress. I have taken Mark's suggestion and pressed the KZ1000 steering stem into the lower triple clamp from the GSXR. I had to turn a spacer on the lathe at work, and I couldn't wait to press it in, so no pictures. Now thanks to a new tapered bearing kit courtesy of the fine folks at Z1 I now have the front end on the bike. Unfortunatly, when I cleaned all of the accumulated dirt from the forks, I discovered that the right lower fork leg is TOAST. Loads of tiny chips in the chrome. That thing is a cheese grater. Not putting my new fork seals on that one. Found a whole front end on Ebay, which the seller assures me is in perfect condition. So the cheese grater will suffice for mock-up purposes and spare parts. I also decided to weld up some proper front end tools which I will will use when I rebuild the new front fork.

DIY fork spring compressor.

I also turned a pair of spacers to fit the GSXR swingarm to the KZ pivot bolt. Basically, just drilled and bored the inside diameter to fit closely on the the pivot bolt (0.630" IIRC.) The outside diameter was turned to match the GSXR pivot, and the flanges on either side were 0.050" thick to tightly locate the swingarm in the frame. The swingarm was 0.100" narrower than the frame, and believe me that this thing is tight.


Now I need to weld in mounting tabs for the mono-shock linkage and the upper shock mount. At that point I will have a rolling chassis. WOO-HOO, party, milestone! Then I can start fabricating frame gussets.

Starting to look like a motorcycle again.


With the current suspension, you could say that the rear end feels a little "wooden."
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN

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Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build 26 Jan 2010 19:42 #344830

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Thanks for the kudo's. I'm glad i could help.i may need a good machinist some day.lol. Just kidding.
What did u get for the new front end?
I am going to modify my zx9 top tree. i want to lower it to raise the front end an inch. This will help me satisfy the rear ride height , which is too high at the moment.
76 KZ, frame gusset work,1200CC.Ported by Larry Cavanaugh, 1.5mm.over intakes, Carron Pipe, ZRX12 rear end, and seat,96zx9 front end.
01 CBR600F4i Track bike.
Cobourg, Ont. Can.

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