'80 KZ550 Project

Nice job on the tank. Check out my signature for some manua1s for the 550 C.
I also have some TK-22 carb info there as well.

A lot has happened in two weeks.

I had to chase down gremlins in just about every area.

I started this project without even hearing the bike run. Dumb. dumb. dumb idea. oh well.
I managed to reuse some metal from the rear fender i sectioned and I made that throttle cable bracket that sits on the rack-o-carbs. Then I broke the push throttle cable....joy.. one down, one to go!

The bare bones wiring was simple enough.

Big thanks to Lou! your site is wonders! i had it on the iphone while adjusting clutch, then on my ipad so i could read it hahah.

Had a hell of a time with chasing down starting issues!!! no spark to 1&4 so i swapped wires from 2&3 coil to check if it was still good.. yup..so then I thought it was pick up coils. with ign in on position i tapped magnet in center of 2&3 pickup coil and i got spark, then tried 1&4, nothing. so i swapped wires on pickup coils to test the 1&4...it was good... I checked over everything with a multimeter and it all looked good except the ignitor!!

someone along the years hacked this thing to bits!! the insulating rubber was gone and in its place was rock hard pink shit. wasnt paraffin wax.


problem was my black wire that gave 1&4 coil the ground. was busted off inside. so i chipped it all out and re soldered it. no effin way was I spending couple hundred on a factory replacement :sick: hahah


very simple fender struts. bent rod with 1/2" tube welded on end for bolt hole.



I re mounted my tank, chain guard and built a chain tensioner. I need pics obviously.

Installed stock kz exhaust, and mounted my headlight.

I really like the stance my next project will be similar keep the pics coming nice work

ramtough_63 wrote: I really like the stance my next project will be similar keep the pics coming nice work

thanks!

Im trying to take many pics but theres only so much space in a shed!

whats your next project going to be? Im really diggin your Z1, in fact because of your build I nearly lopped off my hardtail last week hahaha

i been feelin the love for the hard tail lately. I may never finish mine but I really want a side project

Doing a great job. Loving the ingenuity. That is going to be one kickbutt KZ when you get done.

First start after owning the bike for 2 years... can you tell I was surprised?
this pic is a link

p.s. I agreed with my girlfriend that I would quit smoking as soon as I got my bike running....I never thought it would start..

looks like your gonna be smoke free real soon!
Look at it this way you will have more money to buy stuff!

ramtough_63 wrote: looks like your gonna be smoke free real soon!
Look at it this way you will have more money to buy stuff!

The bike would be done in no time. I thought cutting back from $14 a pack of cigarettes (25 pack) to a $7.30 pack of bullzeye unfiltered cigarillos was a compromise haha nope.

why would I quit smoking all together? Because my bike is going to kill me a whole hell of a lot faster!! :evil:

Excellent progress!

I never saw a thread on your electrical. But I checked the diagram you have posted in this thread. The original regulator/rectifier should have had a brown wire. That wire is critical for the regulator to work. If it's left disconnected the regulator passes full alternator power to the battery. It's very easy to cause a meltdown that way. The brown wire should be connected to the switched, 12v, yellow wire that you have going to the ignition.

Some other KZ reg/recs, and some aftermarket reg/recs don't have the brown wire. They sense the battery voltage through the red wire. So if yours has no brown wire (and looks as if it never had one) then your diagram looks complete.

If you ever need a new igniter, (nice job on fixing the old one!) you can make one for about $35. Click on the HEImod in my signature. Your igniter is the older type (1980), but the mod should be able to replace that one as well.

Make sure to read the valve train warning before removing the valve cover on the motor.

I'm not sure if you saw this:
The clutch adjustment in one of the manuals (i now have the FSM up there) is wrong for some of the 550's. There is more than one type of clutch actuator. The older one uses a big screw type actuator. The newer one uses a 3-ball/ramp type. The later ones have the procedure reversed, but I'm not sure if it's the same or not for the older type. I have details for it on my site, but yours may be an older type, so I'm not sure if it applies.

On my TK-22 site, I have details for setting floats very roughly while the carbs are taken apart so you can get something close to start with. If the needles have circular marks around the tips, then you will likely need new needles and seats. Z1 enterprises sells them separately, but I would recommend getting rebuild kits. They don't cost way more than the just needles and seats, and you get a lot more parts.

New needles and seats usually require a change in float setting because the needles are slightly longer.

On the tk22 site I have details on modifying the fast-idle setting for the choke. That sometimes helps with cold starting. It's pretty easy, but I think you could do it in your sleep.

Also look into the choke flap details. Those are problematic on those carbs.

loudhvx wrote: Excellent progress!

I never saw a thread on your electrical. But I checked the diagram you have posted in this thread. The original regulator/rectifier should have had a brown wire. That wire is critical for the regulator to work. If it's left disconnected the regulator passes full alternator power to the battery. It's very easy to cause a meltdown that way. The brown wire should be connected to the switched, 12v, yellow wire that you have going to the ignition.

Some other KZ reg/recs, and some aftermarket reg/recs don't have the brown wire. They sense the battery voltage through the red wire. So if yours has no brown wire (and looks as if it never had one) then your diagram looks complete.

If you ever need a new igniter, (nice job on fixing the old one!) you can make one for about $35. Click on the HEImod in my signature. Your igniter is the older type (1980), but the mod should be able to replace that one as well.

Make sure to read the valve train warning before removing the valve cover on the motor.

I'm not sure if you saw this:
The clutch adjustment in one of the manuals (i now have the FSM up there) is wrong for some of the 550's. There is more than one type of clutch actuator. The older one uses a big screw type actuator. The newer one uses a 3-ball/ramp type. The later ones have the procedure reversed, but I'm not sure if it's the same or not for the older type. I have details for it on my site, but yours may be an older type, so I'm not sure if it applies.

On my TK-22 site, I have details for setting floats very roughly while the carbs are taken apart so you can get something close to start with. If the needles have circular marks around the tips, then you will likely need new needles and seats. Z1 enterprises sells them separately, but I would recommend getting rebuild kits. They don't cost way more than the just needles and seats, and you get a lot more parts.

New needles and seats usually require a change in float setting because the needles are slightly longer.

On the tk22 site I have details on modifying the fast-idle setting for the choke. That sometimes helps with cold starting. It's pretty easy, but I think you could do it in your sleep.

Also look into the choke flap details. Those are problematic on those carbs.

I wasnt quite too sure about the brown wire from the reg/rec so I followed the wire on the diagram and sure enough it went back to ign. I put connectors on and attached it to the acc terminal. with the key in the run position it provides 12v to the "ign" terminal and "acc" as well.

I left the wire out out of the diagram because I included it in the acc/lights category, not just getting the darn thing running category :laugh:

the vin on the engine says kz550a I believe, no idea the year, and the frame is a kz550c...I dont know if there is a difference in wiring or if the 550a engine needed that wire but i hooked it up anyway.

when this ignitor goes kaput, Im going to do your HEI mod for sure! props for providing that info.


the clutch is the newer 3-ball/ramp type.

What happened with the carbs was under the 1st carbs float needle there was gunk and it wasnt allowing it to seat properly. after having gas spew, i hooked the kill switch back up into the equation.


as for the two missing choke flaps, I made them using metal from the stock gas tank haha. the pins and springs were still in tact. now theres two silver, and two primer red haha. work great, open and close fully! I can post up pics for other people if they want measurements or a how to.



"enough suspense, turn the key already"
day time!