78 z1r re-do or The Return of Captain Belk

being as how adam saw fit to out me in his post :pinch: .
i thought that i should create a thread detailing the saga of my newest acquisition a 1978 z1r that belonged to a good friend of mine.
my buddy had this z1r for a few years and was just running it into the ground.to the point where he rode it back and forth to work last year with no tag,barely charging.
i had talked to him last year about fixing it up and he sounded like he wanted to.i told him if i could help him or get him some deals on parts to help out to let me know.

never heard from him all winter.
so i started trying to get ahold of him a few weeks back.
after a few messages he calls me back.
we chatted about life and all.then i said "hey is your bike ready to ride?you know it is riding season".

he goes"well i been wanting to talk to you about that."
i'm like okay whats up?he goes "do you want my bike."
i said"wow,i am not in any position to buy your bike."
he goes"i did not ask if you wanted to buy my bike,i asked if you wanted my bike."

i'm starting to trip.

i said "well if you are not going to keep it,of course i want it."

i said "i did not call up to fu<k you outta your bike,i was just trying to get you to get it back up in shape."

he goes"i'm not going to fix it up,i want a late model gixxer that i can just beat on.i only bought it because you always had a z1r and you liked them.he goes i know if i give it to you that you will fix it up and i won't feel like a bum asking to ride it,because i gave it to you."

i said"your bike is worth money",he goes "i don't care i just want you to come and get it."

i said are you sure?

he goes"yes i want you to have it."

i said "alright then man,i'll be there in the morning."

here are some pics of it at my house :evil: .

rh


lh



rear


front






leon

Wow, Leon that's a heck of a score. You ain't kiddin' that your buddy was riding it into the ground. So when do you start building the swingarm? :whistle:

Dang Leon...and another is saved! I'll bet that bike was about one year from being parked in a field and forgotten.

Freebie

Nada

Zip

Zilch


A free Z1R, Nice score!

Guess the motto is right becuase this one won't go out to pasture. Have a plan for it yet?

now my buddy has done this kinda thing to me before.i was building his kz900 engine into a 1075 and was almost through with the port work on the head and he calls me up and goes "i sold the rolling chassis for the 900".my mouth dropped open.i said "what?"
he goes "i want you to keep my engine and parts and use it in your 900 or something."

i was building his 900/1075 and one identical for my cousins kz900.i was almost through with his and had not even done anything except bought the parts for my cousins engine.

then my cousin gets killed in a street bike accident and his wife gave me the kz900 we we're building for my cousin.

so i will use the 900/1075 engine in my cousins tribute kz900 that adam is building carbon body parts for.my buddy is super stoked that i am using his engine in that bike.i am going to build it the way my cousin wanted.low,long,sidewinder,big back tire,knuckledraggin,street brawler.

but,

this z1r is going to built the way i want.

low dollar,
but "right".
only skrimpin on money,not the goods.:lol:
it will get whatever it needs but i will try to get the stuff as cheap as possible.

the plan is "my" version of what a elr z1r would have looked like.no front end conversion,no mono shock.a gs swingarm factory mags stock frontend,powdercoated braced frame.rebuilt engine,carbs,refurbed header.
back up in good shape with a braced powdered frame,so that the bike can be added or subtracted from as i please.
it will be my back up bike/buddy/guest bike.maybe my wife will ride it a little,she has already said "well you have enough z1r's that i can have one now".

here is a shot of the dash,



another,cracked but all there and repairable




leon

i do not believe in "naming"bikes.if you do thats your business,but i don't.

having said that this one showed up with a name :sick: .




dohh :pinch: .well i guess i needed someway to designate it apart :blush: .

testa,
no custom swingarm. at first :evil: :whistle: .
this project is getting done on the side,after the others have had there attention.but as quick as possible.i am trying to have it ready for our memorial ride in sept./oct.
so i will use a gs swingarm that i already have,and stock wheels.

michael,
you are right.
if i had not rescued it,it probably would not have seen the light of day for a long time.

leon

the worst part was what you seen.
it was woe out and dumpster funky :ohmy: .
as i started peeling it back i was surprised at how complete it was.the wiring harness does not seem to have been butchered.big plus there .one fairing bracket has been broken.



it was white when he bought it.so he flat blacked it,didn't like that so he gave it some blue highlights,all without taping off or removing anything but the seat. :sick:

emgo pods with different silicones used to seal them up.




but the carb boots are not cracked.

leon

oversize battery shoved down in the box.




it was missing one sidecover and the one that was there may as well have been missing.all the tabs were broke off and someone had drilled holes though it and zip tied it to the frame.
both seat rails were present but the right side one had a mounting tab broke.both pieces are present so it will be repaired.
i went digging through my z1r stuff and came up with two real nice sidecovers with emblems intact,and a spare right side seat rail to replace the broken one.
i used to wonder why i only had one seat rail,:huh: .haha now i know :silly: .








leon

can anyone tell me what carbs these are?



they measure 29mm on the intake throat.

leon

531blackbanshee wrote:

leon

Those look like Z1 28mm carbs to me.

Good deal on the free Z1R, btw.

Later, Doug

i charged the battery,and started kicking.(because when bear put the covers back on he left out the starter gear,and broke a couple bolts off in the cases )
wore myself out kicking,and sat down to rest thinking about how much i like elctric starters :lol: .
after my rest i got up to kick some more.
but before i straddled it i grabbed the bars and leaned down and said "now look,i am not bear.if you are going to be part of this team you are going to have give me something to show me that you want to be here."
second kick she started,woohoo :woohoo: .i was all grins,but it would not pull clean kinda stumbly,god awful timing chain noise,and leaking oil out of every cover.

oh well i had my sign,she's gonna make it!!!!!!!!

so i invited another friend out to check it out.
after we had looked it all over,
i said well i guess we should tear it down.
my buddy goes "knock it in the head?"
i said " well bear said that it jumps outta second gear,it leaks outta every cover,it smokes and the timing chain components sound like they are trashed".
(i felt bad for even making it run,but i had to know.)
so an hour later the bike was stripped and the frame is waiting on bracing and a ride to the powdercoater.



leon