1978 Z1R. Done except for one small thing! UPDATED

(Scroll down to the bottom for the update and tips on tank corrosion removal!)

I've posted many times about this on again / off again project of mine. Well, it's pretty much done ('cept for a small snag)

This 1978 Was my own bike back when it was new and when I worked at a Kawi / Suzuki dealership here in Winnipeg.

I rode it for almost 2 seasons and sold it to a guy who painted it candy lime gold and crashed it 3 or 4 times and parked it about 3 years after buying it.

Nostalgia got the best of me and I bought it... Soon wondering what I had gotten myself intto.

When I found it 12 years ago it wa a twisted, rusted hulk and the frame (having been rear-ended) was (in my opinion) too bent to be salvaged so I ended up using the frame from a basket case donor bike I found. GET THIS: The 2 bikes were bought 1,600 miles apart but the frame serial numbers only vary by 18 digits (both low 000200 bikes) So for all intents the numbers are close enough to the engine number to look matching (per se since kawi never matched them up exactly)

Over the last several years i procured a whack of NOS parts, some decent bodywork and slowly chipped away at the re-build.

It was done last week only to have the bike sputter and cough as I limped it home from my buddy's shop where it had been for the past 14 months during it's final assembly.

As posted in another thread, the tank (that looked excellent when I had it re-painted years ago) had a white liner in it ("Kreme" I'm guessing) Anyhow, the fresh gas reacted with it and it began to break down and contaminated the fuel and carbs.

I'm giving the tank a slow vinegar treatment (3 or 4 restoration guys I know use it and if you are patient it seems to work well) I really do not want to re-line the thing and it actually does not look too bad inside. I blew a ton of big plastic chunks and newspaper-thin sheets of liner out of the tank with a pressure washer and then compressed air. The stuff was probably never applied properly (or the tank not prepped) Anyhow, I hate that stuff. I need to post pics of that junk that came out. You'll laugh!

Gotta' yank and clean the carbs, then sync 'em and I should be good to go (with the addition of a good in-line fuel filter)

I used a ton of new NOS parts including a holy grail seat I found online still in the Kawasaki box and while the stock exhaust had been taken off and was hiding under the seller's bed (he put a Kerker on it the day he bought it from me and if i hadn't been for that like-new exhaust I might never have ended up buying it) I recently did find a 100% MINT NOS muffler (which I did not need to put on the bike) and I am saving it. It's a very good "spare" to have.

Frame and other parts like the stands, battery box, swing-arm etc. have been powder-coated and the only real mod is the addition of a stainless Allen bolt set. Not stock, but a nice touch and I have the originals in the rare event of me selling it.

Gauges were done by Z-Resto (Bob does awesome work and yes, that is the original mileage (in kilometers)

The paint was done over 10 years ago by master painter Gerry Dola from Winnipeg. It was one of the last jobs he did before he retired. Had it painted and the parts sat patiently in my basement until they got hung just last week. The paint is so accurate it fooled a Kawi parts man from the era into thinking it was NOS. color, tone, depth, pin-striping, metallic quality and clear coat all perfectly re-created. Gerry was a true artist but sadly like too many old guys he painted for years without protection and his lungs are shot as a result.

Side-covers, fairing and trim strips are original (re-painted of course) The tank and tail were too damaged to salvage. I never noticed the liner when I got the tank many years ago (would have been much better to have attempted the de-rustification on an unpainted tank) Found some good expanding plugs to prevent leakage and I hope the vinegar does the trick. Don't care to use anything more caustic like acid although I hear a product called "Evaporust" is good without getting to intense.

Grips, mirrors, emblems, signals, sprockets and chain, cables, hoses, levers, tires and battery of course all new, and probably 100 other nuts, bolts, and odds and sods went onto it. Little things like the instrument "jewel" (oil, signal, neutral, high beam strip) stem and handlebar bolts, windshield hardware really add to the fresh look. Engine, wheels and brakes all got a re-paint and the forks were re-built, stripped and re-cleared. All cases were brought back to original luster. Master cylinders re-built, top end and clutch were all freshened up. Shocks disassembled and re-painted.

Pics are nothing special and the bike is pretty dusty but I'll do a nice outdoor set when the tank goes on and it gets a spit-shine. Also included a snap of my 1980 GS1100 for anyone who likes them.

Many times I questioned my sanity about taking this project one and it was not without its stress and discouragement, but for the 15 minutes I rode it before the carbs got sewered it ran like new and took me right back to the summer of 1978.

Gimmie another week or two (been over 30 years so a few more days is no biggie)


Wayne














UPDATE!

You've seen the "Before pics" above... I'm using some unique plugs to seal the tank:

Found a great expanding plug at a hot tub place that has a wing_nut to fatten it up and perfectly seal the filler hole.



Lucked out and had a wine bottle stopper that fit the petcock perfectly.



What I needed was something to fit the oval hole beside the petcock that accomodates the fuel sensor. Being an oval shape it was very awkward. A friend lent me a device called a "Chubby" that is a rubber bladder with an air valve on it. Pumped it up to 60 PSI for an amazing seal.




My buddy found it at a garage sale and neither he or I had ever seen one like it... Cool little tool. Here's the box it came in.




Currently treating the inside of the tank with 2 gallons of fresh vinegar... dumped out the first batch after 6 days and the difference inside is amazing! l don't own a pressure washer but just used my garden hose to rinse it out. tons more paper thin stuff came out revealing very nice silvery metal surfaces... it really looks good but some thin remains of the coating are still apparent (90% gone though) It's the kind of residue that you can remove with your finger.

I put in 2 fresh gallons in and plan on giving it a few more days. then using a pressure washer and a powerful air compressor. Hopefully that'll blow all the crap out.

If all goes well does anyone know a treatment that treats or etches metal to prevent corrosion? I suspect the vinegar being a mild acid may well remove the galvanizing and make the metal prone to rusting.

I think the vinegar treatment is an amazing process... Very effective and unlike much more powerful acids and other caustic chemicals your doesn't put your paint in jeopardy.

Will post pics of the tank when it's done.
W

WOW! That is beautiful! Envy the patients, never had much myself but it seems to have paid off for the most part. Can't wait to see it in daylight!

Les

Now thats a fine job !!!!!
Enjoy the fruits of your labor !!!!

Beautiful bike! All your bikes look nice.

I think one can call you pedantic. And I mean that in a good way

I'll take that as a compliment!

Sweet bike!

good job sir.

it is absolutely beautiful



leon

Beautiful!

Great to see another one saved from the boneyard.

Your perseverance is impressive; the bike looks great!

Jon

that is sooooo cool...great work

Very nice job on the resto. My hat is off to you sir. Thanks for posting this.How about an update?