Brat-ish build: '81 KZ-440B

cmazzoni16 wrote: Looks great! What did you do with the front master cylinder? I just replaced my bars and they are to short for the large master cylinder.
I started changing them tonight but ran into the master cylinder being to large.

like ed said, i have the cheapo kz440-B, which was the economy model. no discs for me!


also, I put the cyl head cover back on this afternoon. The manual says to adjust the valve clearances at the very end after putting everything back together, but I didn't remove the rocker shaft or anything, so would i still need to? i didn't adjust them, so if I made a mistake let me know

If you remove the rocker box,recheck your valve lash.
Just like retorqing the head,always double check your work.

Nebr_Rex wrote: If you remove the rocker box,recheck your valve lash.
Just like retorqing the head,always double check your work.

I only removed the head cover, i didn't touch the rockers or rocker shafts, so i just can't believe that anything could change without touching the screw and locknut. hmmm....but I should probably be safe than sorry

Well I mustered the patience today to replace the fork seals. I followed the FSM and also a few threads about it, all-in-all it wen't pretty smooth. The hardest part for me was removing that dang wire retaining clip for the top plug. Pushing it down, in order to get to the clip proved pretty difficult. I had to soak it in PB Blaster, torch it, then put it back in the triples to break it free until it could push down. I guess after sitting for 31 years like that, it was little stubborn to move.

Only about half of the proper amount of fluid came out when draining, so it was definitely due. The front felt really soft before.

I opted to use Ams-Oil synthetic 10w-30 instead of ATF or fork oil (no mc shops were open today). I weigh 180 and drive pretty aggressively, so I think i'll like the stiffer feel.



The seals didn't look too bad actually, but while its all apart to change the fluid, I might as well pop the old ones out. I had to heat up the fork tube around the seal before I could pry it out with a claw hammer.

Old:



I also decided to put on some fork gaiters instead of dust boots, and paint the forks black. Eventually the entire wheel and spokes will be black too.





I'll update with pic once the front wheel is back on. I still need to put on new tires, rear brakes, sprockets and chain sometime this winter.

Alright well here she is. The only issue yet is I think i screwed up the whole "brake pad synchronization" thing, as they aren't functioning up front properly after following the steps in the the fsm. I guess i'll repeat that later.

Looks sharp!

Last week I took care of all the oil leaks she had:

right side crank gasket, oil pressure switch, engine cover gaskets again, left side shift rod gaskets.

I also finally adjusted the front brake to where I feel somewhat safe.

We had 60 degrees here in Cleveland today, so out she went!





I have new sprockets and chain on order.

Do you guys think I should repaint the tank? All gloss black?

How about some color matching pin striping on the front fender and side covers?

Nebr_Rex wrote: How about some color matching pin striping on the front fender and side covers?

That would look good, but i'm going for more of the black death look. I want to eventually paint the wheels all black as well. Maybe I should do the tank in a dark silver.

well I got done with the last bit of stuff (minus the seat, which will come when I find someone with a welder). I got new tires put on (the only work i didn't do myself on the whole thing), painted the wheels, and replaced sprockets and chain. I also cut off the passenger foot pegs and support tubes, so it cleans up the frame a lot in the back.

Check out some Day 1 >>> Today pics:














I'm probably going to paint the tank a dark gunmetal color in the future as well.

I like it bro! I think you should leave the tank the way it is. It has that old British look to it.

tjgonz wrote: Maybe Ive gotten lucky but my bike runs primo with pods..

I encountered the same "Don't do it!!" on the Honda forum before I did this to my CB750:



Properly tuned and jetted, It ran better than before. MUCH better.

I am now building a KZ1100, will do the same thing and see if it works....if it does, I will start or contribute to an existing "pod" thread, if not, I will keep my mouth shut...

BTW, front and rear wheels look familiar?