Better Than Nothing---The rebirth of a Superbike.

Getting ready to put my top end on my MK II. My fancy cylinder head will be back shortly!!! Found me some new piston pins for my Moriwaki pistons. Got all the gasket areas nice and clean. Spent some time cleaning my pistons up, and ready for the new rings, and then assembly!!!

Wish someone would let me borrow their Kawasaki factory ring compressor tool (57001-532) This will be the first KZ motor that I have put together since 1985!!! And the first without the factory ring compressor. This should really be fun for me. Just wish I could rent a factory ring compressor from someone.


All nice and clean and ready for assembly!!!

Still waiting on my cylinder head to arrive. So I am getting everything else ready for final assembly. The CR Keihins that I am using on this bike have sat in a box for 32 years, When I fired the bike up last year for the first time, I had some fuel leaking out of the inlet fuel tees. So I decided to replace every O-ring in these carbs. Glad I did!!!!! They were all flat, and mostly hard as rocks. I had all but one O-ring on hand. So I only had to order one O-ring. Plus I decided to lean the jetting out just like I had to for my Mikuni flatslides on my GSXR750. I had to drop 4 main jet sizes just to get a nice plug color. So I did the same on the CR's. Lean is mean.

I can't wait to start putting this motor back together. I kinda remember it sounds like it will rip your arm off!!!! YEA BABY!!!!

VERY CLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!

Thats another nice thing about race gas, it don't turn to goop in your carbs like pump gas does!!!!

It just leaves a pink film in the bowls. A quick spray of carb cleaner, and its gone!!!

BENCH TEST!!!

Can't find my test bottle, so I rigged up the freshly rebuilt CR's to my recently repainted fuel tank to see if anything leaks.

Well after 3 hours with both petcocks turned on, NO LEAKS, or any sign of fuel coming from anywhere!!!!

Now on to the pistons, and other things I have to do before I can assemble the top end.




I love it when a plan comes together!!!!!

Got my butt in gear today!!! Getting ready for top end assembly. All the little parts have been washed in Safety Kleen, inspected, and ready for assemble. Waiting for OOPS (UPS) to drop off my cylinder head today. Then I can to start to put that together finally!!!

The cylinder has been freshly honed. Got a real nice cross-hatch pattern. Smokey would definitely approve of the way it came out. I forgot how messy honing really is!!! I got little drops of honing oil all over my nice clean bench, and surrounding areas.

Lunch time now for sure!!!







Might be burning gas by next week!!!!!

Beautiful bike!!! There is nothing like hearing one of these old girls running again. I hadn't heard mine in over 8 years until just recently, really got me fired up to get it done and back on the road. I am sure I can speak for most members here when I say, "please do a start up video".

take care

Brandon

Thanks for the complement. I have not heard this bike run in 32 YEARS!!! I can't wait.

The problem I have now is waiting for last minute parts orders. You can't call up some of these parts places, and tell a real human that I WANT MY PART YOU HAVE NEXT DAY AIRED!!! OH NO you have to do a online order, and you don't even know if they even have the part you desperately need to put your motor together in stock!!! Now you get a email in a day or two telling you that they don't have the part in stock. If I can't talk to a real living and breathing human on the other end of the phone, I will not order from that business. When I need a part, I WANT that part there tomorrow!!! End of question!!!!

Now I am missing one of my valve spring seats that I need to put my cylinder head back together. Plus I think that part is NLA from Kawasaki. Don't know what I am going to do now.

Ebay has a fair amount of spring seats listed.... is it 12010-004 that you need could be a 16007-1024 (please you determine which is correct).... punch that in and you'll find em. Good chance (hopefully) they'll do next day or 2nd day for a cost too.

Thats the first place I started looking for the 12010-004 seat seat. That is the old style spring seat, and would match the other seven I have on hand. I like the large variance in prices on that part!!! Anywhere from $6.99 all the way to way over $25.00. Then some want to charge you shipping on top of their super high price. What a rip!!!

Got one coming, and should be here tomorrow.

Been sitting here with my thumb up my a$$ waiting for UPS. I live about a mile from the OOPS depot. You would think they would deliveir the closest boxes first. Nope. Not a chance.

Well everything is sitting here ready for assemble, just missing one important thing..........
.

ITS FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!
Very well packed, and hermetically sealed. Final wash then assembly time. Going to take it nice and slow. I have waited 32 years so I got all the time in the world.



hermetically sealed!!!


Nice and flat ZERO warpage!!!!!