Doing your own work

i love working on my bikes because i know its going to be done properly ,i don't trust no one with my baby's ,i always do the research first before i begin ,and i always lay out the parts the way they come of the bike, also pay attention to torque specs ft ponds and inch pounds easy to strip a thread or snap a bolt ,also put some penetrating oil or spray on parts that might be stuck because they have never be removed ,and them screw heads are not Philips there Japanese Jis

Spot on Kwaker2000 - i have to be extra careful - 1 thing i dont like about the Zephyrs are the half dozen plastic threads - just cheaper to make ......and strip i suppose . Changed all the 8 mm and quite a few 10 mm bolts with grub screws (allen)

I just never seem to get to the tranny cover screws. Some day. :whistle:
Steve

What swingarm was that Zephyrider, does not look stock to me? I love the look of the swingarm and the wheels, nice combo.

All standard gear Kawboy - just took to the swing arm and chain guard with a very soft wire buff and heavy duty paint stripper and then down through grades of wet'n'dry to 2000 - did take quite some time but nothing compared to the foot peg holders- didn't count the hours but it was days and days - got another set off ebay - cut the daggy end bits off ,rounded them as best as i was able with a dremel, file etc - stripped all the black paint off ankle guards and ,sanded and polished.Same with all the engine side covers - i have a lot of spare time We have a thing in this state called solo registration here so it is half the price of 2 seats - about $220 a year so no point having those extra mounts - didnt pay much for the ones i customized.Will do the wheels and shocks one day but people say they can see me coming a mile away from the glare now - not a bad thing. From what i have heard Zephys were never popular in North America.
Be interesting to hear if anyone has ever adapted a 750 swing arm to anything else Steve.

Zephyrrider wrote: ...Be interesting to hear if anyone has ever adapted a 750 swing arm to anything else Steve...

Close, I have a Zephyr arm on my 650 - it's a 550 arm though, not a 750 but as far as I know there are only minor differences between the two.
Very easy swap, had to fab a couple of spacers at the pivot and dril the frame to accept a 17 mm pivot bolt I had made, the rest was straight forward.
Also adapted a GPz900 rear wheel and brake, which wasn't hard to do either.

And to stay on topic, apart from powdercoating the frame and machining the pivot bolt and rear axle I did (and do) all work myself.

Zephyrrider wrote: All standard gear Kawboy - just took to the swing arm and chain guard with a very soft wire buff and heavy duty paint stripper and then down through grades of wet'n'dry to 2000 - did take quite some time but nothing compared to the foot peg holders- didn't count the hours but it was days and days - got another set off ebay - cut the daggy end bits off ,rounded them as best as i was able with a dremel, file etc - stripped all the black paint off ankle guards and ,sanded and polished.Same with all the engine side covers - i have a lot of spare time We have a thing in this state called solo registration here so it is half the price of 2 seats - about $220 a year so no point having those extra mounts - didnt pay much for the ones i customized.Will do the wheels and shocks one day but people say they can see me coming a mile away from the glare now - not a bad thing. From what i have heard Zephys were never popular in North America.
Be interesting to hear if anyone has ever adapted a 750 swing arm to anything else Steve.

I' have to go to Sam's cycle and see if he still has one in his bone yard. It was in a corner in the shade. I'll bring my tape measure.
Steve

Very cool OnkelB -
Was your original pivot bolt 15 mm ?
Yer ,reckon only differences between yours and mine are part number and cosmetics where mine does not have the groove down middle of arm. Rear wheel suits very nicely. They are Zephyr instruments also aren't they .
So how big a difference in handling and braking ?
Steve just had a look at CMSNL and they would probably getting close to $2000 new here ,so crazy prices as usual - be interested to see how much Sam wants for it mate.

Just putting mine back together. I'll amble down there sometime soon.
Steve

Zephyr, the original 650 pivot bolt is 16 mm, really no way to make a spacer sleeve only 0.5 mm thick so I opted for drilling the frame. Funny thing is I bought this arm advertised as a 750, a couple of years passed before I realized it was actually off a 550, as you say the groove down the middle is the big difference, I believe dimensions between the two are pretty much the same.

With the longer wheelbase (app. 2") and the lowered rear (also about 2") the bike is solid as a rock at any speed - took it up to an indicated 180 kph/112 mph (only a couple of times, after all she's 38 years old as we speak) and never had the slightest hint of a wobble, but then my frame is braced in two spots under the tank, around the steering stem area and also between the front down tubes, obviously that'll help with stability.

Braking is much improved too - the bike originally came with a single front disc and a drum rear, I converted to dual discs up front using Z1R discs and calipers and adapted the GPz900 rear disc, caliper and master cylinder, also installed (homemade) SS braided lines all around, all in all a huge improvement.

The instruments are stock 650 items, I just put on some aftermarket chrome covers, they do look a lot like Zephyr instruments now that you mention it.

Might add that since the pics were taken I ditched the Henry Abe breadbox in favor of a stock airbox and changed the Clubmans (mounted upside down Euro style) for a set of stock looking Tommaselli handlebars.

Pics?
Steve

Some excellent improvements -
are braided lines "legal" in your country Onkel -
they are illegal here - Idiots - my HELS work great - huge improvement.
Some updated pics would be great.