TOPIC:

It says somewhere in the manual.  I think it's 26 ft lbs.  That's what I use anyway.

Page 98 of the White Manual, last paragraph under 'Spoke Breakage' specs 22 ~ 26 in. lbs.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

I found that page too, I'm thinking that between the Buchanan instructions of 80 inch pounds for stainless and the manuals 26 for zinc plated steel the 40 should work. At 40 they feel pretty good, 26 on the stainless actually felt loose. So much conflicting information! 
Also, I had trouble calming down the hop around the weld at 26, when I worked up to 35 it started to come out. These steel rims are far from flat and round when you start out with them. 
I have the rear up on the stand now, just getting started with it. 
I have to find tires, not much luck yet. I'm thinking of Heidenau, maybe someone will have a set.
On another note, It was pointed out to me that the silver fins are only on the sides of the head and cylinders and not around the front of the engine as Marsdens book clearly states. I wonder which is right.

The only issue I can see with going higher than 26 ft lbs on the spokes is if you exceed the yield strength of the spoke.  You definitely want to remain in the elastic range so that the spokes don't deform permanently.  I can't tell you what the highest number is because I don't know the actual tensile strength of the spoke steel, nor of the relationship between nipple torque and spoke tension.

If Marsden says the front should be silver then he is incorrect.  John's book is correct.

Looks like I’ll be blacking out some fins, should be easy.
since the manual has torque specs for zinc plated steel and Buchanan specs are for stainless I must assume the stainless has a higher capacity for tension. I’m staying in the middle just to be sure I don’t over do it. When I torqued a few up above 45 it started to feel wrong so I’m down around 40.
I finished the rear hub, still need to trim a bit off some nipples. I think I’ll put both back on the stand in a few days after tapping the spokes some just to see if anything changes.
The rear came in more quickly than the front, better rim, shorter spokes, better mechanic, who knows.
I’m hopefully going to order tires this week, the shipping will likely be as much as the tires………life in paradise.
I’m looking at Hidenau vintage style tires, rib front block rear. They are German tires and seem to have good review.
This has been a fun project so far, it will be really fun when it runs again this time with repaired choke plungers. I went into it thinking I’d sell it eventually but I’m not too sure now, it’s getting to me. 
 

British Columbia would be a fine place for it to live!

I was taught to check the spoke tightness by simply tapping the spoke with a wrench. if it rings like a bell its tight enough, you'll know they are getting too tight when they become difficult to turn. The spokes will end up at different torque values as you compensate for the rim anyway so a torque wrench is irrelevant IMHO. Building wheels is fun!

We attended a seminar that Buchanan presented at Barber a few years ago.  One thing mentioned was that the limiting factor on some hubs re: spoke torque is the tendency to pull  (break) flanges off of some hubs at elevated torque levels.  Eighty sure sounds high.  Have you contacted Buchanan to confirm?

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

I think I'll give them a call. Good idea.

I called Buchanan, they looked up specs for Z1 wheels with their stainless spokes and nipples.
Front 40 to 45 inch pounds
Rear 45 to 50 inch pounds
ill put my rear rim back in the stand and bump the torque a little, it’s at 45 now.

By the way, I found that after I got the side to side in and then adjusted roundness, I then went around my 1-2-3-4 pattern walking the torque up so they are even. The torque up process did not effect the side to side or roundness, it may even have improved roundness.

 

I've used  Buchanan's SS spokes and nipples on my Zs since the 1980s on both DID and Excel rims.  My goal has always been +/- half a millimeter and about 80 inch #s. So I don't have experience with stock wheels and spokes because I never kept them stock for long.  Thing I've noted is that these SS spokes and nipples stay in spec for thousands of miles.  Every time I change a tire, I put the rim/wheel up to ensure that the radial and lateral contours are still in spec - so far they have which amazes me to date. 

Is Buchanan's SS spokes superior to OE Kawasaki?