Got 82 GPz1100 w/ addons. +Video!

So I drove 5 hours each way for this gem and I love it. Instead of pictures I did a video.

Was stock red then painted to blue.

Came with, 2 seats, Hannigan Fairing kit, dial-able potentiometer on air temp and aftermarket exhaust. (Vance + Hines??)

First impression, was faster than I expected but loving every minute of it. The FI seems to be running just fine which is nice I get tired of screwing with carbs. I have glorious plans for this bike for the winter.

Problems/Questions:

- Washed the bike now the headlight stopped working. Replaced bulb, checked fuse, bridged fuse. 13v at fuse terminal. 0.1v at the headlight connector and switch, when I turn on the high beam I then get 0.0v. Not sure what to do next.

- Chain is at the limit of adjustment. Thats ok I was going to convert to 530. Just need to know what sprockets to get, hopefully you guys can help out.

- Top left engine cover bolt leaks a very small amount of oil.

- Hannigan faring has the 9pin connector. Looking in the headlight I dont see how this mates up with anything. I wonder if its missing an adapter harness. PS how rare are these fairings?

Whats happening next:

- Oil change, new iridium IX's, brake fluid change, new plug wires was thinking 8mm stranded.

killer fairing and rare as leprechauns teeth....super cool..one of the best finds i have seen in a while...that 81 is gonna rock....i had one and when it ran good it was so freaky fast...even with a passenger it would jump up onto the rear tire and blast away if prompted like a giant red bullet through traffic...super fast...

mac pipe...good score on the gpz for sure..but that fairing may be the rare gig that only happens once...

Your "New" bike has the Kawasaki "Reserve Lighting System" an electronic device designed to provide a back up headlight use if your out for a ride at night and low beam goes out.

It's designed to have the high beam come on at reduced power, so not to blind trafic comming at you.Look behind the left side cover for a small six pin connector with the system in a small package & check for corrosion in the connector.

Also see if the left handlebar switch pod has corrosion or broken solder at the switch as some Kawasaki's are suffering crumbled soldering joints due to vibration and heat/age.

You'll probably need to do this too:

Cleaning Motorcycle Electrics

Get some of the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner and figure on spending a good day going from the front of the bike to the back. It’s a plastic safe cleaner/preservative. www.deoxit.com is their website.

On the older Kawasaki's, a majority of electrical connectors are inside the headlight housing requiring removal of the headlight, then the fun begins.

Do one set of electrical connectors at a time to avoid mixing up what connects to where. Usually disconnecting, spraying with De-Oxit and reconnecting is about all you'll need.

However, when encountering the green crud of corrosion, a brass wire brush may be needed on the pins you can reach.
Some 400-600 grit wet and dry sandpaper strips rolled into a tube should reach the male and female pins in the more difficult to clean connectors.

Smoker’s pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden toothpicks work as cleaning aids.

Really small electrical connectors may require the use of a welders tip cleaning tool assortment.

Most pins in the connectors are coated with a thin plating of tin, and others may be nothing more than copper or brass.

If moisture is added, the resulting corrosion lowers the voltage/current being carried causing dim lights, slow engine cranking, slow turn signal responce and lower input voltage to the ignition coils resulting in weak spark.

The left and right handlebar switch pods will need attention too as they have circuit functions like turn, horn, run/stop, and start.

Usually a spritz or two with actuation of the switch is about all needed for these switches unless corrosion is detected and then careful disassembly is required.

The ignition switch may or may be not sealed to allow spraying the internal contacts. I urge caution if attempting to open this up as springs, and ball bearings may fly out never to be seen again!

If your bike has the older style glass tubed fuses, I suggest replacing them as vibration can cause internal failure. AGX is the type used, and most auto parts stores can get them for you.

Clean the fuse holder clips, looking for signs of overheating(discolored insulation, signs of melting).
I use metal polish on a cotton swab, followed by spraying another clean swab with the De-Oxit and then rubbing the inside of the fuse clip.

All battery cables must be clean and tight for maximum current transfer. Check the cables going from the Negative(-) battery terminal/post to the engine mounting bolt

Also the one going from the Positive(+) terminal to the starter solenoid and from there to the starter motor.

If any battery cable feels ”Crunchy” when flexed, replace it as possible corrosion is inside the insulation.

Each "Bullet Connector" will have to be sprayed to ensure good connectivity, especially the ones going to the energizing coil of the starter solenoid.

The alternator output “Bullet Connectors” are usually behind the engine sprocket cover and will need inspecting and cleaning too.

The turn signal light sockets will benefit from a spritz from the contact cleaner along with the tail light/brake light socket.

Some brake light switches can be sprayed on the actuating rod, with the spray running down inside to the electrical contacts, others may be sealed requiring replacement if the switch is intermittent in operation.

Some people put the Di-Electric Grease on cleaned terminations/connectors, I don’t, as I’ve read/heard it can cause problems when it gets hot, actually insulating the connections, so the choice is yours to use or not.

I think I've covered about all of the electrical systems on the bike.........






Why WD-40 Should Not Be Used On Motorcycle Electrical Items.

For many years, I was proponent of the use of WD-40 on fuse clips, fuses, switches and connectors. After hearing of other peoples experience with intermittent and sporadic activity, I shrugged it off as maybe they did something wrong in the application of the product.


It wasn’t until the time I rode my 1982 GPz1100 B2 model to downtown San Diego that I encountered the problems others had gone through.

After concluding my business downtown, I walked to where my bike was parked, turned the key to unlock the forks, and prepared to start the engine. The key was in the "On" position, yet I had no lights in the dash panel, the fuel pump was not running(I have FI), and the horn and tail light were not working.

Puzzled as to why nothing electrical was happening, I remember my earlier conversations about how WD-40 will over time become a non-conductor(more like an insulator). I had some pieces of 400 and 600 grit sandpaper in my tool kit and with them was able to scratch away the coating from the WD-40 on the fuses and clips.

After removing the insulating film, the bike started and ran like it should. Since that time, I’ve told people about the problem with WD-40. If you must use a contact cleaner, I recommend getting some "De-oxit" from Radio Shack Stores or any good electronic supply store.

Fuse And Fuse Holder Designations

1. The older Kawasaki’s use a glass tubed fuse with the designation of AGX 1” long. Most good auto parts stores can get them for you. They are ¼” in diameter.

2. The more common AGC is 1 ¼” long and may not fit the smaller fuse clips. Again, ¼” in diameter.

3. To clean and polish the fuse clips, I use a cotton swab(Q- Tip) and some Brasso metal cleaner or Turtle Wax Chrome Polish. I suppose any good metal polish would work.

4. These fuses can fail internally but look good, only by removing them from the clip and electrically continuity checking with either a self powered test light, or a multimeter set on OHMS can they be determined to be in good shape.

5. A physical inspection of the metal end caps for tightness will tell you if the fuse is serviceable.

6. Most modern motorcycles are now using the automobile “Blade” style fuse with the designation of ATC or ATO.

7. The reduced sized “Mini” Blade style fuse holder uses the ATM size of fuses.

8. If the fuse and fuse holder overheat, it could soften or anneal the grip of the clip, it might require squeezing the clip to restore the tightness.
9. A list of where to purchase “Blade” style fuses and holders:

www.waytekwire.com order.waytekwire.com/productdetail2/M50/...20%20%20%208%20FUSE/

www.rallylights.com www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=765

www.delcity.net/store/6!way-fuse-blocks/p_10822.a_1

10. A source for the glass tubed AGX fuses:
www.boatownerswarehouse.com/browse.cfm/2,4986.html

Sprockets And Drive Chains
www.sprocketspecialists.com/
www.sunstar-mc.com/home.aspx
www.rebelgears.com/
www.schnitzracing.com
www.jtsprockets.com
www.pmfronline.com/counter_shaft_sprockets.php
www.dgchassis.net/

If you've noticed surging, or the engine not running right, try changing your sparkplugs from NGK to either Denso or Accel. I've had new US made NGK's fail right out of the box. Perhaps if you can get the Japanese NGK's, they will work.

I use Denso W24-ESU's or Accel #116 gapped to 0.032", also the stock ignition coils were marginal when new so I changed to the Green Dyna 3 ohm coils and non supression sparkplug wires.

www.gadgetjq.com/spark_plug_cross_reference_motorcycle.htm


Still got the "Smog Gear" on top of the engine head? Most riders remove it & cap off the open ports and vacuum lines.

Smog Block Off Plates
www.tpoparts.com
www.kzzone.com/billet.html


Kawasaki Fuel Injection Sensor Specs

Here's from my 1982 GPz1100 B2 factory shop manual:

Air temperature sensor spec(probably the one on the air filter housing, or next to it).

Meter at ohms X 1K ohms (I use ohms X 2K as it works on my meter)
Disconnect the wiring from the harness, one meter probe to one of the connector pins, the other on the last pin.

Should read 2.0K ohms to 3.0 K ohms at 68 F, if your meter won't read this, try the 20K ohm setting.

A footnote says this reading is true when sensor temperature is 20C (68F), 4.7 K ohms to 7.6 K ohms when 0 C (32 F) and 1.4 K ohms to 2.2 K ohms when 30 C (86 F).

Engine temperature sensor spec:
Again, meter to 2K ohm settings, one meter lead to the push on terminal (remove the wire as it may give a false reading) and the other to a chassis ground(any Black with Yellow stripe wire is part of the ground circuit).

The readings will be the same as the air temperature sensor.

The TPS has an electrical connector, only the first three(3) contacts are used, counting from left to right as you face it.Be careful of the very small SS clip holding the connector to the TPS as it can be easily lost or bent. Some 0.032" SS aircraft safety wire can be used as a substitute or even 0.020" safety wire too.

From my factory shop manual I'm making it easier to get the readings, by using shortcuts).


1. Ignition switch off.

2. Remove the small SS clip holding the cable to the TPS.

3. Using a multimeter set on ohms, range of 2K.

4. Measure between the first electrical contact on the left and the third to the right.

5. It should read between 3.3K ohms to 6.8K ohms.

The next test will cover the range between idle and full throttle:

1. Set the meter's probes on the left contact and the one next to it, as this is the idle position check.

2. Readings should be between 2.1K ohms to 4.2 K ohms

Full throttle check:

1. Same electrical contacts used.

2. With the throttle wide open, readings should be between 0.35 K ohms to 0.71 K ohms, see if the resistance changes smoothly, with no fluctuations or wide variations as the throttle is closed down to the idle position.

3. If there are variations, try cleaning the TPS with the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner/preservative. Open and close it with the throttle while spraying the cleaner up inside.

4. www.deoxit.com is the website for the electrical contact cleaner/preservative. It can be purchased at Radio Shack Stores and other electronic supply places.

Ignition Coil Primary And Secondary Wiring

Ignition coils on the 80’s Kz1000,Kz1100’s and Gpz1100’s are wired the same, that is as you sit on the bike, the LEFT ignition coil primary(small wires) are two wires, RED and BLACK. The secondary (or sparkplug wires) go to #1 and #4 sparkplugs(your primary wiring may be different). The 550’s,650’s & 750’s are backwards to what is listed for the bigger 4’s.

The cylinders are numbered left to right as you sit on the seat; #1,#2,#3, and #4.

For the RIGHT ignition coil, the primary wires, again are two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary going to #2 and #3.

The RED wire gets it’s voltage from the run/stop switch on the right handlebar switch pod. Your primary wiring may have a different color.

The BLACK and GREEN wires connect to the IC Igniter(if the bike has the Kawasaki supplied electronic ignition) it actually gives the coils their grounds to fire the sparkplugs.

Primary(small wires) side of the coils will read between 1.8 to 3.0 ohms.

Secondary(sparkplug wire ports)side of the coil will read between 10.4K to 15.6K ohms. These ports are wired together, so it makes no difference which is used, as long as the correct coil to sparkplug configuration is followed.

The sparkplug caps should read 5K OHMS, any higher, or a reading of infinity means new caps should be ordered.

To stress the ignition coils, take a hair dryer, heat the coils and see if the ohm readings change from cold to hot . If they do, it’s time to buy new coils.

---

Keep in mind, the wiring is reversed for the 550’s 650‘s and 750‘s, that is the RIGHT coil primary will be two wires, RED and BLACK with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #1 and #4.

The LEFT coils primary wiring would be again two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #2 and #3.

These engines have what is known as a “Wasted Spark” that is, a sparkplug will fire during an exhaust stroke. It does no damage and many other motorcycle engines have this design.

If your fuel pump is showing signs of wearing out, try these websites for replacements as the Kawasaki ones are $$$$$:

Fuel Pumps & Regulators
www.fuel-pumps.net/gsl393.html
www.mpsracing.com/products/MPS/FuelPumps.asp
www.airtexproducts.com/

When you tune the key, the pump will run for maybe 4-5 seconds, and shut off, pressurizing the system. At idle, the pressure will be 33 PSI, as soon as the TPS moves, the pressure will be 35 PSI.

Starter Solenoid/Motor Checkout Procedure

Some simple steps to determine what is working and what's not:

1.Fully charge and test the battery(most bike shops can load test the battery, and then use a floating ball hydrometer to check specific gravity in the charged cells).

2.Clean all battery terminals of corrosion.

3.Tighten all starting related connections(Positive RED(+) battery terminal, Negative BLACK(-)terminal) and from the terminal to the engine case. All connections must be clean and tight. If the cables feel “Crunchy” when flexed, they may have corrosion inside the insulation, requiring replacement.

4.Clean the cable from the starter solenoid to the starter motor.

5.Clean and check the "bullet connectors" going to the coil side of the starter solenoid.

6.Try again to start the bike, keep in mind some Kawasaki’s have a clutch interlock to prevent cranking the engine while it’s in gear, so the clutch lever must be squeezed.

7.If no luck, go to step #8

8.Wearing eye protection, bridge with pliers or a screwdriver the two heavy duty(large)terminals on the solenoid. If the bike cranks, your solenoid may be bad.

9. If the starter won’t turn over, one of several things has happened; The starter motor has seized due to brushes binding up, lack of lubrication in the bushings of the motor, the battery is weak , the engine has seized or it could be a combination of any of the above. Some websites for starter motor rebuild kits are:

A. www.mawonline.com/newsite/rick_s_motorsp...-starter_brushes.htm

B. www.cyclewareables.com/pages/street_star...kits/startmtrkit.htm (not sure if the website is still viable)

C. www.psep.biz/store/mitsuba_starter_motors_page_2.htm


10.The dealer may want $$$ for a new solenoid, but take your old one along and visit the nearest riding lawn mower shop. They have solenoids for about $15 that with a little work will fit. Be aware that the new solenoid from the lawn mower shop may require a ground wire for it to work.

11. I’d recommend upgrading from the existing battery cables to at least 6 gauge welding cables.
They are available in two colors(RED and BLACK) have more flexibility due to being constructed with finer conductors, and will fit in tighter areas.

12. The welding cable is sold by the foot, so take careful measurements or bring your old cables along. Most battery shops might be able to supply the cable too, so call to find out. The battery shop should be able to crimp/swage on the end of the welding cable the terminal ends or lugs using either a dedicated crimping machine or a tool that looks like a bolt cutter that has special dies to terminate the cable.

videos are cool,

but not everyone can see them.

plus i would like to see some pics of the dang thing :whistle: :silly: .


what are your plans for it?

leon


p.s. welcome !

I had one new back in 82. I wish I still had it. It wasn't a great motorcycle and I had multitudes of problems in the 18 months of ownership, but even so I think of it often and would love to have another. Good luck.

trianglelaguna wrote: killer fairing and rare as leprechauns teeth....super cool..one of the best finds i have seen in a while...that 81 is gonna rock....i had one and when it ran good it was so freaky fast...even with a passenger it would jump up onto the rear tire and blast away if prompted like a giant red bullet through traffic...super fast...

mac pipe...good score on the gpz for sure..but that fairing may be the rare gig that only happens once...

Sweet, well I even feel better now with the score!

So if I rock the fairing on the street do you think people will be wtf! in a bad or good way?? Cause some of those 70's cafe/racer style fairing looks pretty sweet and some look pretty hideous..

MFolks wrote: Sprockets And Drive Chains
www.sprocketspecialists.com/
www.sunstar-mc.com/home.aspx
www.rebelgears.com/
www.schnitzracing.com
www.jtsprockets.com
www.pmfronline.com/counter_shaft_sprockets.php
www.dgchassis.net/

First thanks for all the helpful posts for sure, gave me a lot to check out. For the sprockets I didn't mean which companies I meant which sizes as I have read going from 630 to 530 changes from the stock sizes.

531blackbanshee wrote: videos are cool,

but not everyone can see them.

plus i would like to see some pics of the dang thing :whistle: :silly: .


what are your plans for it?

leon


p.s. welcome !

Who cant see videos?? Using a phone? I'll take some pics.

I plan on doing a cosmetic restore. It will have a very unique and wicked paint/graphics scheme which will suit the bike but I want to keep in on the d-low until I do it because the idea could be stolen, but as a hint think 70's racing. I also want to see the fairing on and see if it will compliment the scheme or not. But I have a fiberglass H2 cafe seat in my garage as I was waiting for kz1000 to use it on.

Mods wise I'm ditching the air box, going to pods, and adding a FPR. I used to race cars and had a aeromotive FPR, custom made fuel rail and 72lb msd injectors, reprogrammed ECU and a secondary computer that tricked the ECU for injectors sizes, etc on a Nissan, so none of that tinkering is foreign to me.

RonKZ650 wrote: I had one new back in 82. I wish I still had it. It wasn't a great motorcycle and I had multitudes of problems in the 18 months of ownership, but even so I think of it often and would love to have another. Good luck.

This one has 60k miles, 40k on the rebuild and is rock solid minus the chain, suspension and that small valve cover leak.

Actually if someone can give me a few tips for new suspension other than progressive that would be appreciative. I do like the shocks with the external reservoir like the z1r's.