Water cooled KZ900?

hes cooling the radiator with all the hot air coming off of the motor!

For sure cooling the wrong place , all the heat is in the head.

Granted, major heat in the head but by cooling the jugs you are isolating the major heat from the lower end. Also more area to run cooling jacket making it more efficient than building the size of the head to accommodate the passages. It does defeat the purpose to increase the mass of the engine to cool it. (like this guy did) More mass = more energy needed to cool. By cooling the jugs with water you still allow the transfer of heat by air and water from bigger surface area and a more exposed area. I just think thats good engineering. I'm not saying THIS contraption is good! Just when done right and engineered into the design liquid cooling aids engines and the jugs are logical points for the cooling. It's the reason for fins on the jugs and on the head. They add surface without adding mass. All the heat is not in the head. thats why if you heat a pipe and hold the end thats not being heated eventually the heat transfers to the end your hand is on. Heat and cool transfer thru thermal dynamics. Cooling one component will have an affect on the other. His placement of the radiator does seem to be very much less than optional doesn't it!:blink:

Water cooling just ahead . . .

bountyhunter wrote:

The machine shop guy did not tell me the KZ1000's needed valve adjustments every 20k, he said they needed the heads pulled and have the valves re done that often. When I told him my KZ-750 twin had made it about 45k on the original valves, he was stunned. he had never heard of a kawi going that long in city riding without needing to tear the head down. he thought mine was going in for it's second valve job by then.

I didn't do nearly as well the second time: the valve seals failed after about 15k miles and I had to tear it down again.

I just don't see air cooled engines doing what I see some cars do: going 150k without ever opening the engine at all except for maintenance.

Wow. "Pull the heads every 20K miles"...sorry man, but if nobody else will, I call B/S. Not to you, but to your 'machinist'. Add to that that he is "stunned" by your KZ750 going more than 45K on the stock valves and "never heard of a Kaw going that long w/o needing a tear down"; and you say your bike didn't do so well after this guy worked on it? :whistle:
...if it were me, I'd stop going to him...for anything. This is almost too stupid to debate...no wait...it is.

Again, I'm not trying to pick a fight; but the writing is on the wall here...you won't find a single qualified person who will back up the things that your machinist is telling you.

H2O might be the trick for cruising around on the street with a 1500cc big block. Then again, it might be the trick that didn't work out. FYI Reserve on that bike was $3500 when I contacted the seller last week. -Duck