-Woodruff Key Trouble-

I'm thinking about building an engine for my bike, besides this little snafu, did you have much trouble? I've never had the bottom end of one apart yet, just curious.

Skid, had more than one of those keys shear in a 1327 Z1 .
You should look for a Honda CB 1100 starter motor, apparently bolt right in to Z1 cases and more torque, no kickback.The tip about better battery cables and battery is right on the money.

Wow. Excellent feedback. I'll look into a CB1100 starter motor. I ordered a Fast-by-Gast mega battery today.

Re: the post two up from this, about building a motor for the first time. I did a lot of reading, then went step by step, taking a lot of pictures. I took endless little video clips, too, not sure if I'd ever need them.

Pretty glad I did, once I was re-assembling. Lots of times I couldn't remember which washer or bolt went where..

By the way: Does 18 ft/lbs seem too light for torque on the aternator rotor bolt, for a 1975 Z1..? Hope I'm reading my manual right--

SkidZ

SkidZmark wrote:

... Does 18 ft/lbs seem too light for torque on the aternator rotor bolt, for a 1975 Z1..? Hope I'm reading my manual right....

Correct!
FSM torque table specifies 18 ft/lbs.

Good Luck!

Thanks to all who responded..

I cleaned the crank end, re-assembled with a fresh woodruff key and loctite red gel. I let it set for a few days.

I upgraded to a #4 gauge electrical lead, from the relay to the starter. Also upgraded to a Fast-by-Gast 70 amp Hyabusa battery. I had to cut the battery box to make it fit, but it was easy to do.

The starter cranks the motor over at twice the rate it used to. It starts like a dream. So far, no woodruff key trouble.

Many thanks, KZ Rider people..!

-SkidZmark-