Cheating Flywheel puller?

As you guys know, i have a 1981 KZ1000LTD. I removed my left side engine cover and oil poured out. After further investigation, i found that i had a wet stator so that was supposed to be in there. Now, the three bolts on my starter clutch are loose and need thread lock. I know this now because the the disk in between the magnetic flywheel for the stator and the drive gear for the starter wiggles back and forth instead of one way. now, i haven't got the magnetic flywheel off because i know you need a special puller for it. I heard that there is a way to cheat and get a ball bearing that fits the end of that hole perfect and buy a bolt that fits the outside threads on that spindle that comes out. tighten the bolt down on the ball bearing that i resting on the end of the crank shaft and it will pop the flywheel off. What size bolt do i need to fit those threads? And if you guys know, what size ball bearing?

Thanks guys,
KT

its either 18mm or 16mm x 1.25

I don't know that rotors thread size.
But for thr Z1 & KZ900 engines, you can use a stock rear axle

The big bolt on the upper triple tree will thread into the 900/1000 rotor. Not sure about your bike but might be worth a try

On a 750 tein, the rear axle threads into the flywheel and pops it off.

Thank you very much guys. Im gonna buy both the 18 and 16 mm bolts first. Just in case we need to do this again, i have the proper bolt in the top of my toolbox:)

Very nice,
KT

Don't forget,
If it is tight,
Don't over tighten and mess up your rotor,
When it's tight, if it has not "poped" off yet,
Whack the head of the bolt "flush" with a hammer.

So does anyone have a picture of what the engine looks like on the left side without the cover? Kitten Tooth, any chance of a pic or two? I will be replacing that little grommet that the wires pass thru this weekend and just want to prepare myself for what I will expect to see. Thanks!

Fozzie wrote:

So does anyone have a picture of what the engine looks like on the left side without the cover? Kitten Tooth, any chance of a pic or two? I will be replacing that little grommet that the wires pass thru this weekend and just want to prepare myself for what I will expect to see. Thanks!

Really a good idea to own a service manual if you're going to work on your own bike

bikebandit.com has all the fiche pictures for your motor with part numbers...

When you pull the cover there will be a starter gear, shaft and 2 washers.

Inside the cover is the stator assembly. You'll need an impact driver and allen wrench to remove it.

Wires plug in under the sprocket cover. Yank the foot peg, shifter, starter cover and sprocket cover, then the generator cover.

You can leave the clutch cable attached to the sprocket cover and just swing the works out of the way.

Have a good look at your clutch cable while you've got it apart. Good opportunity to lube the clutch adjuster worm gear while the sprocket cover is off and lube your clutch cable as well...

Nothing difficult about the job you're about to take on but it's always a lot easier if you have the manual...

Yeah, a manual would help alot lol. I bought one from ebay(or so I thought) but it turned out to be a cd manual and was actually blank, so I got burned but it is on the agenda to get one. Figured in the mean time I would pick yalls brains. I'm actually an army mechanic and figured owning this bike would be simple b/c track vehicles are a cinch(guess I thought if I can fix a tank I can fix anything) but I was wrong, the mechanics of this thing seem simple but is just a new playing field for me. But thanks for sharing some of that great knowledge!

Help,
Been trying to get the flywheel off, tried with rear axle, hammering , some heat, tapping the outside which resulted in cracking two of the magnets. Can I still use it, repair(glue)or is it junk?

Still haven't gotten the flywheel off and getting scared to hammer the axle any more and will go look for a ball bearing or order the tool.

Thank you.

FYI - the '81 and up "J" rotors seem like the worst ones to remove, as there is no woodruff key to keep them from slipping / spinning on the end of the crank. That makes the surfaces of the tapers galled and rough, and they lock / seize together like they are welded on in some cases.

The proper rotor puller tool is heat treated high carbon steel - very hard and tough steel. I would recommend only the proper tool for these stuck on late model rotors. I use a special high torque 1/2" drive air impact wrench on the badly stuck on ones - short trigger bursts, followed by moderate tapping square on the end of the puller tool with a medium weight ball peen hammer. Don't strike the rotor itself. I've only had to use propane torch once (the first one I ever removed, the rotor had spun badly and both crank end and rotor were scrap metal).

Any damage to the rotor requires replacement - the thing spins at engine speed and is a critical part for engine balance and... your safety! When reinstalling the rotor, check and make sure there is no noticeable out of round, axial or radial run out as the crank is rotated.