First time GPz1100 valve clearance-timing work. Could use some voice of experience...

Well I took out the battery to get other stuff out and did not see a sensor so I guess the answer is no. I don't even know if the displays are working . Electrical is pretty easy for me so I'll have a look and report back once I get the cams straightened out. Will pick up four of thinnest shims at bike shop for measuring, then go get the right sizes, then see if compression is good with correct clearances.

I love the GPz lines.

Was looking for 83 but at $300 this 82 appeared to be too good a deal to let get away. Will know in time if I was right. Worst case, I have a 86 police I got for $150 that I was gonna use as a donor for frankensteined blown street bike that I can 'borrow' the bottom end and head from.

Just missed a whole 2004 GSXR minus engine on local craigslist. Would have provided almost all parts for blown ex-cop project. Too busy working. But, stuff turns up eventually and I'm in no hurry as long as the FT500 is thumping away.

-Duck

WG:

Yes, I'd appreciate the dimensions (brand and numbers too) on the Voyager battery...maybe, just maybe, it could be pressed into service as a GPz battery

will doer!

Had an interesting conversation with Jeff at Z1enterprises.com
The man knows his Z1's and wrenching and is extremely generous
with information. When I become
'of fatter wallet' I'm gonna buy a bunch of his pricy stuff.
He's always my first choice for parts whether the lowest $ or not.

I was ordering some shims for the GPz. I only needed 4 after robbing the police
bike. We talked about grinding the things and my machinist landlord happened to
be sitting next to me. The don't grind admonition in the manual
id because they are case hardened. That means the outside is hardened and the
inside isn't. Machinist John jumps in and says that case hardening depth is usually
20 thousandths inch and almost impossible to get thinner than
15 thousandths. Jeff had suggested that if one were to grind them that it should be the
bucket side, not the cam side as he had seen wear through on ground shims
mounted the other way.

So, I have come to the conclusion and John concurs, that we can safely take
up to 10 thousandts off the shim and that if that side goes in the bucket
there will be no problems. Except if you forget later that they have been
ground. 10 thousandths translates to 6 sizes down on a shim.

I'm going to grind the shims for the police bike. It's the experimental
bike anyway so what good is it if I don't experiment

Tool used is a surface grinder. It's made for this sort of work.
Will take off approximately 0.005mm per pass so about ten passes
per shim gradation. It will be fairly easy to keep track of the sides as the
grinder puts about an 8 finish which is like a slightly dull
mirror. The cam side is more like a polished mirror.

Gotta go pack up for the radio swap meet tomorrow...

Have fun, ride safe.

-Duck

Either style cam chain can be switched with cases intact. 'SportingForLess' sells Hyvo cam chain WITH masterlink included for $70.95 Use chain breaker to separate old chain still in engine; Use masterlink to connect one end of old chain to one end of new chain without peening over the pin. Gently now...rotate crank assembly while feeding combined chains until the old part is rotated out and the new part is rotated in. (Another set of hands helps tremendously!!) Remove old chain, fix-up the master link and Shazzam... It worked for me. One time cost for 'cam chain' breaker but it will pretty much last forever.

Keep on Truckin'

www.sportingforless.com/tsubaki-chain-ka...1cc375ba6ec74c28029d

nice to know! thanks!

my 1100 ust waiting for new good block or liner. got rings a couple of weeks ago. i don't work very fast

BTW, wont be grinding shims. Did grind some of a DOHC Honda. No problems. 'case hardened' meant hardened all the way through in the case of the Honda shims

-Duck

Post edited by: Duck, at: 2006/08/11 16:15

You are welcome!

I believe Jeff sells the hyvo cam chain w/master link as well.

i run my kz1000 at 27 pins with an extra cam chain guide washer under the guide. makes amazingly more power on the top end. it does suffer at idle somewhat...but whos idling anyway right.

dude, all you need is a wedge operated by oil pressure to move that puppy up and down and you'll have a modern phased intake valve setup

Duck wrote:

dude, all you need is a wedge operated by oil pressure to move that puppy up and down and you'll have a modern phased intake valve setup

oooooo...thats smart!

I ground a shim by hand just to see if it was softer inside. It definitely is. As you grind it, keep note of how long it takes to do each 2 thousandths or so. If the last 2 takes a lot less time than the first 2, you know you hit the soft region. That's how I found out the inside was way softer. Sorry, I didn't write down how far i went before it got soft.

As Jeff said, ground side to the bucket!

And as Craig pointed out, don't put on the valve cover with the tensioner activated. Remove it or release it completely before bolting on the cover.