R/D valve springs

trying to order kz750 valve springs form the R/D site, I can only find a reference to springs + alluminum keepers kit.

www.rdvalvespring.com/kawasaki.html

I am getting Ti collars form another source, so need only the springs but just the 550 has an item number for "springs only",

have they stoped selling "springs only" for other kawis?

Tnxs

TG

APE sells really good quality springs that everybody I know runs, unless your looking for some trick road race only items that I am not aware of... they are also a reasonable price.

thanks injected,

checked APE out and jay has indeed just springs

BTW, squish area rework is going really well, will post pics soon (too busy cranking at the garage to take pictures!)

TG

We also make titanium retainers for this applicvation, however we list them as fitting the KZ1000 sob application. TVSRK1000
ape-store.com/shopsite/page38.html

APE Jay wrote:

We also make titanium retainers for this applicvation, however we list them as fitting the KZ1000 sob application. TVSRK1000
ape-store.com/shopsite/page38.html

jay, love your parts and i run a lot of them on all my motors but i find the titanium retainers wear out quick on street motors.
for some reason they all seem to gall up quick.

not a bad thing to say about any of your other products.
i swear by them and would use nothing else.
everything else is the best of the best.
am i doing something wrong or has anyone else run into this?

Besides being lighter than steel, titanium is also softer. That is why they have come up with so many different coatings. Raw titanium is not that good in extended wear applications.

No retainer will wear like a steel one if one can deal with the weight. Some of the retainer wear we have seen is due to spring harmonics due to the setup. Sometimes increasing the spring p[ressure as little as 10 lbs would stop the harmonics.

When harmonics are present, the spring acts like a mini jack hammer on the bottom of the retainer. Some of the multi valve engines will have the adjustment shims buzz in the retainer and open up the shim bore.

When we were making the retainers for the factory Honda racing folks, when they were racing the 900RR, they would take our retainers and titanium nitride coat them. That is that gold stuff you see on cutting tools. That stopped all of their wear problems.

Then we have had KZ heads come in for service that have had the same set of retainers for over fifteen years and they look like new.

The Ti retainers in my CB500/4 racer are holding well.

Likle Jay says, a tuner friend did tell me to check regularly the height of the stem above the collar to control if the collets sink in. have some eight races with them, so far, no problem

These are on my plan for my 750/810 racer too, so Jay, please check your PM's...

Cheers

TG