Thanks

4TheKZ1000 wrote: I would recheck the head bolts one or two more times as time goes by. I found two bolts that moved the third time around.

Does each nut need to be loosened at all before re-torque, whenever it is done?

daveo wrote:

4TheKZ1000 wrote: I would recheck the head bolts one or two more times as time goes by. I found two bolts that moved the third time around.

Does each nut need to be loosened at all before re-torque, whenever it is done?

No. Just apply the torque wrench at the correct amount and see if they move

& for your information, if you used a Phillips bit or screwdriver on the screws, that's why you stripped them,
they are NOT Phillips screws, they are J I S screws,( Japanese Industrial Standard )
you have to buy a set of JIS bits or screwdrivers if you plan on working on Japanese bikes
650ed, has a tutorial on how to , of J I S bits & screwdrivers
maybe he'll chime in & explain
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...em&item=290882424068
Pete

koloj wrote: ..........all the bolts stripped like I want to know who thought of using Phillips .....

Nobody. There is not a single Phillips screw on any KZ model. The crosshead screws are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) NOT Phillips. So using a Phillips screwdriver will ruin them. JIS screws are great because unlike Phillips they are not designed to "cam out" so you can apply a tremendous amount of torque to them with zero damage, but like everything else, if the wrong tool is used problems will occur. I have posted the following information on this site many times, but unfortunately, lots of folks don't read postings that do not address their specific issues. Here it is again. Keep in mind that you WILL find other JIS screws on your bike. There is no kit that contains replacements for all the screws. Ed

*****
Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. The fact is that Phillips screws were deliberately designed to have the screwdriver bit "cam out." This was done to prevent production line assembly from over-tightening, stripping, or breaking the screws. JIS screws do not have this problem. A proper fitting JIS bit can tighten a JIS screw to and beyond the torque spec without camming out. Here's the good news - you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer "rocks" back and forth in the screwhead. Picture 1 below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. Pictures 2 and 3 below shows DeWalt #2 and #3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don't list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here's their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my home made modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

PICTURE 1

PICTURE 2

PICTURE 3

PICTURE 4

PICTURE 5

Just replace those JunkIndustrialScrews with Metric SHCS... Mcmaster-Carr has any screw you would need on a KZ, and you can get Stainless Steel screws so no more rust around any screwheads :ohmy: ....Many kits are available for certain areas of the engine, Check at Z! or on ebay....Beyond me why you would take the time to build tools :woohoo: , when replacement screws are economically available, and everyone sells metric hex key wrenches.. :blink: ..

ezrider714 wrote: Just replace those JunkIndustrialScrews with Metric SHCS... Mcmaster-Carr has any screw you would need on a KZ, and you can get Stainless Steel screws so no more rust around any screwheads :ohmy: ....Many kits are available for certain areas of the engine, Check at Z! or on ebay....Beyond me why you would take the time to build tools :woohoo: , when replacement screws are economically available, and everyone sells metric hex key wrenches.. :blink: ..

The reason is pretty simple. Why go through the trouble of finding dozens of screws, ordering them, paying for them, swapping them out when you can spend 15 minutes or less and zero bucks grinding the tips of 2 or 3 screwdrivers tips? It isn't just screws in the engine cases. It's screws in the carbs, in the fender stays, in the handlebar switches, in the taillight lenses, headlight rims, etc. etc. Good grief, by the time you sorted out the numerous screws, figured out what diameter and length you needed to find (IF you could find - which there are some you simply will NOT find anywhere on Earth), ordered them, paid for them all, and installed them all you could make enough JIS screwdriver tips to supply everyone who owns a KZ. As an example - where you would find a socket head cap screw (SHCS) version of the shouldered screw that goes into the headlight rim of a KZ650-C1. It doesn't exist. Same with the fender stay screws, etc. So you could have your local machinist make them (how much $?) or you could ruin it using a Phillips tip. Otherwise you could use a JIS tip so you didn't mess it up. But if you make a tip for that, why not use that same tip for other similar sized screws?

I understand that once someone has ruined their engine case screwheads by using an inappropriate tool (Phillips screwdriver tip, chisel, drill, etc.) the easy way out is to buy a "kit" rather than find the correct screws, but for anyone who has not already ruined their screwheads it makes a lot more sense to me to take the very simple steps to use the correct tools on the original screws and avoid the problem altogether.

My way of thinking is actually very simple. I use the correct tool for the job. If that means making or buying the correct screwdriver tip; that's what I do. If it means buying an appropriate torque wrench for tightening bolts; that's what I do. If it means buying appropriate tire iron for changing tires; that's what I do. Etc. That's me. If you or someone else would rather go some other route, that's fine - it's not my bike, so I don' really care. However, that is not what I would recommend to anyone who hasn't already damaged their bike or its parts.

By the way, you will NOT find "any screw you would need on a KZ" at Mcmaster-Carr or anyplace else. That really is a bogus statement. You may find a kit or individual screws for engine cases, but not all the other screws needed on a KZ. Ed

Bike looks great, you have done a great job.

When you polish aluminum with a motorized wheel, try not to build to much heat in the part....you can damage the aluminum. Also use the wheel dressing bar to lube as you polish. Yours looks great.