Checked the tightness of my cam cover bolts today

Planned on looking into the possibility of checking tightness of my cam cover without removing gas tank if at all possible. I have a slight leak from that area as well as the head gasket so wanted to minimize the former. Turns out, gas tank fell off of the bike as I was moving this way and that to enable access to bolts :blush: Luckily, it didn't get dented or rip out all my vacuum hoses and fuel lines with it on the way down, :ohmy:

Actually glad this happened as i would have puttered around trying to get at those bolts from every angle and taking all morning. This way, I had access to all the bolts, and am not terrified of going into that area as much anymore. Got to re-lube the carb linkage more thoroughly as well while the tank was off.

None of my neighbors saw it happen AFAIK :whistle:
















engine in process of being cleaned. I clean it every couple of rides. You can see how the Twin engine design is prone to catch debris in the area behind the fins. I got quite a bit of that out



Turns out, none of the bolts were very loose at all, so I'm guessing my gasket is slowly giving way. The leak/s are very slight and I only need to add a tablespoon/week but they are leaks nonetheless. People say a lot of bikes leak and its no BFD. If I had the finances, I'd like to get both the head and the cam cover gaskets replaced over the winter. I've read how to do it but I live in an apartment and the part of realigning the cam chain on the cam teeth at the proper spacing is potentially disastrous if not done right
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Head and cam reinstallation can be a bit tricky when 1st doing one. Attention to detail and organizing when removing parts as to location and sequence can prove to solve many problems for 1st-time doers. Thoroughly reading and rereading the proper shop manual prior to embarking on such a project is a MUST, and can make your experience quite successful and less problematic than you may realize. My 1st time replacing the head gasket in one of my KZ900's back in the late '70's was quite an experience. It all went well. positioned everything, aligned the cam sprocket marks, counted the proper # of cam chain pins, and torqued it all back together. Went to fire the motor and a cpl cranks later a big "BANG!". Called a buddy and he said I was 180 degrees off with a cam. Redid it and it fired right up and purred like a kitten for many thousands of miles. Don't be scared of easily learned mechanics such as head/cam removal and reinstallation that may seem a bit intimidating on the surface. Thorough research and attention to details will make U a great mech in no time.............Mike

And there's a certain satisfaction in knowing what you have between your legs. :lol:
Steve

Just realized that I'm dang lucky that my petcock didn't snap off either. I'm on a shoe string budget right now and a cash outlay like that would be painful

The tank took a spill on the opposite side of where I was so I didn't see how it landed. No dents, just some road rash in a a couple small areas

A learning experience for me. Reason it fell off is because I removed the two vacuum tubes- 92059 that normally thread over the gas line keeping it close to the bike. See the exposed fitting in the upper left of the last pic/ Thats where one end of the vacuum hose goes.

www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-1983-kz750-k1-ltd...t/19104.html#results

I did one smart thing- made sure that there was as little gas in the tank as possible because I knew i'd be working in that area and a full gas tank is a heavy gas tank

swest wrote: And there's a certain satisfaction in knowing what you have between your legs. :lol:
Steve

Amen to that. Not to mention potentially saving a hell-of-a-lot of money with DIY mechanical projects that can be used on other needs. However work space can be a bit tricky to come by for apartment tenants, as Kruzer alluded to. Most landlords kinda frown upon tenants rolling their bikes into their living rooms for mechanical endeavors LOL. That's where buddies with a garage can come in real handy. A 12-pack of beer can work wonders for finding a suitable space for such needs. Been there done that...................Mike

No one is supposed to work on their vehicles in the apt parking lots but I do it anyway. I try to be low key and not make a mess or a lot of noise.

750Kruzer wrote: Just realized that I'm dang lucky that my petcock didn't snap off either. I'm on a shoe string budget right now and a cash outlay like that would be painful

The tank took a spill on the opposite side of where I was so I didn't see how it landed. No dents, just some road rash in a a couple small areas

A learning experience for me. Reason it fell off is because I removed the two vacuum tubes- 92059 that normally thread over the gas line keeping it close to the bike. See the exposed fitting in the upper left of the last pic/ Thats where one end of the vacuum hose goes.

www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-1983-kz750-k1-ltd...t/19104.html#results

I did one smart thing- made sure that there was as little gas in the tank as possible because I knew i'd be working in that area and a full gas tank is a heavy gas tank

No worries Kruzer...just one small learning experience with DIY mechanics. Fuel tank removal should only take a minute or so when performing upper engine work. And it can be perched on a nearby location (such as a ladder rung for one example) and connected with longer auxillary fuel lines for engine starting if need be. Hang in there...you're on a good path...............Mike

750Kruzer wrote: No one is supposed to work on their vehicles in the apt parking lots but I do it anyway. I try to be low key and not make a mess or a lot of noise.

Many landlords are good about such things (changing oil etc.) as long as care is taken to minimize parking lot messes. They know very quickly who to watch and who to trust. As far as gaskets, sealants and seals etc. go, there are many on here that will give you better expert advice and help you save money in the process. Leaks and even minor seepages have always driven me nuts (as well as countless other bike owners), no matter how small they are. I've been fortunate with the results in most of my projects with personal trial and error over the years................Mike