Pretty much finished the electrics on the restomod - need to get the welder out before I can get the last couple of things done. In the meantime I decided a change of focus would be good. 

I got the clocks back from being serviced. Look pretty good and the damping fluid and bearings have been renewed so the needles should be pretty stable. I repaired one of the M6 threads in the block so I could bolt the head down. Got that done and got the exhaust on as well. Need new camshaft bearings so will have to wait a bit before I get the engine finished. In the meantime I guess I'll start on the wiring - it's not like that's all I've been doing for the last month... 

      

  

  


The exhaust is too close to the swingarm on the left side. I figure the hanger on the frame is probably bent (given the state of the frame when I got it). It's not too bad though, so I'll just bend the bracket for the left muffler just enough so the axle bolt clears the muffler. 

  

I finally, finally (finally) cleaned out the carbs; I reused the old needles and float valves and so on, replacing only the gaskets, O-rings, etc. I did a rough bench sync and swore them into position, now using new intake boots leading from the airbox. (I tried using an Olde Internet Remedy and Cure-All—wintergreen oil in rubbing alcohol—to soften the old boots. This made them temporarily squishy again, but soon they reverted back to Bakelite before I had a chance to try them on.) 

The next day I managed to fire it up long enough to vacuum-sync the carbs, but it seemed to stumble and bog at 4000 rpm and above. Still, the idle was…. [chef’s kiss]. But the battery was close to dead at the end of the day, so I stuck it on a trickle charger and left it overnight, while I dreamt dreams of clogged main jets and bad gasoline. (Did I forget to blow out the main air passages? Is there a vacuum leak somewhere? Maybe a stuck ignition advance???) 

So. The next day. I rolled it out of the garage, engaged the choke, and (after a few quick cranks and a unkinked gas line) it started right up and settled into a lovely, smooth idle. I took it for a short test-ride, thinking that the stumbling at higher revs would sort itself out as it warmed up. In a fit of irrational exuberance I made it about 20 miles or so before the thing sputtered and died completely. It cranked and cranked and cranked, but it wouldn’t fire up. 



That was as far as I got. 

I stood staring stupidly at the thing for a while before trying to start it again. Because (also stupidly) I forgot to bring any tools, so staring at the thing was all I could, really do. But after standing around hapless for about 10 minutes or so, I tried it again and it started up. I headed for home… 

…and made it about three more miles before it sputtered and died again. (Perhaps it isn’t the carbs after all.) And I waited for a while for it to cool a bit, tried it a few more times, waited, and started it again. The bike made it another couple of miles before it sputtered and died again.  

The spacing between the Chevron stations along 99E in Oregon City is the distance it takes an old ignition coil to heat up and fail again. At least, that was my new suspicion. 

Luckily, eventually I managed to break down in front of a Harbor Freight on the way home. This bought me a much-earned bottle of Gatorade and a pair of pliers to at least try tightening some of the ignition coil connections under the tank. It didn’t make any difference; I still broke down at the next Chevon station. And again, and again, and again, until I finally got close enough to coast the last half-mile or so back to my garage.  

It was a stupid day.  

So it never developed much power at mid- to high-RPM, and spark to cylinders 1 and 4 was intermittent at best.  A friend at work suggested I look at the stator/regulator/battery, so the next weekend I popped open the sprocket cover and checked the stator wires. Then I tried to make sense of the mess of wiring under the seat, where I found a short between the regulator/rectifier and the main fuse box.  

Perhaps that might have something to do with something going funny with the electricity. I checked the battery before heading to the store; it read about 12.81v. When I got back, it was 12.72v. 

The following weekend, the battery had settled at 12.62v. (So, uh, maybe OK?)

Inspired—and now armed with a can of contact cleaner—I dove into the spaghetti. I (again, stupidly) forgot to take Before and After photos, but it was a bit of a rat’s nest under there. So I somewhat-methodically took apart and cleaned each connector, and attempted to make some sense of the wire routing, at least so things like the blinker relay and the headlight-failure doohickey unit weren’t bouncing around on the top of the swing arm anymore.

Here is a dramatic reenactment:



I found a few dodgy connections and a couple of bad grounds between the regulator/rectifier and the fuse box, as well as some jiggly connections to the ignition coils. I cleaned and tightened what I could find. It started up but was running on three cylinders. Cylinder 1 gave me a nice healthy Zap, but Cylinder 4 still wasn’t sparking, and I didn’t pursue matters beyond that. 

So…. Progress. I’m not finished yet with the connector-cleaning campaign; I’ve at least gotten to the wiring under the seat and under the tank; I still have to tackle the wiring in the headlight bucket (I need to chase down a blinker short anyway), but I’ve at least tightened a key few connections and got three of the cylinders working instead of just two. The battery seems to hold a charge, and I didn’t find any corroded or burnt connections anywhere. 

wrote:

Recently went thru this myself and here’s what I came up with. An investment in powder coating to any degree of quality is a sizable expense. Unless you plan to parlay it into a business, which I’m not, it’s prohibitive. Like 10K prohibitive and then you need the place to do it. The. factor in a learning curve.

I don’t know what fuel increases have done to the powder coat scene but it likely has impacted it like most everything else. Figure more like 400 if you want other bits and pieces done to be on the safe side with a buffer.

Sorry, disregard please. I missed some pertinent info. My bad.

Things must be more in your neighborhood. I just dropped of everything but the frame and swing arm and the cost was $80. I’m sure frame and swing arm will be about $200

 

wrote:

www.amazon.com/Pit-Posse-Motorcycle-Sepa...ractor/dp/B004MAPN42

If you have money to burn, a tool like this is really nice.  

 

I don't know where you're located, but some auto parts stores have a program where they loan tools for free (well, a refundable deposit).
I used a similar tool to remove kz swingarm bearings, and I borrowed it from Auto Zone.

wrote:

Overall weight for the bike and myself on-board is around 750 lbs. I'll have to check the height as well as spring pressure when I get home from the jobsite. Who makes a lighter spring? I've seen springs that are heavy duty but haven't seen any that are softer. I do have a 2-step installed and it slipped my mind to include that info, we're launching at 8500, shifting at 9k and top limiter is set to 11k. I'll give mtc a call at lunchtime tommorow and give them the info too, so far all the ETs have been fairly consistent running 4.0s @85 it's only differed maybe .02 up but never broke into the 3s. It did lose mph with the static change but didn't lose or gain ET, that being said we never got a clean run that weekend with the shifting issue so it may go quicker. The chassis was built in the early 2000s and had an old kz900 in it with a 1200 kit and 60 shot and has been 3.4s with a 120lb lighter rider but they never had problems shifting it so i wasn't sure if it was a weight problem or a clutching/lockup issue. I'll keep in mind the category issue if I create another thread, thank you for letting me know that. 




 

For lighter clutch spring there are a few options, MTC sell springs listed on the web site under "lock up clutch components" listed as multi stage spring kits $36
You could also cut the spacers on the hat to reduce the installed spring pressure (that's what I did on my MRE unit) to get a lighter static you can also eliminate springs and run 3 or 4 instead of 5 to get the weight down.
On asphalt with that weigh and motor combo I would launch around 7000, shift at 9000-9500 and set the rev limit at 10,000-10,500 Launching at high RPMS is for smaller motors, you don't have to kill it when your over 1400 cc. For static spring pressure you would want to be around 180 lbs to start. If your using stock springs your probably around 220 lbs or more for 5 springs.
Again these numbers would be a starting point for asphalt racing.
Usually it's best to start with lighter springs, then use shims to adjust your static.
It may be in your best interest to call them for advice specifically targeted at dirt racing, they probably have sorted out dirt dragers in the past and will give you the setup for you combo.

The following info is from the MTC web site specifically for the 2 stage lock up :

If your bike is too aggressive, then you need to reduce the amount of static spring pressure. If you have shimmed the springs, then you need to remove some of them to reduce the pressure. If your springs are not shimmed then you need to get some softer springs. The launch of a lockup equipped bike is totally controlled by the clutch springs. Your lockup does not start to apply until the bike is in motion, usually about 10-20ft off the line depending on the type of lockup you have. MTC stocks softer clutch springs for a number of applications, so give us a call.

If your bike is lazy or is driving through the clutch at launch, then hooking up about 20 feet off the line, you need to increase your static spring pressure. You need to add shims to the tops of the clutch springs. We suggest putting the shims on the top so they can easily accessed if you need to lower the spring pressure. As a general rule, the .025" shims will add 1-2 pounds of pressure per shim per spring. The .050" shims add between 2 and 3 pounds of spring pressure per shim per spring.

What will happen if I pull the clutch lever at high speed/RPM?   You should avoid this if at all possible, if the lockup is fully engaged you may not be able to pull the clutch lever and attempting to do so could damage internal clutch system parts.

adding weight to the arms steepens the curve of clamping force. If the weight remains the same changing the springs will move the curve higher or lower in the RPM band however the clamping slope will remain the same. This is one of the reasons we recommend keeping the weight the same on each arm. If you are just trying to change the RPM of the arm application do it with the springs. The need for more clamping force would be dealt with by adding weight.

Reducing the arm weight on a 2-stage will not really change the timing, just the overall force it can generate. The arms on a 2-stage lockup will apply at the same time no matter how much or little weight is on the arms. Removing weight reduces the amount of overall clamping force the lockup can generate which may cure an aggressive condition on the bottom end but could also lead to it driving through the clutch on the top end.

MTC recommends there be .100-.125" clearance between the flat surface of the arms and the hardened steel buttons in the pressure plate.
Having too little clearance can result in the arms not  be able to swing out far enough to generate sufficient leverage to lock the clutch up.
Too much clearance especially on a multistage lockup results in the arm reaching its travel limit before applying enough force to lock up the clutch pack.
The .125" max is not as critical on the 2-stage lockup since these arms are capable of more travel than the multistage. In order to measure this clearance on a two stage lockup you will have to hold the arm in position.

 

Here are some of the pieces. One day, I need to make a full list (with costs. Gulp...)

• 1075cc forged pistons, 10.5:1 (Joe Hooper, Pit Stop Performance)
• Welded crank (Pearson Racing)
• APE studs (cylinders and case)
• Timeserts in cam hold down holes (with custom studs)
• Back cut transmission gears (Pearson Racing)
• Ported and polished Mk II EFI head, oversized stainless valves (direct inject ports plugged, cam supports rounded off like early design heads)
• 1984 Kawasaki GPZ 1100 ITB
• Bosch EV14 #0280185013 Injectors
• 1984 GPZ 1100 cams (Larry Cavanaugh)
• Unusual single rib cam cover, clearanced for lobes
• Microsquirt ECU
• Trigger wheel - 12-1 custom machined, my design
• Crank sensor - RLC594-ND VR Sensor w/Red Lion RLC207-ND in line VR amplifier
• TPS - Raceworks Eurosensor TPS500, contactless, dual rotation
• Coils - Dynatek green
• Bosch ignitor
• Map sensors - GM 1 BAR
• O2 - Innovate 3844 MTX-L, e/LSU 4.9 sensor
• Fuel pump, Walbro inline
• Pressure regulator and gauge
• Fuel tank quick disconnects
• Beaded hard aluminum fuel lines (me)
• Fuel filters, before and after pump
• Mac 4:2:1 header with low restriction baffle in Kerker meg
• Pod air cleaners (generic)
• Stainless caliper pistons (HVC Cycle)
• Drilled, Blanchard ground LTD solid dual rotors (Truedisk, Tom Tokarz)
• New Mk II fork tubes (Forking by Frank)
• Suzuki swing arm (GX)
• 18” KZ police bike rear wheel w/1977 LTD caliper and rotor
• Polished stainless 4:1 and black Mac 4:2:1 headers
• Z1 tank and side covers (Z1 Parts)
• Hydraulic lines and fittings (Venhill USA)
• Hydraulic clutch (Falk Stumm, Z-Stammtisch Bremen, Germany, slave cylinder; McMaster Carr, stainless push rod)
• AirTech Dunstall quarter fairing
• Bosch H4 w/dual HID
• Bosch dual horns
• Polished stainless fasteners everywhere
• Lots of bits from various suppliers (Z1 Parts, Z1 Enterprises, McMaster Carr, etc.)

wrote:

wrote:

wrote:

The GS1100e is narrower than the Kz frame. It’s a good option.

Listen to Mikaw. It's a dead simple swap and has been done a million times. The GS11e swing arm will take a seriously wide tire. I had a 160/60 on mine years ago.

Will that take the 5.75 inch rim that he is running (I am guessing a 180 or 190 tyre)

I don’t know 100% it will work but so far in my mock ups it’s fitting a 180/55/17 on a 5.5 wide rim. 



 

wrote:

The GS1100e is narrower than the Kz frame. It’s a good option.

Listen to Mikaw. It's a dead simple swap and has been done a million times. The GS11e swing arm will take a seriously wide tire. I had a 160/60 on mine years ago.