1984 KZP Restoration Kickoff

Kickoff post for a ground-up repair and restoration on a 1984 KZ1000P ex-Atlanta PD patrol bike. An '06 quick-n-dirty reassembly of this former (near) basket-case was done with severe time and budget limitations. Some problems were fixed, some not. I've put a few miles on it since, but finally decided that some old problems (and several new ones) needed to be addressed. Disassembly is complete, and I'm trying to psych myself up to crack open the engine.



I'm also currently struggling with the classic "powder or paint" decision. Powder coating would be cool, but I'm concerned about maintenance. Painting could be cheaper, and I'm really leaning toward Por15 products, which I've read good things on.

For the engine, low compression and a noisy transmission will need to be addressed. Maybe a few surprises here, as the bike was stored for 15 yrs.

A racing book I once read (maybe Carroll Smith?) advised "Make it safe. Make it reliable. Make it fast. Make it pretty. In that order.". Seems like good advice, so once it's back together and proven to be mechanically reliable I'll think about paint for the gas tank, fairing and fenders. Probably next year's project, but a deep law enforcement blue with white accents might look nice.

I won't really be able to enjoy riding it (especially on extended trips) until it can no longer be considered a work in progress. I'll try to post pics as progress is made.

Lastly, THANKS! in advance to all the kzrider.com regulars whose sage advice I'll need along the way.

Welcome to the projects!

If you are looking for paint that really stick, looks good go for powder coat!
Just remember to put screws in the treads that you are using before you deliver it in for painting...otherwise you have to remove paint from it after, and thats no fun. :laugh:

I cant see any bad sides with powder coat, the 1000J I am restoring now was powdercoated for 15 years ago, and still looks fresh...

Good luck with the old police bike then!

Wheel Bearings
Bearings for both wheels came out fine (with a little BFH help). The trick was to go easy at first. Because the bearing/spacer clearance was so tight, the punch wasn't really able to get a good "grip" on the side of the bearing at first, but after a few taps the clearance between the bearing and the spacer loosened up very slightly. This allowed the spacer to be moved aside a bit more, which exposed even more bearing to aim for and strike harder. Once any grease seals and circlips has been removed it took maybe 10 minutes to knock the bearings out.

Front Rotors
Bad news here. Both rotors are below the min thickness. Just barely, but I was hoping to have them turned (If that can even be done on M/C rotors) to clean up some grooves left over from who knows what. At any rate, new rotors and pads are in order. I know where to get the pads cheap but the rotors are a different story. The only place I've checked so far wants $260+ for a new set. Too much. Looks like I'll be looking on ebay for a set.

Frame
Frame cleaned up nicely. At least it's straight with no cracks or other surprises. Now that it's clean I'll set it aside and attack the engine.

More later....

Front rotors: eBay came to the rescue. Shortly after posting about the out-of-spec rotors, I found a set on eBay from a '92 model. Luckily they were buy-it-now, and the seller reported that they were within spec. Bought them a couple days ago and they should be here early next week. I'll have my fingers crossed that they are as advertised.

Engine: Finally screwed my courage up and tore into the top end. What a mess. Severe carbon build up, and an overall "burnt" oil smell. While the circumstances surrounding the service retirement of this particular bike are a mystery, a theme of "Rode hard and put up wet" is starting to develop. I've not yet taken any measurements so I don't know just how deep the problems go. At any rate, a thorough cleaning is in order. Crossed fingers now doing double duty against severe engine wear!

Pics forthcoming.....

Time to try posting multiple pics. Apologies in advance if I screw this up....

Head condition for cylinders 1 & 2.


Cylinders 1 & 2.


Head condition for cylinders 3 & 4.


Cylinders 3 & 4.

i've seen worse, i would just make a cocktail of gas/seafoam and dip a nylon detailing brush in the solution and go to town with the parts. You could use a brass brush as well but it can still scratch aluminum. But hey i'll be back in the murfreesboro area mid july so if you need help just gimme a pm.

Thanks, and I will.

That cocktail sounds potent! I'll give it a try. Got plenty of both on hand.

Spent the last couple days tearing down the engine to the point the crankcase could be split. Everything looks fine so far, considering the bike's history. Still no measurements made yet, so bad news could be coming. The case had been split sometime in the past, and the PO had made a mess with the liquid gasket used. The stuff is everywhere.
Split the cases last night, and lifted the crank and gear shafts out. There are some wear patterns in the cases where the gear shafts (bearings) sit that concern me. Slight grooves and friction points in the aluminum that I'll need to have looked at. Probably have my friendly local dealer check it out (Rose Kawasaki).
New bearings are in order, at least, while I'm in this far.
Pics:




This next week I'll have a chance to thoroughly check the crank and gear shafts for excessive wear or other problems. Hopefully the bearings won't give me any trouble.

More later......

Crankshaft and transmission shafts seem to be fine. Crankshaft bearing clearances are within spec, and there doesn't seem to be any play in the rod or main bearings.

I've disassembled the input and output shafts and found both large main bearings to be questionable. Hopefully I've found the source of the transmission noise that started this whole project. Both vibrate and make noise when spun by hand. I'll be taking these to the local bearing shop for replacement. All of the smaller needle bearings seemed fine, but at less than $8 each I'll almost certainly replace them as a precaution. New circlips, too, while I'm at it (per the book).

Once I have the transmission bearings in hand, I could go ahead and reassemble the crankcase. Instead I'll probably wait until the cylinders are ready to go back on so the lower engine will be sealed, and the errant doo-dad can't get lost under the crank.

Funds have run low for the moment, so I'll probably concentrate on de-greasing and cleaning the million small parts I've taken off.

Haven't updated in a while, though much progress has been made and many problems solved. Nothing really to report until recently.

Frame: Powder coating was completed a couple weeks ago by Jason Greene of Greene Finishing (706-517-0757). What a fantastic job! The pics really don't do it justice. The easiest way to describe the result is simply "It looks new!". If you're anywhere in the N GA or East TN area, I highly recommend Jason's work. Very experienced, and easy to work with.


More updates below.....

Engine is almost done. Most of the problems here had to do with part sourcing, especially bearings. Easy enough to order OEM if you want to pay through the nose, a bit harder if you're looking for a bargain. In fact, if I hadn't lost track of a couple guide pins and o-rings it would be done by now. Hope to have the head on, cams in and back in the frame by Friday.

Wheels were finished last weekend. Considered powder coating, but decided to wait until I can find a set of wheels in better shape and I'm ready to replace the tires on the bike now. In the meantime a little polish and paint will have to do.