It's been a while

just checked your website kevin.
looks as though we have the whole pictures from ace cafe thing covered .
you have been at that for awhile.some really nice pictures there.

leon

uk_kev wrote:

You know I will take pictures, you only have to look at my signature line to see that...

My bad... yeah, I think we don't have to worry about you taking pictures! Thanks for sharing the link with us...

Well as of today, the bike is on the bench, and work has started on getting it road fit.

Carbs have been stripped and cleaned (I am hoping to get them in a sonic bath soon) in preperation for the rebuild kits I have coming from the US, but nothing on the bike looks like it has ever been apart, no bodged screws, no instant gasket, no crap anywhere? which can only be good news.
Infact the wiring is all original except for two scotch locks on the horn wiring where a second horn has been added, I can assure you they will be gone soon!
New plugs and caps have been fitted today, and I have done an oil change and new filter. So far the only problem I have encountered has been with the rear master cylinder, this has leaked over time, so needs a rebuild, the parts for which I have just ordered from Holland.

Yes Bollox

Why you may ask, and indeed you have a right to ask that question, so grab a beer, make yourself comfortable, and I shall spin you a yarn..


Ok now my bike has been a barn resident for more than a while, and as such things perish, we all know this, and take it into account when getting bikes back on the road. Well dear reader, with this in mind, and knowing that the bike is hard to push around, I set to buying all new brake components, you know the sort of things, rear master cylinder kit, caliper seals, etc, and the same for the front.
So after work toady I headed for the garage where my bike seems to be living of late, hoiked it onto a bench and set too with the spanners in an effort to get things sorted by the end of play tomorrow, first job was the new center stand spring, well that went well and I now have a fully fuctioning stand.

Right, next up was the rear master cylinder, this is where we hit the first problem, I ordered all genuine parts from Holland, for my 80 Mk2 A4, but all the supplied parts (piston, seals, circlip, etc were wrong, and are for the earlier A1/A2 models, and maybe the A3 too, as I have been told they changed around then, luckily we managed to clean up and salvage the old parts for now, but I am a little annoyed, as the parts were not cheap!
Next we noticed that the sprocket carrier bearing was shot, so we stripped the rear wheel, and replaced that, then we noticed that as you spin the rear wheel it would semi lock up, at first we thought this was a stiff chain, but Oh no! It seems that Mr Bodger once owned my bike, and decided to ride it with the chain way too tight and in doing so he has damaged the drive sprocket assembly, I can only hope he has not done any damage to the gears, but there is 5mm of play at the sprocket end.

So tomorrow, I will be pulling the motor, so we can split the case and see what damage has been done, I knew it was all going to well, but there you are, part of the problem with buying a non runner, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you can be sure of this, it will be back on the road, whether it is in time for Kawasaki day, I don’t know, we will all know more tomorrow..... But now it is time for a few beers and a ruby.

Ok then, I was down the garage first thing this morning armed with two bags of doughnuts for the guys who work there, and so to work. I got there at 8-45, and by 10.00 the motor was out of the frame, and the owner Mark, was pulling it apart, an hour later it was stripped, only one bolt sheared in the strip down, and that was the gear lever clamp bolt. everything else came undone as it should.

So what did we find? well the output shaft bearing had collapsed, and the bearing thrust washed had taken the brunt of the damage, but that was it, no other damage, all the gears, and the selector forks are fine.







The pickup strainer was a bit chocker with assorted debris?

Ok then, now where was I, ah yes I left you last with the motor pulled apart, and new parts ordered. Well the parts turned up, so it was back to the bench, and start putting the old girl back together...











First thing was to get all the bearing surfaces clean, and I do mean real clean, then it is just a case of gluing it all back together. So that being done it should be back in the frame and running tomorrow.

So does it run, well look here....




and now, after spending time with the alloy polish and a rag....


Well here it is as I bought it just five weeks ago....



And here it is today, well when I say today, these were taken yesterday, but you know what I mean.

What a great day, the sun shone, and I had a ride out on my zed, zed's were made for the sun, no doubt about it. The polishing has been done, the bike looks smart now, no sign that it had spent so long in a barn, well with one exception, the dead spider that now rests in the speedo where he ended his life, waiting on the flys that never came.... :roll:

Great find, and nice work on getting her ready for the road.
She looks great.

looks good kev.
i had that bearing fail in my 1980 z1r as well.

leon

Well this coming Sunday, is Kawasaki day at the Ace cafe in London, and all being well I shall be there with my Zed and Camera... Should be a fun day out..

Sounds like fun. Looking forward to the pics.

wished i could go,i'll have to settle for looking at your pictures.

leon