1980 KZ1000E ST project

Then RIDE THE PISS OUT OF IT. :woohoo:
Steve

I intend to. R

Clutch cable check. Maiden voyage tonight. R

Ha! Awesome when you finally get to plug that last piece of the puzzle in.
Well, give it hell but take it easy too. Kinda like - Ride it like you stole it! But remember it has to get you back home. :laugh:

Yep it will be a light ride as I am not sure my front MC came today. Back brake only. R PP

Okay, so I took it out for it's first road effort. After about 40 minutes of perfect function, it started to have power loss like on three or two cylinders. I stopped to look at things and the idle was rough and it stopped. I started it back up and raised the idle. I limped it home. I started with obvious checks. Oil is good. I have a few minor leaks at the tach seal and and a cam plug otherwise all solid. 48 miles ridden. I have the sense that this is electrical. Sure enough I pulled the tank tank out if it grommet and the bike revved perfectly with full power. I must still have coil shorting the frame or perhaps a bad wire rubbing on the frame, It is not tripping the fuses, just drops cylinders. Any ideas on how to insulate the coils and sires better. I was thinking of adhereing rubber to the bottom of the tank over the coils. Unsure what to do. BTW the ride was great, I will put some video out later, gonna dink on it a bit. R

Bad connections at the coils?
Steve

I rechecked and rerouted the harness. Main harness is now moved out from in between the coils. I also had the left coil lead pinched in the bracket and valve cover. Looks good and running right. R

Very nice, sounds tight.
Steve

Very satisfying. I really like the way it handles with stock suspension. It has an unwavering rock solid feel. The steering is center-heavy and I like that on KZs. Holds a line forever. Got a front tire on the way, the old one is past its prime. The rear D404 still has feelers and holds pressure so I am gonna run that one for a while anyway and watch the wear. A couple instrument and running light bulbs needed. At some point I will helicoil the valve cover cover bolt i stripped that has teflon on it now, reseal the billet cam caps wit sealer and the viton strip. Should have known better that to rely on the viton strip alone. And replace the tach seal, oring and gasket. Will get some miles on, retorque the head, make another valve clearance check, and make a quick release for the rack and back rest. My first attempt is a no go. Since I have hard bags there is a open frame grommet where the stock rear turns were. I am targeting that for a custom bracket to the rack that will fit some jam and wing nuts for quick removal to get under the seat. That should give the room needed. I really like the way the rack looks and the practicality of it. Will also allow for pass back rest when needed. T Anyway very pleased. Ah, also need a windshield at some point. The wind blast is a bit much without the full face and I don't care that much for the full face. :laugh:

R

I was going to suggest a wind shield. Mine is a National Cycle. They have different types. When I sold the 550, I should have kept the larger one for winter riding. It would have helped a lot. :dry: Now that summer is here the one I have works just fine. No blast furnace.
It also keeps the wind noise down to a minimum with my cam.
Steve