How to Rebuild and Restore
I decided to get stuck into this project again, I really want a cafe racer on the road and I need to do some fabrication so I can have some pictures for my next book (more on that below). So I’ve spent time starting to put some of the major items back together, starting with the forks. in fact these …
As I start my Cafe Racer build based on a 1977 z650B1 I discovered that most of the wheel bearings are the same as a classic “Zed”, but the sprocket carrier is different. This led me to start recording minor details like wheel bearing part numbers so I didn’t have to research the same bearing information later. The 1977 z650 B1 …
With the weather getting slightly warmer and other activities outside of bikes still on hold thanks to Covid-19, I’ve decided to just drop ALL other activities and just focus on finishing bikes for the foreseeable future. With new found focus, September is going to be a busy month starting with the re-assembly of my 1983 zx1100A1! Last week Shazza and …
The world is in chaos, Covid-19 is killing sick people left right and centre and almost everyone has been told to self-isolate. This of course means you can spend some quality time with the one you love (to ride)… your motorcycle(s). In my case I’ve noticed my 1994 zx-9r is leaking oil somewhere near the gear change lever and from …
It must be great doing bike Maintenance ever six months, but when you have a couple of bikes on the road then every month becomes Maintenance Month! During November and December the zx9r’s have been getting the bulk of love with maintenance and a small collection of new parts. Last month (November 2019) I had problems with both zx9’s miss-firing, …
The year is nearly at an end and its time for an update. November has seen me purchase some larger jets for the z650 and put the carburetors back together. While I was at it one of my ZX9R’s picked up a constant miss-fire issue and a strip down revealed the dirty truth! Draining the carburetors revealed the dirt/rust so …
Motorcycle electrical system are generally considered a black art by most riders. Although fairly robust, when they do fail the charging and ignition systems present the most headache and generally rate at the top of most forum questions (next to “what oil should I use?”). Types of Charging systems Although I will focus on the z650B1 model in this article, …
Fork seal replacement is one of those jobs where the right tools and a bit of know how will result in a stress free maintenance task being completed within next to no time. In fact fork seals are so easy to replace that most of your time will be taken with actually removing and re-installing the forks (Quick Tutorial Coming). …
When production started in 1977 of the Kawasaki z650 B1 model, I doubt the Kawasaki engineers had any idea that 40 years later these bikes would still be on the road and highly sought after! But after a few decades various mechanical systems on the z650 start to show their age, the Starter Clutch is one and the Clutch cush …
Replacing the z650 starter can be done without removing the engine! Read on to find out how!
