Attn. Motorcycle dudes....

Dang you Bill! Now you're gonna make me have to work on mine! Wasn't planning on touching it until spring time...

Had to do something..... 

I'd go shooting but you bought all the ammo.
I'd build rods but you wouldn't sell the wrapper.
I'd go diving but your wetsuit would fit me.

 

NOW you have to work on the bike!!!  Lol

Bill

Finally got the odd-bsll metric sockets I needed to pull the triple clamps and rear swing arm; 21, 23 & 26mm along with a 1-3/8" wtf?  Spent the afternoon with a wire wheel in the die grinder & smaller parts in the sandblaster.

Finally down to a bare naked frame!

man that is a lot work..I am doing a frame soon and have no interest in the work side of it...full bracing and webbing on a 76 Kawasaki 900

here is a picture of the last bike I tricked out and and did a full paint and resto with era mods
As I rode it home from craiglist buy and the blue finished picture

here is the bike I own now and am getting redy to restore...this is how it looks now,  37 years and still pulling wheelies..full engine freshen up with yoshimura slipper pistons..frame and swingarm webbed and painted and full paint coming next spring...much of the era mods are done and the motor and paint is next...

Beautiful bikes!

In my day....

1976 Kawasaki KZ400
1977 Kawasaki KZ750
1982 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD

Favorite all-around was the 750 twin. Loved it and still wish I owned it.

Current bike (long-term garage queen) is a 1989 Honda Pacific Coast (PC800).

 

I also had a KZ400, but it had been so cannibalized by the previous owner and rebuilt several times by him with bailing wire and electrical tape that I sold it back to him for what I paid

Then a KLR 650 which I just couldn't quite love, sold it too, then had a baby and decided my next bike would be when he is a bit older...

These restoration pics of real classic riders bikes make me want another one tho...

Had to take a short break to install some new flooring in the house.  Back to the bike today.  Decided to pull the top end to "take a peak" inside.  Here's how she looks so far.  Nothing too alarming for an all orig. 1964 bike.  Haven't mic'd the cylinders but I was getting ~120 psi on both cylinders with just a few kicks.  Didn't have any luck trying to hit it with the starter to see if I could get it up to the 200 psi compression it should have. 

Bill

Been working on it in my spare time.  After finding that the motor has already been bored .50mm over, I am faced with taking it to .75mm over, resleave to std. or go "big bore kit".  Decided to pull out the second bike, tear it down & check its motor.  Left piston seized firm but is stock bore.

Since pistons are no longer made, on the hunt for NOS .75 over pistons.  Luckily there are a few out there.  My only concern was the history aspect of this restore.  I had a 50/50 shot that the bike I was working on was my dads orig. bike that he bought new in 1964.  Found the original registration for it this evening!!!!  Confirmed it IS his numbers matching motor/frame.  Confirming this is HUGE to me since this is being done in his memory.

Keep you all posted as the project progresses.

Anyone have a good chrome and/or powdercoat shop?

Bill

Good luck with chrome in Ca., regulations make chrome players scarce, but I have two powdercoat guys here in Fresno area. Donnie at Caps coating, and Robbie at Star Finishes.

Nice progress on that restoration.  I just wrapped up restoring a 44 year old Honda.  Here are photos before and after, of my 1970 Honda Trail CT90;

I acquired a 1970 Honda Trail CT90 in October.  90 days and $700 dollars later, she's ready for her reveal.
Here are before and after photos;

BEFORE


AFTER


BEFORE


AFTER


BEFORE


AFTER


BEFORE


AFTER


BEFORE


AFTER


BEFORE


AFTER

Now that's a sweet bike

Very nice job.  Who did the chrome?

As of this morning.  Trying to keep track of all the wiring while removing it from the frame.  Lots of pictures along the way.

Bill

Bill,

Let me give you a very useful tip.  As you continue your take down, keep your phone or camera handy, and a ton of zip locks and a sharpie handy top mar the bags.  Take pictures as you disassemble things.  You will forget  how things go together, and will need a good point of reference, and those pics can be a lifesaver.  Be prepared to replace most of your gaskets and wiring.  Have the wheels and spokes checked for trueness before you put tires on them.  And while you have it this far down, if you have the old style ball bearings in the steering head switch them over to sealed bearings ideally a timkin style, you will thank me later when you are reassembling, and not having to chase those !@#$% ball bearings around the shop.  If that bike is as old as you say, when you start to run unleaded gas in it, the valve seats may over time give you issues as those are not no lead seats.  Some, not all bikes from that era, have problems on unleaded fuel.

Hit me up if you have questions, I may be able to help. 

Kevin

Glen,

A lot of carb problems are in the intermediate and slow speed jets.  Some times you can get buy by dropping the bowl, and removing the jets (if the bowl is easily accesible). If it is a case of flooding it can be the float.  Your Sparkplug can be a good indicator of how it is running and what you may have to do to it.  A good tool for cleaning jets is a regular old wooden toothpic, wood won't deform the bronze/brass jet.  You can also trim it easily to fit the jet as needed. 

I am not triumph man, but I do know they can be sweet bikes.  I just hope it is not one of those odd ball positive grounded machines from way back when (yes you read that correctly, Positive ground).  I have heard many a horror story about them.


if that doesn't fix it, I have a set of wire drill bits that are super fine, there is technique to using these I can tell you how to use them, but it take a soft touch.
Kevin