Another Kawasaki Project !
- Thread starter CAT3
- Start date
Called in today to drop off my rocker covers for anodising, (went Friday, but they were closed !! 
) & my yokes were ready. Result 
Steering stem is in the freezer now shrinking. I'll get that installed tomorrow once it's had time to shrink.
I had them vapour blast the two parts to remove all the machining "lines" & to make them look like the original cast Kawasaki parts, turned out well I think.
Once these are fitted & the forks are in I can get of with the last two jobs to complete the fork swop, getting the final brake hose cut to length & swaged & getting two front mudguard mounts made.
) & my yokes were ready. Result Steering stem is in the freezer now shrinking. I'll get that installed tomorrow once it's had time to shrink.
I had them vapour blast the two parts to remove all the machining "lines" & to make them look like the original cast Kawasaki parts, turned out well I think.
Once these are fitted & the forks are in I can get of with the last two jobs to complete the fork swop, getting the final brake hose cut to length & swaged & getting two front mudguard mounts made.
Also today (!!) the lump of steel plate that I'd ordered to get the lower yoke/steering stem correctly positioned in my press arrived this morning.
So after fitting the rocker covers to another project, I got the steering stem fitted in the new lower yoke.
With everything lined up the pressing commenced !
The stem had been in the freezer for a couple of days & the yoke was warmed up around the stem hole & a few seconds later the stem was fully home with the snap-ring stopping the stem from being pulled right through the yoke.
Bits at the ready,
With everything aligned & in position,
Pressed fully in,
Followed by the lower bearing race & seal,
So after fitting the rocker covers to another project, I got the steering stem fitted in the new lower yoke.
With everything lined up the pressing commenced !
The stem had been in the freezer for a couple of days & the yoke was warmed up around the stem hole & a few seconds later the stem was fully home with the snap-ring stopping the stem from being pulled right through the yoke.
Bits at the ready,
With everything aligned & in position,
Pressed fully in,
Followed by the lower bearing race & seal,
I have built 3 bikes in my life and the cost can be insane or minimal it depends on how far you want to go. If you have the tools etc it is a mission of love, imo it has nothing to do with being a clever Guinness that does help, it is always about the love of making something!!
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Yes Dox, I'm like a squirrel, I generally keep my bikes. Had my Z900 since '76, the 955 is twenty-six years old, the SS is even older !! My garage is too small now to get anything else in, without getting rid of anything, which I can't bring myself to do !! 
When I built the first old nail I never intended to build another, but ............ what can I say !
It may well be I enjoy the actual "building" more than the taking them out, don't get me wrong I absolutely love going out for a ride on them. I just need more room as I'd like to do a Ducati Pierbon next, or something similar !
In terms of cost, although the bikes "look" similar the parts are in the main unique to each bike so other than the big bits like the engines, primary drives, gearboxes & front wheel/disc, everything else is a one-off. So the machining costs would still be the same for those parts I've had done outside of my garage anyway.
Also, if you built two, once they were finished I'd most likely feel duty bound to sell at least one of them & you would NEVER get back what you had invested into each bike & that's without even starting to add a cost to your time building said bike. That's a huge amount of money to "give away" although have two of everything would stop the kids arguing when I die !!
Being semi-retired you need to have an interest/project to keep your mind occupied otherwise my wife would have me decorating all the time, which doesn't bear thinking about !!
When I built the first old nail I never intended to build another, but ............ what can I say !
It may well be I enjoy the actual "building" more than the taking them out, don't get me wrong I absolutely love going out for a ride on them. I just need more room as I'd like to do a Ducati Pierbon next, or something similar !
In terms of cost, although the bikes "look" similar the parts are in the main unique to each bike so other than the big bits like the engines, primary drives, gearboxes & front wheel/disc, everything else is a one-off. So the machining costs would still be the same for those parts I've had done outside of my garage anyway.
Also, if you built two, once they were finished I'd most likely feel duty bound to sell at least one of them & you would NEVER get back what you had invested into each bike & that's without even starting to add a cost to your time building said bike. That's a huge amount of money to "give away" although have two of everything would stop the kids arguing when I die !!
Being semi-retired you need to have an interest/project to keep your mind occupied otherwise my wife would have me decorating all the time, which doesn't bear thinking about !!
Very true Wayne, very true indeed, just ask Exi !!I have built 3 bikes in my life and the cost can be insane or minimal it depends on how far you want to go. If you have the tools etc it is a mission of love, imo it has nothing to do with being a clever Guinness that does help it is always about the love of making something!!
Don't tell him, it's our secret!!Very true Wayne, very true indeed, just ask Exi !!
You have an extensive toolkit Wayne.I have built 3 bikes in my life and the cost can be insane or minimal it depends on how far you want to go. If you have the tools etc it is a mission of love, imo it has nothing to do with being a clever Guinness that does help, it is always about the love of making something!!
Ahhh, so that's what I need to do a "quick" build, a mantlepiece clock !!..........
Please don't: you will never finish itAhhh, so that's what I need to do a "quick" build, a mantlepiece clock !!
Finally got round to swopping the forks over to the RWU Ohlins !!
Don't get too excited though, it's not finished !!
The forks are all fitted, tightened/torqued up, wheel in & calipers fitted. However, there are two outstanding jobs that need finishing, but until the forks were actually in place I didn't want to do in case I got the measurements wrong, (which has happened in the past !!).
The flexible brake hose from the ABS pump up to the front brakes needs replacing. There's a block connector under the tank which routes to the joint under the lower yoke & I need to get the tank loose & trim panel off to measure the final length of the hose. I'll do this tomorrow now.
The other job is to disconnect the ignition switch, the connectors are also under the fuel tank, so that I can get the upper yoke off & in my vice to drill out the two shear bolts holding the ignition switch to the yoke. I can then fit the ignition switch to the new yoke & then refit the instruments & headlight.
I've swopped the two front indicators over from the OEM Kawasaki ones to the LED Triumph ones & made the connections. They flash a little bit faster than they did, but I'll leave that until I swop the two rear indicators over & then see what it's like. I might have to swop the indicator relay for a more LED specific type.
The last job will be to get two front mudguard mounts made to suit the Z650 mudguard. The mudguard from the Z650 is also the correct colour too so that was a bonus. I'll hopefully entice a mate for a beer next week & give him the dimensions so he can draw it for me & I can then get two printed. I'm hoping 3D prints should be more that man enough for the job, but if they are not & can get them machined from aluminium once I know they fit OK.
Don't get too excited though, it's not finished !!
The forks are all fitted, tightened/torqued up, wheel in & calipers fitted. However, there are two outstanding jobs that need finishing, but until the forks were actually in place I didn't want to do in case I got the measurements wrong, (which has happened in the past !!
).The flexible brake hose from the ABS pump up to the front brakes needs replacing. There's a block connector under the tank which routes to the joint under the lower yoke & I need to get the tank loose & trim panel off to measure the final length of the hose. I'll do this tomorrow now.
The other job is to disconnect the ignition switch, the connectors are also under the fuel tank, so that I can get the upper yoke off & in my vice to drill out the two shear bolts holding the ignition switch to the yoke. I can then fit the ignition switch to the new yoke & then refit the instruments & headlight.
I've swopped the two front indicators over from the OEM Kawasaki ones to the LED Triumph ones & made the connections. They flash a little bit faster than they did, but I'll leave that until I swop the two rear indicators over & then see what it's like. I might have to swop the indicator relay for a more LED specific type.
The last job will be to get two front mudguard mounts made to suit the Z650 mudguard. The mudguard from the Z650 is also the correct colour too so that was a bonus. I'll hopefully entice a mate for a beer next week & give him the dimensions so he can draw it for me & I can then get two printed. I'm hoping 3D prints should be more that man enough for the job, but if they are not & can get them machined from aluminium once I know they fit OK.
Continuing on from yesterday, I thought disconnecting the ignition switch to get the two shear bolts drilled out would a quick job today. How wrong can you be !
The two plugs are hidden under the airbox & right behind the headstock. So tank off, airbox off & then after a lot of fiddling about I managed to get to the two plugs to disconnect the ignition switch & so free off the top yoke from the bike.
At least Kawasaki made two screws release all four intake rubbers !
Which gave access to the two electrical plugs from the ignition switch.
They are right at the front of the engine, behind the rubber sheet.
With the top yoke now free I could drill out the two shear bolts securing the ignition switch to the top yoke.
And then remove the two threaded studs.
I had to make a couple of new spacers to get the steering lock plunger correctly aligned with it's locating hole, but that's all done now & refitted.
Steering lock works fine, but I haven't turned the ignition ON yet as there are still things unplugged & I don't want a load of fault codes appearing.
I've also measured the last brake hose that need one end swaging on. I send that off tomorrow to be done.
The wire by the side of said fitting is the ABS sensor to the front wheel, I've got some Ducati clips to secure the wire to the hose once I get it back from swaging.
The two plugs are hidden under the airbox & right behind the headstock. So tank off, airbox off & then after a lot of fiddling about I managed to get to the two plugs to disconnect the ignition switch & so free off the top yoke from the bike.
At least Kawasaki made two screws release all four intake rubbers !
Which gave access to the two electrical plugs from the ignition switch.
They are right at the front of the engine, behind the rubber sheet.
With the top yoke now free I could drill out the two shear bolts securing the ignition switch to the top yoke.
And then remove the two threaded studs.
I had to make a couple of new spacers to get the steering lock plunger correctly aligned with it's locating hole, but that's all done now & refitted.
Steering lock works fine, but I haven't turned the ignition ON yet as there are still things unplugged & I don't want a load of fault codes appearing.
I've also measured the last brake hose that need one end swaging on. I send that off tomorrow to be done.
The wire by the side of said fitting is the ABS sensor to the front wheel, I've got some Ducati clips to secure the wire to the hose once I get it back from swaging.