time in the garage has been extremely sparse. recently i got a nice bit of motivation to get things rolling steady again and decided to get some sort of plan in action. my goal recently has been to finish one or more tasks on the check list each time i am in the garage. luckily i have been doing 2-3 per session now, which has been dramatically reducing the length of said list.
points gap, valve adjustment, cam chain tension, and timing advance check have all been accomplished. everything was pretty close to spec, so it is good to know it probably had a tune up before being cast away. due to low funds i have yet to order the POR15 to line the tank and intake, so finishing fabrication in other areas has been moved to higher priority.
fender mounts are now tacked into place and pretty much ready to finish weld. i also drilled the hole for the tail light mount, so that wraps up most of the rear. i then started working on the seat pan mounts when my welder ran out of wire, so that will have to wait till i pick up a new spool. in the meantime i trimmed the top triple tree a considerable amount to get rid of unwanted mounting tabs.
i also got a chance to address the exhaust issue i have had. whoever installed the aftermarket mufflers must have been rushed or lacked the patience necessary for proper fitment. the chain side pipe was super tight to the swingarm and chain, but just enough clearance. however, the brake side was no where near identical in placement with an extremely long bracket that threw symmetry out the window. i decided to mimic the chain side and get them both tucked in as tight as possible. no picture of the bracket, but it's not exactly anything special really anyways. since doing all of this, both mufflers and clamps appear to be sealing properly and super rigid. i took some time with the wire wheel to clean them up as much as possible, and was surprised how much nicer they looked. nothing fancy, but they will do until i can snatch up a set of new megaphones for replacement.
this weekend i would like to get the seat pan finished/mounted, make a headlight mount, front brake stay, and get the tank mounts finished.
seat pan: the bracket sitting on top in the first pic will be welded to the bottom of the pan for strength(second pic). probably way overkill, but it's ready to weld on.
fender mounts: super simple, but nice and rigid. i'm not a huge fan of the squarish narrow fender right now, but money is tight . when i get some extra scratch i'll try and get a rounder profile one to work with.
tail light: mounted and now i have to decide how i want to do the tag mount.
intake: a few more pics of it after blending some welds.
top triple tree: trimmed.
petcock: the position is making a simple tank mount a wee bit difficult.
12/22/10
kz400 build/entry : part 8
11/24/10
kz400 build/entry : part 7
i've been on hiatus from the garage for quite some time now. back in the saddle, i have made some progress. seat loop can be checked off the list now. i whipped up a seat pan as well, but still need to make the mounts and sort out the foam.
11/1/10
ozark mountain scramble
i'm going to bump this post every few months to keep the buzz going. i'm hoping to get a pre-run in soon to start working out any possible kinks.
it's official. there are still some loose ends to tie up, but the general route and date has been determined. lodging currently is the only questionable item at the moment, but rest assured it will come to fruition. with the date set for June of next year, you have plenty of time to get a work horse assembled and your calenders cleared for three days. i'll try and update whenever new information comes to light. any and all other information will be mainly kept here----------------------------------->CLICK
feel free to spread the word around.
kz400 build/entry : part 6
i've been slowly plugging along on the kz. unfortunately i haven't had much time available to me in the garage, so i am doing what little i can here and there. on my lunch break, i snatched up some rectifiers to build a new one. the old setup was haggard and unfit for road use by any measure, so it was time to finally build one from scratch. there are quite a few different setups i have seen built before, and all are supposed to work just as good if not better than the stock setup. total cost from radio shack came in under $15 versus the usual $50-$100 used units on ebay. i have a chunk of 3/8" aluminum stock to be used as a heat sink, so that is covered already. i received my new petcock in friday leaving only a few things left on the list to check before the first start.
1. check valve timing
2. points gap
3. check advance unit/weights and clean/lube
4. make gaskets for new intake
5. simple wire job to run
10/20/10
kz400 build/entry : part 5
i finished the intake fabrication, which means i will finally get to hear it run for the first time. nothing beats that accomplishment other than the maiden voyage itself.
Craig at Front St. Cycle bent up some tubing to get started on the seat rails. yhe plan is to start this weekend on it, but i would rather not take focus off of getting the bastard running right now.
10/13/10
kz400 build/entry : part 4
got some more work done on the intake over the weekend. unfortunately my angle grinder brushes are toast leaving me fumbling to finish. not much left but the snout that attaches to the carb, so i am pretty stoked on the progress.
also snapped a couple pics of the tank mounts.
10/8/10
kz400 build/entry : part 3
single carb intake in process. i'm in the tacking phase without enough hands, so until i can get my buddy over to be my "holder" it will have to just wait. no pics of it, but i did get the tank mounts tacked into place with only the threaded bungs left to attach to the frame. i hope to have the intake finished and the bike fired up by the end of October leaving me all of November and December to finish tuning and any fab work.
9/16/10
9/14/10
kz400 build/entry : part 2
it's about time i do an update on the build. i am slowly getting the single carb intake flanges made, but the brushes on my dremel burned out the other day leaving me high and dry. with idle time available, i decided to whip up a bird deflector for the carb.
it still needs a good screen/foam setup in there somewhere, but three set screws hold it in place real nice and snug.
out of boredom i photoshopped a new tail on the bike, which has lead me to a whole new level of confusion as to what direction the build will go. i'm leaning towards option one, but both are really appealing.
option #1
option #2
8/19/10
ozark mountain scramble
it's official. there are still some loose ends to tie up, but the general route and date has been determined. lodging currently is the only questionable item at the moment, but rest assured it will come to fruition. with the date set for June of next year, you have plenty of time to get a work horse assembled and your calenders cleared for three days. i'll try and update whenever new information comes to light. any and all other information will be mainly kept here----------------------------------->CLICK
feel free to spread the word around.
8/9/10
KZ400 build/entry : part 1
picked up this kz400 for $100 last thursday. has decent compression, but is missing a set of carbs. a trip to the local PD is in order this week to do a VIN check. if all is good, i can start the bonded title process and get this beast in full swing.
$500 budget yeehaw!
555 tweaked
i have decided that next year i want to do something epic. something out of my comfort zone, and something i can reflect upon in my older age. a couple years ago there was a group of guys that started an idea called the 555. ----------------------->CLICK
the idea was/is rad as hell, and it had a pretty good turnout. i believe it was then repeated in reverse direction the following year. ---------------------->CLICK
with all that said, i am in the planning stages of a very similar run of my own with some rule tweakage. at the moment i have put together what little free cash i have to pick up a bike that falls within the criteria listed below. i encourage others out there to do the same. the time and date have yet to be selected along with the route, but it will be fun as hell to do. suggestions are welcome.
the rules:
- 1980 or older motorcycle
- Spend less than a total of $1000 on the purchase, build and prep
- Total displacement of motorcycle cannot exceed 750cc
the run has been created. if you build it, they will come---------------->CLICK
3/12/10
cb750 : moonbeam tuck
shortened up some universal headlight brackets this week. hot damn what a difference. finally starting to check some stuff off the list, yet it still grows...
