Hurricane Irma vs me

I lost the fight but not the battle. We evacuated, just as well house is without power and there was some storm damage to our community. All is good, no flooding and intend to get back to it as soon as I return to the garage and Lecky is restored.

The rest of the Bodywork, Tank and exhaust off!

     Well, between work commitments and my favorite hobby of spending time with my gorgeous wife, the KZ650 has been a little neglected. Today we spent some quality time together, stripped the rest of the bodywork off, repaired it too, so if side panels need to go back on then they will be perfect. The tail unit will be sanded and primed then get a joyous union with eBay.

     The indicators are trash, and am looking to clean up the frame, cutting and grinding all unnecessary hangers off. Now - here is a quandary, do I retain the original exhaust or go for a Delvic and sell the twin pipes for putting the cash back into the build.

 

     The rear brake master is out, as it the hose, all brake hoses are being replaced. I should have all the brakes serviced and assembled like new in a couple of weeks.

     It does appear that the bike has been apart before, an age ago, the mis-match of  fasteners and i have discovered that zip ties of various sizes and manufacture were used in Kawasaki production... ;-)

     So my list of things to buy, although vast, is being prioritized, so my list topper at the moment are the brakes, once they are done then a bike lift is next up, so the wheels and suspension can come out.

     I now also have to clean and maybe shape the tank, will leave the shaping until later in the build. But it really does need a good service and re-sealing.

     To order list:

               1.     Front and Rear braided brake hoses - probably eBay .

               2.     Caliper paint - Black.

               3.     Bike lift or bike stand, probably from Harbor Freight, i already have a jack from them, and it seems pretty robust. That or i will be scanning craigslist for some workshop goodies.

     Oh, i did kick the motor over, has good compression, so that is good news indeed, the lever, true style did catch my shin too!

     Well, until my next installment, cheers.

The Seat and Rear Fender

     So, it has been a while, I have been back to the mother country to see family, and a thoroughly great time was had. I was keen to get back and start tinkering again. Space, as always is at a premium in my garage, the strip continued regardless. Again, most things are kept on by metric stainless steel home depot specials. I may need to buy more storage........

     Today, the much hated seat unit is gone, it is hideous, and weights in at around a chunky 15 lbs or more. I may have to keep the part I discard, or at least weight them to see how much before and after weight i have saved. I intend to eBay most things i do not use once off the bike, what I make goes back into the build.

     In addition to teh seat, the rear fender and battery box came off and out, as have the rear lighting cluster, and yes, having learnt from old, i have already labeled the wires appropriately, just in case i keep the loom.

 
So, the chrome is getting old, am undecided, should i re-chrome what I style and use, or powder coat? Decisions, decisions, well only a short addition today, but progress is being made!

The Front Master Cylinder

     Just a brief note today, as it turns out, that black gelatinous mess in the front brake master cylinder, is actually the diaphragm. It has degraded to the point of uselessness beyond hope.
     Now, is a replacement available from Kawasaki? Nope. Is it on eBay? Yes at some $30.00 plus shipping from Canada. I did, however find a great site - kurveygirl. And be careful how you type this - could end up somewhere where you do not want to be! Anyhow, the price from these guys was $23.95 including shipping. They take PAYPAL and have a great selection of Dzus fasteners etc.

     I will also be purchasing new stainless braided lines for the front and rear brakes.

     So, this week, as well as work I will be refurbishing the cylinder as taking down the KZ a bit more. I know I should take it all down and then refurb/ repair / replace but  can't help myself! Besides as I srtip the master cyclinder i will see if it needs a refurb kit for the piston and O rings........

     Pictures and maybe a video to follow.

     

The start of the tear-down

     July holiday weekend, so I decided to start the tear-down of the KZ650. Every bolt and screw seems to be well torqued, only issues i have is that some appear to be home depot's finest! At least they are stainless steel. I have attached a couple of videos, one of the bike and one of the mess i encountered in the front brake master cylinder. I hope there is no worse to come, but suspect the rear master cylinder and the carbs will present similar issues.
     I hope this first video give some idea of the bike and overall condition:

    And here is the inside of the front brake master cylinder:

     There will be more to follow, especially as i master the art of video editing and posting.

My Title arrived from the DMV

     Today my Florida Title arrived, all correct and legal. I am a very content man, let the tear-down begin!

Ohio title - success

     Today is a good day for project 'UKCaferacer'. I go tthe corrected title from OHIO BMV. Not only corrected but i also got a $5.00 rebate, they refunded my late fee. In the form of a nicely worn $5.00 bill stapled to the receipt!!
     Now i have all of the correct papers to title the bike in my name here in Florida.

     I am a happy man.