This is non-Kawasaki, therefore invisible to purist K-owners, so that's alright. A friend has a carburetted Suz*** 803 cc Intruder and he is wanting to fit non-original silencers to make it sound a bit more interesting. This made me realise that I know nothing about exhaust system balance pipes - I ...

Yes I could and I will if nothing more comes along. I thought that I might as well make use of the wide Kawasaki knowledge available here. For instance I am hoping to be told whether, after all these years of heating and cooling, the alloy of the head becomes softer or less tolerant of excess tensio...

Thanks to help and advice from people on this forum my Z1100 1981 A2 (1?)-engined trike is now off-sorned and MOT'd. Compression pressures are only 112-115 hot with an open throttle, but this is after glaze busting and re-ringing so they will improve, I hope. I can't see a torque figure in the Kaw o...

The incredibly slow refurbishment of the top end of my (trike) 1981 Z1100A1 engine is coming on, thanks to really useful help from members of this forum. Yesterday, with a roll of drums, I replaced the cam cover and finally nipped it up this morning. The right-hand bolt halfway along the chain tunne...

Thanks for the replies. It seems to me that the exhaust camshaft wants to rotate as the caps are tightened down, due to the pull of the cam faces against the valves. There is no problem really - I just have to somehow hold the crankshaft still and take care to keep the chain run from cr'shaft to cam...

Another damn fool question. I am just fitting the camshafts to a Kaw 1100 A1 (1982) as per Kawas and Clymer manuals. I am as sure as I can be that the lower end of the camchain is still on the sprocket down below; I can't quite see it at the bottom of the tunnel even with a mirror but it responds to...

Thanks for the replies. I have got 4/5" buffing wheels but wanted a source of 1" or 2" diam softish wheels to get into the corners. There are marks in there which need taking out with, say, 720 grit and finer. I have never before heard of black corrosion but it is a good description o...

I have my KZ1100 cam cover casting on the bench and would like to posh it up a bit if it doesn't take too long. It has lots of nooks and crannies and could take a week or two to polish by hand. I have a Dremel-type tool and some of the common small emery rings, which are far too coarse. Where can I ...

Well, I must come clean and admit that I don't know, and can't find out, what 'Uni-Trak' or 'Uni-track' means. My trike has a KZ1100 engine with a head that has 38mm diameter inlet valves and I am advised that this head must be from a Uni-trak. The head doesn't have counterbores for O-rings between ...

Thanks yet again, Zorded. From what you say about engine numbers the original bike was an A1. When you advised me in Sept about torques etc you warned me that a valve could be bent through carelessness when fitting the camshafts to the head, on the bench. Well, silly old prat that I am, that is exac...

The 1100 engine in my trike is stamped KZT 10AE00**** which I think is from a 1981 A1 or A2 shaft drive. I am having difficulty in getting new inlet valves for it. They are 38mm head diam., and about 90.5-90.7 overall length. Stem diam. is nominally 7mm. The o.d. of the seats (inserts) is about 40mm...

I have seen stick-on (i.e. removable) aly leg/boot protectors for the left-hand engine sticky-out bit. I imagine that they would be a great help in keeping the left boot cool, particularly in slow traffic. I can't see any for sale at the moment; perhaps they come from the USA? A nice little project ...

Thanks for all that.
As you said, it is all on Youtube. No special techniques required then. I rather fancy the black.

Thanks, Pigford. It is a strange experience to be called a whippersnapper at the age of 76!
In will try Googling it under 'exhaust wrap' and see what turns up.
The reason for asking the forum was to to be told the sorts of practical things that don't appear in the adverts.
Ta

Please could some kind soul tell me all about the exhaust pipe flexible wrapping that I see in photos in bike and trike mags? It isn't very attractive to me but much better than spending ££££ on new pipes for my 1981/2 KZ1100 shaft. Does it have an adhesive base ie is it melted onto the hot pipe...