Z550

[KeithZ1R]

Well Impressed nice work

[Bonneville]

Thanks! I can't believe the bodgery I got away with when I was despatching. I once rode an overheating CX500 home with Sunkist orange squash in the radiator (they didn't sell bottled water in garages back then). When I got home the sugar had caramelised and it smelt like a sweetshop.
Or the time I snapped a throttle cable and rigged the return up instead. Good plan but the return was shorter than the pull so I had a 3K tickover and had to ping the clutch in and out on the motorway...plates were melted by the time I got home.

[Bonneville]

Took it out into the daylight for the first time in 20 years. Still waiting on carb parts so can't run it yet. Exhaust was off a GT550 and the brackets are wrong so I'm welding this weekend.
My master cylinder has a cracked body so I risked one of those £14 Chinese universal ones off E-bay. Not bad but if anyone has an original please let me know. Ta.

[Pigford]

Now that does look well tidy

[Bonneville]

I couldn't decide on original brake hoses so went for Venhill in the end. I like being able to get custom lengths and they're not too expensive.

[Crofty]

Good choice with the hoses. I have used Venhill the last 2 projects and are a big improvement on the std hoses. As you say reasonable prices, they were also very helpful getting the lengths and fittings right for my bitsa 650.

[Bonneville]

Started up today. Ran lovely once the carbs were balanced and quiet too. Then the oil light came on at tickover.



It goes out off idle but was lingering for longer as the oil warmed. I shut it off and took the cam cover off and plenty of clean oil up there. Bottom end is quiet.....I'm having the sump pan off to look at the pump but any ideas much appreciated.

[Bonneville]

Oil came out piss thin. It's a 10/40 semi-synth and I seem to remember it didn't like that weight 20yrs ago but that could just be my memory being convenient.
Everything looks good inside so I'm going to throw it back together and put a 20w 50 in it.

Video of it running here:-

http://triumphworld.tumblr.com/

[Pigford]

Don't worry too much if light goes out with a few revs not an uncommon issue.

[Bonneville]

Yes, I've heard they can be a bit sensistie. Sounds like it carried over to the ephyr 550 as well.
But anyway, I found the problem. This tool managed to omit the big o-ring from the top of the sump pan. The only thing I can think of is that it's the same as the one on the oil filter plate and I threw the original thinking it was from there.

[Big Fluff]

Love those little bikes... I had the forerunner, the 1979 Z500 (rear disc).
I want another now after seeing this excellent resto.
Nice work, well done.

[Bonneville]

Many thanks for all the nice words and advice. It's now on hold because some maniac gave my NSR250 an MOT (I am going outside now, I may be some time) but here are some before and after pics:-

[jimmock]

Now that is looking really braw!!

[Richard Q]

Thanks! I can't believe the bodgery I got away with when I was despatching.

I broke the clutch cable on my AP50 once, in Cornwall. I disconnected the rear brake and wrapped the inner cable round the brake pedal to give me a pedal clutch. It got me home ok

That's one hell of a job you're doing there, awesome stuff

Richard

[Bonneville]

Thanks!. I too had an AP50. For a whole year the only conversations I had revolved around how much faster it was than a fizzy.
It seized every other day and I pushed it further than I rode it.