Z650 restoration

[RALPHARAMA]

Sadly an unacceptably high proportion of todays fettling time has been spent stripping the FJ

So I taught the Current Bride all I know about polishing (didn't take long) and off she went attacking her iffy looking front master cylinder with a stoic determination. She started by ruining a straight brass wire brush with the dremmel


and then got to grips with the polishing mop


... she was fine with the coarse mop ... but didn't like finishing mop complaining that she was being attacked by fluffy bits ... I of course wanted to document her displeasure .... and was then left with the strictest orders not to post the unflattering pix of her covered in polishing grime on here ... would I ? ....

piss taking apart - I don't know many chix who would do this sorta thing - I take my Arai off to her

Before removing her Zed from the bike bench I finished her crank case repairs, save the painting:

[mikey]

Marion welcome to my daily world fun init

[shrekward]

Good job guys!

[Davy Doherty]

Make sure you sleep with a good grasp on your nuts tonight,

[Pigford]

Actually, the last photo of CB, is immediately after Ralphy exposed his WAR WOUNDS from the recent FJ highside

[Steve R]

Nice work bench Ralph, not sure you have got enough sockets though!
Hats off to CB getting stuck in, my wife once enjoyed an entire Easter weekend stripping old underseal off a Lotus Elan Plus 2 I was restoring, think I was in the kitchen cleaning the Webbers, (very delicate specialist job ) Next to the fridge full of beers

[RALPHARAMA]

Nice work bench Ralph, not sure you have got enough sockets though!

First workshop I've had that has even approaching enough sockets - 30 doubles on two rings Lightings OK as well - 11off double six foot fluorescent units with daylight colour tubes Just wish I could get shot of the work stuff and dedicate it to bikes

[RALPHARAMA]

Current Bride cracked on today with polishing the fork legs.

After a visit from Mr H, who enquired how far I had striped the engine to see if it was OK - 'not at all' I said with unrealistic optimism, especially after what I discovered by removing the points cover He gave me his favourite prophet of doom speech about how many rough Z650 engine he'd seen. No CB's will be fine.

While the bride was polishing I thought 'hmm, could test the starter motor I s'pose' ... nick the batt from Baby Zed, connected it and it turned over a treat buoyed up with the positivity I decided to whip the plugs out and stick the compression tester on. When the plugs came out the smell wasn't exactly encouraging ... not matter this is engineering ... No 1 - 'bout 70PSI ... not good really but made excuses that the engine has had the oil drained, No 2 - 'bout 3PSI No 3 - nothing measurable , No 4 - 80PSI. .... oh well spect the shims are a bit tight (by now even I'm not believing my misplaced optimism ) removed forty seven thousand bolts from the cam cover and as No 2's lobes were out of line from the buckets I dangled a feeler in the hope that even the thinnest couldn't be forced in ... Gummed up rings? seems unlikely dunt it I'll take the head and barrels off soon ... when I'm feeling brave

[shrekward]

Oh dear Ralphy makes that £1000 motor off of Ebay recently look like a good investment???? ( I know it was too expensive!)
Good luck CB and Ralph, hope it isn't too expensive a job when all is revealed.

[Big John]

Seems the Z650 engine is not as bullet proof as its big brother. I remember a younger work colleague buying a very early Z650 brand new and blowing the engine within 5,000 miles.

[Taffus]

Seems the Z650 engine is not as bullet proof as its big brother. I remember a younger work colleague buying a very early Z650 brand new and blowing the engine within 5,000 miles.

it has palin bearings and all that comes with them, regular oil changes etc should be good for more than 5k. Its like any bike if you don't look after it, then it will not last.

I have got to fit that oil cooler I bought to mine.......

Here's good site for those enlightened enough to have a Z650
http://www.kz650.info/index.htm

[Taffus]

Marion welcome to my daily world fun init

Mikey! how do you use a linishing bar on a mop?
whenever I try I end up looking like a spectator in Waynes cake fart videos!

[CB]

Ok, we've started again! Project abandoned last time largely cos the original engine was "broken" and then, having bought the Fazer, I needed to buy a few bits for it.

Anyway, we've now got a "new engine" and a few other bits and bobs. Ditched the nasty green tank for a "ready made" black and silver paint set, but none of the polishing I did last time has gone to waste as we've used the forks and the master cylinder has come up a treat.

The aim is to have the bike ready for the SW rally (end of July), even if it means getting an MOT and tax on the Friday morning and going to the rally in the afternoon!!

Will take some piccies tomorra

[RALPHARAMA]

Project CB is well and truly back on track

I picked up the original lump from CB's a few weeks ago to find out why the low compression values. A bit of optimism reared it's unrealistic head and I attached the leakdown tester ... oohhh noooo. Air pissing out past all the valves and a fair flow outta the breather : I pulled down the top end , but it wasn't pretty - cam chain was dog 'n' duucked in a big way ... the bearings in the idlers had long since disappeared ... you could almost pull the valve heads though their own guides and you could have parked a lead wing between the pistons and cylinders Following the previous problems with this lump, I got the message ... it's fecked - no further invetsigation required

As Jack of Cafe racer fame is up for building another, we went halves on another 650 donor bike The motor on this one has actually been witnessed running

I have sprayed up the black bits with hammerite satin black and polished everything else D Decided to check the valve clearances and found all to be 0.2mm - 0.25.. too slack . Jack and myself pooled our 13mm shim stock (25off) and still had to buy another 7 shims grrrr
I used the stanchions the Bride had bought last year, but as the lowers were beaten the feck, I used the lowers from the Old Gurls original forks which polished up a treat

Full of optimism and poverty we can't afford to powder coat the calipers etc so have painted them with Hammerite satin which looks great, but will doubtless get ruined during commissioning

I'll post sum pix soon
I'll take sum

[mothra]

Great news it's on the move again. Can't wait to see the pictures...