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GB's Snotter! The Sequel: Love and Money

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:06 am
Author: LTD Project
GB's Snotter thread ran for 11 pages so I start this one afresh.

http://www.z1ownersclub.co.uk/forum/vie ... &start=150

You may recall that at the end of the thread GB sold the bike to Ted, who claimed to have a love hate relationship with with big GPZs.

Well it didn't take him too long to decide to move it on so that's where I enter the story. I had a GPZ750 when I was younger and always promised myself the "big one" one day. Well I could have just gone and bought a "good one" but where would the fun be in that.

To be honest I was hankering after Daveltd's ZRX but my Vmax won't sell so I had to rein in my aspirations and as I said I had always wanted one of these.

Both Ted and GB were very open and honest in what they perceived the bike's faults to be before I handed over my readies.

The main ones were:

1. It burns more oil than petrol
2. It is low on compression
3. It is running rich
4. It has one or more warped brake discs

So this is the list as I know it and hope that it ends there. My aim is to get the bike to a "well sorted" stage before I decide what else I might want to do with it.

So to start with items 1 and 2. Top off and delivered to S.E.P. at Kegworth where they fitted new valve guides and re-cut the valve seats. also a re-bore to accommodate a 1170 Wiseco kit. Hopefully these should address the low compression and oil burning feature.

On strip down I have noticed that there seems to be and oil film all over the engine and wondered how so much oil got out. Is the engine not breathing right, poor gasket seals... I am sure I will find out.

Anyway that takes me to the point that I am at now. Parts back from S.E.P. and looking to re-assemble. Slowly slowly is the order of the day here. I want to throw it back together, but there are tiresome jobs like removal of gaskets and sh_te from mating surfaces and general "fettling" along the way to ensure a clean and presentable end result.

This is the fiddliest surface to clean up, just cyl 1 to finish....

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I read about and tried a few methods to get old gasket off, in the end I found 3M 240 grade wet and dry (used dry)and honest elbow (finger) grease got it done. I found that the 240 paper was man enough to get at the unwanted stuff without impacting the surface. Someone else suggested a wire wheel which I found much too harsh.

Barrels and pistons ready for the fun bit, I don't have any ring compression tool so may well resort to the cut bit of drainpipe and tie wraps method seen elsewhere on here.

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Head cleaned and ready, don't bike bits take up a lot of space laid out.

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Hopefully the barrels will be on by the weekend then cylinder head assembly, set shims and lob it on top :D Mmmm, then the cam timing, not done that in a very long time. Wish me luckl.

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:37 pm
Author: Padders
Great to see the old girl getting sorted and put back on the road. Ted fetched her round here a couple of times and apart from the issues you mentioned she is a well sorted bike and deserves a fresh start. Keep the pictures coming.

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 6:46 pm
Author: LTD Project
Thanks padders

Not wishing to appear thick but bet I am.

http://data.sohc4.net/Performance/Wisec ... +Sheet.PDF

Please see attached ( end gap placements diagram top right of page 2 ) and then tell me how if the front of the engine arrow is correct at 9 oclock then the piston pin center line should run from 12 oclock to 6 oclock

I ahve had a beer but even so, which way around should the gaps be?

had one of those piston pin wire circlips shoot across the garage earlier, feisty little buggar!

Thought that was the last I would see of it but lo and behold after 4-5 mins of looking it turned up. :D Lesson learnt early

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:02 pm
Author: ADRIAN H
I think the ENGINE FRONT arrow definitely needs rotating 90 degrees, so it points up the page. Error... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:28 pm
Author: Ginger Bear
Simon,

It's great to see this getting the treatment it needs. :up

I feel it's fair to say I ran out of steam with it. :oops:

I'll watch this with interest. :sou

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:47 pm
Author: PJ
Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming Simon

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:14 am
Author: Ginger Bear
Any progress Simon :?

I have found another pair of disc's that I'd bought to sort out the one's fitted.

I'll be in Skipton for a few days early sept, if you let me know where you are I might be able to drop 'em over. :sou

Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:32 pm
Author: LTD Project
Mmmmm my last words were I would have the barrels on by the weekend :oops:

Some weeks of sickness, a holiday and then time spent getting back into that thing called work and I have done eff all squared!

Anyway, barrels went on after a bit a a fight. I first tried with cut up plastic lemonade bottle and tie wraps, the plastic was too thin and kept going up into the barrel with the pistons and getting well stuck.

I moved up a thickness using the same method but with rings of plastic drainpipe. Barrels slid down over the pistons and rings beautifully, even though there was not much a lead-in chamfer due to the rebore. 5 minutes and it was all over. Now a regular expression in my life :lol:

Anyway, some pics to follow but now back in harness and should progress to head build and valve shim setting.
Hopefully the next update will be after a successful weekend.

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:46 pm
Author: jimmock
Who is the little girl in the red dress that appears to be living inside the cylinder head????

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 1:36 pm
Author: steve bowdler
jimmock wrote:Who is the little girl in the red dress that appears to be living inside the cylinder head????


She is the little Gremlin that was causing Ginger bear so much grief with this bike , hopefully she will get flushed out now :lol:

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 5:19 pm
Author: LTD Project
Ah, one of those "borrowers" that keeps hiding whichever tool that was just being used, turns up hours or days later, if ever.

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:44 pm
Author: LTD Project
Mmmmmm less that a good day :roll:

Everything seem to take ages today but got as far as assembling the head so I could install the cams and take a first valve clearance reading after the new valve guides and re-cut valve seats.....

So out of the 12 cam bearing cap bolts, 8 have given up the ghost up on the first torque down. The book (Clymer) says 12 ft-lb so I set torque wrench to 10 so as to go easy on them, made no odds, I am sure some didn't make it past 6!

So a long day, that didn't get too far and then created a shed load more work... Ho hum. The joys of old bikes. Feeling like a ham fisted tw_t but know I could not have taken more care over the tightening process.

Anyone recommend some good thread repair kit? I recall reading about one not so long ago but.....

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:49 pm
Author: Taffus
sure I have read somewhere that the figures in the book are wrong..........

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:54 pm
Author: Z1parR
12ft lbs sounds like a lot for M6 into ally , give me a few minutes .

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:02 pm
Author: Z1parR
Kawasaki manual says 7.9 - 9.4 ft lbs