'73 El Cheapo Resto. Warning:Image heavy for dial-up users

[toycollector10]

I bought this Z1 on eBay in October 2007. This is from the listing: "This motorcycle is in excellent condition and almost completely original. Even the exhaust is original. You will be hard pressed to find a Z1 in this condition. It has a strong 903cc motor and the transmission shifts great." And then there was this: "The paint is in very good condition and so is the chrome."







So after some too and fro'ing to to get the bike crated and shipped down to New Zealand the big day came for me to pick her up from the shippers. My son was there with a camera to record the event. He said to me "You don't look too happy, Dad". And I wasn't.











Below is the tank. I drained 3 litres of stale petrol and about 3 cups of water out of it. Then came the pile of rust flakes when it had dried out. I then took it to a radiator shop to have the inside treated. They did a really good job.



The "repair" to the top pipe. Galvanised sheet and self tapping hex head bolts. Nice.



Some of the chrome which is supposed to be in good condition.



Here is the bike down at the local Kawasaki agent getting a stuck plug removed. Since the head was off it had a recondition. Cam-chain, valve seals and the like, lapped valves and et. The bore was nice and clean and still had the honing marks on the cylinder walls.



Lowering blocks for that extra traction and stability in the corners, I think

[toycollector10]

Yes, I had it re-plated.



The disc was cleaned up on a lathe using 5 different grades of wet and dry sandpaper. Thankfully I didn't get dragged into the machine, but no thanks for the picture Pigford, I was nearly sick You can see that the paint was in good condition and it polished up really nice with some Mothers California Gold Carnauba Cleaner Wax. "Removes Oxidation and restores color"



I wanted to retain as much of the original bike as I could, including nuts, bolts, washers, clips and spokes etc. The spokes were cleaned up using a wire wheel then wet and dry paper then zinc plated. I couldn't use the original nipples as they wouldn't plate up nice and cleanly. I biffed them after I found an exact match.





To keep track of small parts that left my workshop I would lay them on an A4 sheet of paper then photograph them. Resized the picture to 11.5 inches and then print the result. The picture would go out with the parts so that there wouldn't be any doubt as to what was supposed to be returned to me.



All of the castings have only been polished by me using a rag and Autosol. So they might look a bit dull. The bike is 35 plus years old and the pipes are a bit manky so I thought bright, bright, alloy would look wrong. Besides, I've kept all the casting detail and marks that way.

Yes, I would be very grateful if someone would just post me the correct cover. I'll fit the correct one eventually.



The pipes actually came up pretty good.



This was pretty ugly in the light of day.



Black anodising.



The thing to the left of the bike is the arse end of a miniature wire haired dachund. Just in case you were wondering.



I managed to source a couple of Vesrah cam cover gaskets. I think the grey looks great against the satin black. The previous one I bought was blue. The rivet counters would have had a bloody fit.



The paint on the front hub and speedo gearbox was in pretty good condition so I just waxed them up properly and it was done.



This was a nice part of the restoration. Bolting stuff up on the bike with my trusty dog watching some of the moves between her sleeps in the sun.

[toycollector10]

I've since sourced the correct lever bolt. For the red colouring that goes on the choke and kill switch I used a product called "Rub and Buff" Mandarin. It's basically pigment suspended in wax. I think the colour is as correct as I'm going to get it. Note the control hasn't been repainted.



Spot the El Cheapo pipe fix. It will have to do until I come into some money.













I've only spent about two and a half hours filing the fins so I'll have to go back and revisit that job. MaineKZ spent six hours on his so that sets the benchmark.







A big thanks to Pigford for posting off hard to find emulsifier tubes. The PO of my bike had managed to bend the original ones. Now that's hard to do! Thanks to Mikey for plating advice and also bunnyZ for services rendered. Also, the membership here has given me great advice over the past 18 months or so. Cheers.

This restoration is really just a once over lightly to get rid of the stuff I couldn't live with. I've kept as much of the original paint as I could. The body set is 100 percent factory paint and the frame about 80-90 percent. The engine was spray bombed by the PO so I have just done my best there.

Everyone has their own idea of what a restoration should be. This is my first real effort with a bike. I'm happy with the result.

To finish the bike I need the two bolts that hold the master cylinder to the handlebars, the bolt that fixes the clutch perch to the bars and also the clutch lever bolt for the perch. They all have the number 4 on them, I think it is, but someone will know.

[london calling]

Nice one TC,good to see so many original parts/finish being retained.

[wilsonsjw11]

TC
Well done,I'm impressed with the engine paint what is it?Not too much sheen as seen on some restos.
The M6 bolts for the handlebars should carry a number 7
Regards
Steve

[phil churchett]

Nice job TC, you should be well pleased with it, especially after all the hassle you had when you bought it.
Hope you enjoy riding it.

[mikey]

Nice job tc a resto with a bit of character like it a lot

[kev edwards]

looking good tc , you need to pop to the uk and give my zed a quick spruce up

[eastlondon]

Vey nice and good pics as well.

How did you get the petrol tank sealed?

[bunnysZ]

very nice bike , well done ..
you can repay me me with a ride on it if/when i ever go there

[Kwakanut]

Beauty! It's always tough with an ebay/online purchase when your definitions don't match with the PO's definitions. You've done a great job with your "cheap" resto.

[toycollector10]

The product used in the petrol tank was Red-Kote.

http://kz400.com/Mark%20Shively/Red-Kote.doc

[Pigford]

Good on you TOY - No Pain, No Gain

[kz900B1]

Well done TC. Looking good ! Although I would have put on more modern type of tyres if it was me .Still looks good though

[toycollector10]

I've put 300 miles on the clock in the last week. Compared to my 1969 CB750, I have to admit that I prefer the Zed. It's great to ride and I love the way the power comes on.

The engine is really smooth and tractable right down from around 25 mph in top gear and it just gets up and and goes if I crack the throttle open smoothly. I don't think modern bikes are designed to do that. The CB doesn't like to be lugged and is happiest sitting at around 3000 rpm whereas the Zed doesn't mind getting down around 2000 rpm in top.

Should I be keeping the revs up to keep the oil up to the top end?