The 4th gets a new addition.......

[Gosling1]

Gos Mate
It was a deal, I was a steal, in fact it was the sale of the fucking century!!
But!
It wasn't as good as my FZR600 (thanks 98ninja)

yeh, at least you can start your little Fizzer !! It sounded quite good actually.......

No pics yet, but will take some on the weekend and post 'em up. Basically, I just need to get close up and personal with about 6 boxes of.......stuff....... , read the GPz900 manual till it can be quoted 'verbatim', and then start putting it all together. In amongst all the bits, was a complete full-engine gasket kit. This is a handy thing to already have !

Marty - the cams actually look OK, but I have not given them the once-over under the magnifier yet, so will have a close look and see what the go is. The valves all look good, none have recessed into the seats, and all the combustion chambers are nice and clean - although some of the metal clutch plates look a bit howyagoin..... I think a full kit with new springs will be in order.

[greenman43]

Good on ya Gos, I lusted after one of these things when they were new and came real close to buying one before a bit of surgery on my knees and a move to a very cold place got me into a car instead Utterly evil looking in the black and grey, still got the Cycle test where it did 158 mph (ultra-fast back in '85), kind of a Darth Vader on 2 wheels look.

Very much looking forward to seeing how this project progresses.

Cheers,
Brian

[greenmeanie]

Nice pickup Gos....look forward to reading the updates on this project.

[Gosling1]

Photos will be put up during the weekend......

I think I need to source a ZX10 head and some ZZR1200 cams !!!!

[greenman43]

Photos will be put up during the weekend......

I think I need to source a ZX10 head and some ZZR1200 cams !!!!

Thinking you might strike a little trouble with that plan, Gos. ZX10 and ZZR11 head is down-draft, whereas GPz9 and 1000RX are sidedraft - suspect your carbs might end up not fitting into the frame ?

I'm too lazy to look it up right now, but isn't the valvegear also different from the ZX10 onwards ?

I suspect the best bolt-in hop-up would be the expensive one, ZRX 11-12 engine, or if you can find one, the 95+ GPz11 engine.

Cheers,
BRian

[Gosling1]

.....I'm too lazy to look it up right now, but isn't the valvegear also different from the ZX10 onwards ?......

Yes mate, the valve-gear did change on the ZX10. The cam-lobes doubled, so that each lobe operated its own valve, where on the GPz9 and 1000RX motors, the rockers were forked and one lobe operated 2 valves. But the cam-chain stayed much the same, and I would expect that the cam-sprocket gearing to have stayed the same as well.......won't really know until I have a look inside a mate's spare ZX10 motor up in Sydney. I would be surprised if any of this stuff changed.....

The 1000RX frame is a perimeter frame - it is a big wide bastard that goes around the motor, not over it, so fitting a ZX10 head and some down-draught carbs should be pretty straightforward......may need to relieve the underside of the tank though !

I need to start checking out all the important things......like which gasket-kits are interchangeable between all these motors......

[Gosling1]

Check out this post - shamelessly pinched from KZRXOC !!!

....The ZL motor is basically a GPZ1000RX motor with a shaft and pretty much the same as the GTR1000, all the motors from GPZ900R family share the same stroke of 58mm * see note below * until you get to the 1200 family which is 59mm. The head from a GPZ900R will work as will a ZRX1100 head and also the GPZ1100 watercooled head will work as does GTR and 1000RX, I believe that the smaller ( and rarer) GPZ750R head will also fit. A crank from the ZX10 is lubed better than the earlier ones and will also fit.
Kawasaki were very modular in their engine designs and the family of motors share an awful lot of parts although there are some slight changes over the years. The GPZ900R is the grandaddy of the family the GPZ750R is a short stroke/small bore version and has smaller valves than the 900R. ZL750 and ZL900 are detuned shaft driven versions of these motors
The GPZ1000RX came next and shares stroke with 900R *see note below* but clutch is slightly different as is input shaft, GTR1000 came from this and ZL1000 came from this. ZX10 came next same stroke different head design, ZZR1100 developed from this motor, ZRX1100 and GPZ1100( watercooled) same motor different head and side casings and sump, then came the ZZR1200 and ZRX1200 which are a longer 59mm stroke and use an ally plated cylinder assembly instead of steel liners. All the steel linered motors are mix and match versions of each other and as such it's possible to fit parts from them to make a hybrid motor as did a lot of grass track sidecar racers, using ZX10 motors with side draft heads fitted.

Kawasaki mid range stuff follows a similar lineage from the Z500 through the Z400J Z550 KZ550 GPz550 GPZ550 GT550 and GPZ600R/GPX600R watercooled motors using an extended secondary shaft to mount the water pump and water jacketed barrels and head using an external oil feed to the cams, this motor then had the GT550 gearbox out put shaft and bevel box fitted to make the ZL600 Eliminator.

ZZR600 64mm bore 46.6 stroke became the smaller ZZR400 57mm bore 38.5mm stroke which in turn became the ZRX400 with new side covers and finned cylinder block and side draft head, and sump castings for the oil cooler out put not drilled, America also got the ZZR500 using a combination of bore/stroke from the ZZR600/400 to give a capacity reduction to 500cc.

Most Kawasaki main dealers have a very clever computer program that allows you to type in a part number from one model and it will show which other models it fits, this is how I found the air filters for the ZRX400 and 1100 are the same part number as are the tail lights. With a little time and effort you can convert most Kawasaki engines using parts from the same family tree to build whatever you want.....

Some great info in that lot, with the exception of a couple of obvious mistakes. The stroke of the GPz900R was 55mm, not 58mm as indicated in the quote. Although the basic configuration of the GPz/RX/ZX/ZZR/ZRX family of motors can be traced back to the 900R of 1984, it was the 58mm stroke of the GPz1000RX which formed the basis for all subsequent engines up to the ZZR / ZRX 1200 models

Also, I have had a thorough look through this spare parts site, and the detail in the exploded diagrams of stuff like cylinder heads is just gold........this site is good for every model Kawasaki, not just the ones I am dribbling about at the moment !

[greenman43]

Great info, thanks Gos. I've done a little research myself, but mostly only by comparing part numbers and drawings on http://www.buykawasaki.com . That site will also let you search by part number, and spits out a list of all applicable models.

Initially I was keen to see what kind of motor I could slip into Project GPz9, until I came across http://www.nenweb.jp/index_nenbutu.html - click on 'ZX10R' and see if you can guess what these nutters have managed to slip in ... They've also used a ZX9R engine, along with 10R running gear (my own bike will use the front end out of my '07 10, and I'm keeping an eye out for a swingarm form an '04-05 10). Utter lunacy, and breathtakingly ugly engine mount they've fabricated, but holy crap, what a power increase !

Cheers,
Brian

[Gosling1]

the ZX10-engined GPz9 would be an interesting bike !! wish I could understand Japanese though......and they had a lot of other unusual tackle in that site.

I did a bit of digging around in the parts boxes this evening, and also started removing crusty old gaskets from the sump and clutch cover. Looks like OEM gaskets from 1986 ! really old & shitty, all broken up and the bits that are left are like welded on to the covers ! some gasket-remover will see these peel off in a day or 2.

Looks like there is a spare set of carbies in amongst all the bits, these have been pulled apart at some time.

Over this weekend, I intend to give all the engine bits & pieces a thorough cleaning with degreaser, and try and get them in some sort of order. Everything is there, its just dirty and in 1 big box (now), instead of about 4 boxes ! The rolling chassis will get a good tub, and then it will be getting fully dismantled and prepped for blasting and powdercoating. It is 3 pieces, the frame, the bolt-on engine cradle and the bolt-on rear sub-frame.

I think a 530 conversion will also be mandatory ! god I hate 630 chains !!

[Six Addict]

nice one gos!!!

[Phil]

the ZX10-engined GPz9 would be an interesting bike !! wish I could understand Japanese though......and they had a lot of other unusual tackle in that site.

I did a bit of digging around in the parts boxes this evening, and also started removing crusty old gaskets from the sump and clutch cover. Looks like OEM gaskets from 1986 ! really old & shitty, all broken up and the bits that are left are like welded on to the covers ! some gasket-remover will see these peel off in a day or 2.

Looks like there is a spare set of carbies in amongst all the bits, these have been pulled apart at some time.

Over this weekend, I intend to give all the engine bits & pieces a thorough cleaning with degreaser, and try and get them in some sort of order. Everything is there, its just dirty and in 1 big box (now), instead of about 4 boxes ! The rolling chassis will get a good tub, and then it will be getting fully dismantled and prepped for blasting and powdercoating. It is 3 pieces, the frame, the bolt-on engine cradle and the bolt-on rear sub-frame.

I think a 530 conversion will also be mandatory ! god I hate 630 chains !!

Would a set of C model zx9 carbs be of any use I know where there may just be a set or two? BTW, that Kawasaki parts site is a find, I've sent the link to Tim, never know he may find the gudgeon pins to complete the "hot" GPx Mota

[dub]

...and prepped for blasting and powdercoating.

Gos - going all out on this one? Will this one take pride of place on the work bench or will the green Zed still take pride of place? You really should get cracking on that one!!

Coming on Sunday??

[Gosling1]

.....Would a set of C model zx9 carbs be of any use I know where there may just be a set or two? BTW, that Kawasaki parts site is a find, I've sent the link to Tim, never know he may find the gudgeon pins to complete the "hot" GPx Mota....

it is a great site, I hope Timbo can find the gudgeon pins he needs - I may even have found some OEM air-filters for the Black Pearl !! These have been NLA in Oz now for 20+ years !!!

Are the zx9 carbs CVKD Keihins ? If they are 38 or 40mm, then they could be of a lot of use mate ! The 9's used a downdraught carbs didn't they ?? If the bore centres are the same, they could bolt straight up.....

Ideally, what I need is a set of ZX10 barrels and pistons, a ZZR1100 head, and 40mm CVKD carbs of anything.... - but that can all come later. For the time being, I will just concentrate on putting the stock motor back together. Have to source a decent 4-1.......or make one.

Dub - Yes mate, going all out on this one as quickly as possible, I want it up and stickered as soon as I can. The Z1A can wait...... - I am sure Whickle will give me a kick in the arse soon enough about that one !! what's the go on Sunday ? I thought that was next week ? Is your 750 still regoed ?

[laidback]

....

Are the zx9 carbs CVKD Keihins ? If they are 38 or 40mm, then they could be of a lot of use mate ! The 9's used a downdraught carbs didn't they ?? If the bore centres are the same, they could bolt straight up.....

Mate my manual shows B, C & F 9s have Keihin CVKD40 and E have Keihin CVRD40. The ZX7R had Keihin CVKD38.

[MickLC]

what's the go on Sunday ? I thought that was next week ? Is your 750 still regoed ?

Old Dungers Ride is this Sunday Gos