Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hi Folks..

My old man bought his Z new back in the 70s and pretty much ever since my first ride as a pillion as a kid ive always reminded (nagged) him to remember me when the time comes to part with it..

Well he stopped riding a few years ago now, and the bike was sitting down in the corner of a dusty dirty warehouse ever since, until recently..
I guess my 20odd years of reminders eventually worked and so for Christmas last year he officially handed me the keys.
I've been pretty flat out since christmas with other commitments and holidays so this weekend was my first chance to get stuck in.

After blowing most of the crud off with the compressor i gave it a degrease and karcher blast..I can actually see what it looks like.

It will be a slow going rebuild as I got engaged and the financial controller is watching the funds but I will endeavour to update on here as things change.

But I have a few questions if anyone can help point in the right direction i would appreciate it.

- Cleaning up of engine cases whats the best way to bring back that brand-new look.. Can I sandblast or will it just pit it?

- Wheres the best place to find tank cleaner/sealants like "Kreem" It still had a fair bit of fuel in it which as kept most of rust off but is pretty gummy in areas.

- This bike has always been known to have front end issues, and brakes are pretty average by todays standards so I've been tossing the idea of putting a late model front end on it, it will clearly take some engineering but could be interesting. Any suggestions on a good donor or has anyone ever done something like this before?

Thats pretty much it for now, pics to follow.

Aggerz.
(apologies for all the typos.. been a long day)

i reckon it wont be long til Gos pops up in here... chubby in hand!!

Mate what a project & it looks like she's in pretty good condition too
Can I suggest for the Cases look up someone down there that can "Soda Blast" aparantly the engine can be done in situ but dont quote me on it
Soda Blasting does not affect tollerances & will not leave pitting like sand blasting & leaves the bare alloy looking like new

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

The frame was powdercoated and bike resprayed about 2yrs before it was parked so its still in very good condition (after i washed the muck off!)

It has modified frame, z1000j tank, custom fibreglass tail
mag wheels (need to be repainted/recoated)
Old man cannot remember exactly what was done (if anything) to the carbs other than the pod filters.
Bored to 1000cc
4-1 but will likely change this to a newer one as its looking a bit ragged.
lighting front and rear changed


Soda blasting after a quick google sounds quite interesting I will investigate! thanks for the tip.

I have a set of kreem that i didnt use on my spare z900 tank,if ya want it its yours for $50 including postage.

You mentioned changing the front end... are you going to keep it original?

z900/zx9 wrote:I have a set of kreem that i didnt use on my spare z900 tank,if ya want it its yours for $50 including postage.

Sounds good, I'll call that a deal - where abouts are you maybe I can pickup? Is it safe to post because I found some on US website and they wouldnt send overseas due to "regulations."

robracer wrote:You mentioned changing the front end... are you going to keep it original?

It was just an idea, at this rate i'll probably just keep it as is but redo all seals and bearings and hopefully freshen it right up but the bike is hardly original .. see above post

This is what it *should* look like - bit different eh? I'd love to have a full original one-day but this for now is enough

aggerz - thats an interesting looking rig on the back of the ute !!

the photo of the 'stock' 900 looks like a 1976 Z900A4 - the euro model. Only 1 disc. Aussie A4's had twin discs.

The front end on that bike of yours has been changed a bit - they look like stock 76 calipers - early style caliper, but with later Z1000-style disc's ?? They would be a 4-bolt pattern. Those brakes can be improved really quickly - throw those old-style calipers out, fit a set of the later-style calipers on (anything from a Z1000Mk2, 79-80 - they will bolt straight up), fit EBC pads, braided lines and a master cylinder from an RD400 (they look very similiar to a stock z9 m/cyl). That will sort out the brakes.

Those wheels look interesting as well, you don't see cast wheels with a drum brake rear like that very often - I had a set of 7-spoke Lester mags on a H2 triple that looked *just* like those mags.........

The frame must have had some decent mods, those shocks are laid considerably forward from the stock position - top mount must have been moved down the frame a bit.....and the seat unit looks like it needs one of the pommie-style 'hump' single seats ( long for a single seat, you can 'just' squeeze a pillion on board with these ones).

Whats the deal with the ignition key behind the carbs ??

You can still get decent fork springs for these bikes, they make a *big* difference over the stock springs. New seals etc, and the front-end should feel *just fine*. Fitting any other front end is possible, but unless you do a stack of other mods (frame bracing, big wheels, swingarm etc), all it will do is amplify the shit handling of the rest of the bike !

Engine cleaning - never tried soda blasting it could be the go. I have done a few of these engines over the years, mainly using elbow grease, degreaser and high-pressure water (with engine dissasembled of course) - there are a lot of ways to keep the good finish. Check the Classic Mechanics site for heaps of good tips.

Good luck with the rebuild mate, keep us posted on the progress. If you need any help sourcing bits just sing out.

Gos as usual you have come up with the goodies, I was wondering how long it would take you to find this thread

Whats the main difference with the RD 400 master Cylinder?

I had a customer come in late yesterday & it turns out he does this soda blasting & is moving in to a factory 50 Mtr's away from work so happy dayz
It turns out that with this soda blasting they can work on the engine while it's in the frame so if you are not planing any engine work this would be the go for sure. He showed me some examples of his work & its a fantastic finish... very similar to chemical stripping but it also even's out the look of the metal, where chemical stripping leaves runs & pooling marks in the metal, that can be polished out.

Thanks Gos - great informative post.

You are dead right that the stock z900 was just the yield of a quick 'z900a4' google search for the purposes of comparing the overall look but there is indeed build differences.

Your method of freshening the front end sounds far more logical so i am almost certain to go that way. Big thanks.

Also congratulations on being the 1 in 1000 people who spot the frame mods yes the frame has been significantly modified in the areas you suggested, most people wouldn't know so you are clearly the Z guru

seeming as the seat pan/tail was a custom job a seat to suit was just knocked up by a local trimmer but its something that the old man has never been happy with and it feels as if the foam inside had had better days so this will most likely be redone in a better style/quality.

The engine thankfully does not require any serious work, the head gasket is weeping so I will just basically strip it, clean it, reseal it and away we go.

As for the key location yes, that is a strange one - I will find out, there was probably a reason for it. there is no neutral/turn lights on the dash either - just gauges so it seems that whole assembly was removed at some time.

I will post a couple more pics tonight of different angles.

The more I read/hear about soda blasting it sounds perfect, you can even do cars without even risk of damaging glass.

robracer wrote:.... I was wondering how long it would take you to find this thread ......Whats the main difference with the RD 400 master Cylinder?......

not long to find, its the first forum I check for new posts !!

RD400 m/cyl is 1/2" bore, against 5/8" bore of a standard 900/1000 m/cyl. Yamaha brakes from the 70's were way ahead of their time, even the early TZ 750's used the same calipers and rotors as a street-going RD350 or XS650.... Using the smaller-bore cylinder gives a higher lever pressure due to less volume of fluid being compressed......or something like that anyway - one of the boys who used to race in PCRA from down here is a hydraulic engineer, and said it would work fine..........he was right ! I could pull the Black Pearl up from *full noise* through the kink (Turn 1) at Oran Park GP, ie around 230-240k's, and not start to brake until well after the kink.......that was using good EBC 'race' pads, and my own braided lines.


Aggerz - no worries mate, always keen to help out anyone who appreciates a real motorcycle !!! I have a lot of contacts around Oz who have helped me out over many years (decades now I guess ), with information and parts, assistance etc - this helps a lot when playing with old zeddies.....

The fork springs you want to use are made by Progressive Suspension, the last pair I bought were about $140 the pair ?? For street use, the best fork oil is probably 10 weight, I used to race my old Z1000H, and it ran about 7.5w which works great on a racetrack. These fork springs are easy to source.

Another good cheap mod for handling is to ditch the standard ball-race steering head bearings, and install a set of tapered bearings. These bearing kits are also readily available - cheapest ones are on e-bay.

If you really want to improve the handling of the bike, its pretty much necessary to add some discreet frame bracing under the tank, across the front downtubes under the exhausts, and around the swingarm pivot area. Although, as your bike has recently been powder coated and is still in good nick, doing the bracing is not really an option at this stage ?

A set of good rear shocks, some new swingarm bearings, new wheel bearings all round.......simple things like this make *all* the difference on the old dungers......

The key location is a ripper.......perhaps there was some dash trauma many years ago ?? as long as it works, thats the important thing. If you need replacement dash parts, just flick me a pm and I will send you the details of my old mate who has some good spares available....

and this soda-blasting..........hmmmm might have to have a look into it, sounds like the go. 50m down the road from your shop eh Rob ????

While this bike was resprayed and powdercoated only a few years ago all mods were done late 70s early 80s, it has been used unchanged ever since.

I found out today the key location (yes Gos, it works ) was for a minimalist look over the bars, so everything else was stripped away and/or relocated.

Agreed that frame mods are probably out of the question for the time being but theres a lot of work before I even start getting the do the suspension either so all in good time.

Few more pics below. Excuse the muck - was still cleaning at this stage.

Guru of Z's - ask around about a man named Pete in Wangaratta Gos will agree.
As for engine clean up if you strip it down it will cost you between $300-$350 to have the engine returned to an as new appearance. Contact Greg Wood at HydroBlast 9597 0387.
For ideas and inspiration in restoration go out tomorrow and pick up the British mag "classic motorcycle mechanics".

Hydroblast must be similar to soda stuff . A bit expensive but the idea is that it tends to close the small "pores" in the casting so doesn't get dirty again . A Mate has had cases done and swears by the Hydroblast .
Martin from Hyside trading is about to set up a similar unit and will no doubt be cheaper than Hydroblast .
Great project BTW
And send your wheels to Slow and Wobbly to get them cleaned up and polished . Cheap . (no shit stirring this time Adrian can sort the polishing for you )

Soda blasting is a type of wet blasting. The principal is that the media - abrasive - is suspended in water or other such liquid and is much less severe than bead or sand blasting. It can return alloy to an as new, just cast appearance. It is used alot in the aviation industry for turbine blades and other engine parts. It does not remove any surface material and so it is great for fine tolerance parts. The concept of using soda is that upon completion all that is need to remove spent media from a part is to wash or soak it and the baking soda dissolves. Bead or glass media can be a right royal pain in the arse to remove from threads, oil galleyways and bearings and will often cause damage if it is not all removed.
For Chrome plating go and see Preston Plating out your way in Mercedes drive - Its where electromold have they're parts chrome plated. The can also do bright zinc and gold passivated for all your fasteners.
Polishing? Talk to me
Might be best even to leave the bike in one piece and strapped into the ute while making enquiries so that the people you are talking to understand what it is you are trying to achieve.
Don't rush this. Afterall it has been sitting for 20 years waiting for you to do something with it. Remember that preperation is the key and the more knowledge you gather before starting the better off you will be. There are too many "unfinished projects" or poorly done resto's out there already. Take your time and do one thing at a time.