Z650 Restomod Build Thread
Discussion
With the engine back in the frame, it came home to me in the back of my mates van, where at last I could begin the final assembly.
It didn't take long before the first of several problems were found. The recently upholstered seat didnt fit the frame anymore, its four mounting studs were way off the frames mounts. It took a few seconds to realise what had happened.. The seat had been upholstered back to front. I'd assumed it would be obvious which end was the front and which the back, but it seems not. The seat went back to the upholsterer, who managed to reuse the foam and cover he'd made. So not a problem, but it took another six weeks for the seat to be done.
Next the one off machined swing arm spindle couldn't be found anywhere. Not in my garage, not in my mates workshop, and we looked high and low for it. But no, it had vanished. Had to make another from EN24T steel bar in the end. No doubt it'll turn up in a year or two..
At least the Dyna Coils and leads went on ok, once I'd made them up, along with the stainless undertray and splash guard, while I decided to paint the yokes rather than polish them. Not sure how durable the finish will be, will have to see. Ditto the risers and alloy instrument pod which was made to use the bar mounts. The speedo/tacho uses a GPS speed sensor, which I haven't used before.
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It didn't take long before the first of several problems were found. The recently upholstered seat didnt fit the frame anymore, its four mounting studs were way off the frames mounts. It took a few seconds to realise what had happened.. The seat had been upholstered back to front. I'd assumed it would be obvious which end was the front and which the back, but it seems not. The seat went back to the upholsterer, who managed to reuse the foam and cover he'd made. So not a problem, but it took another six weeks for the seat to be done.
Next the one off machined swing arm spindle couldn't be found anywhere. Not in my garage, not in my mates workshop, and we looked high and low for it. But no, it had vanished. Had to make another from EN24T steel bar in the end. No doubt it'll turn up in a year or two..
At least the Dyna Coils and leads went on ok, once I'd made them up, along with the stainless undertray and splash guard, while I decided to paint the yokes rather than polish them. Not sure how durable the finish will be, will have to see. Ditto the risers and alloy instrument pod which was made to use the bar mounts. The speedo/tacho uses a GPS speed sensor, which I haven't used before.
The fork clamps and light brackets were made by my mate, though we made the brackets extra long, as I wasnt sure how long they should be. Then I cut them down once I could try them on the bike. I'd also bought a R90S replica cockpit fairing, not sure if it would make the final build, but it did give the bike a slight Mad Max / Stone vibe.
He also made the foot controls, the levers of which pivot on sealed roller bearings. With a pair of Avon Storm tyres, for the first time it was a roller at last.
He also made the foot controls, the levers of which pivot on sealed roller bearings. With a pair of Avon Storm tyres, for the first time it was a roller at last.
Bars are Renthals, with Moto Gadget switchgear, whose wiring passes through the bars. They work well with the same companies M-Unit, which reduces the simplifies the wiring, and has lots of features.. an alarm etc.
Where possible I'd been buying UK made parts, so for the exhaust system, I went for a stainless Delkevic 4-1 with a black ceramic coating. Seems really well made, and the downpipes and collector went on no problem. Though as I had half expected, the silencer wouldnt fit, as the swing arm was in the way. The system was made for a GPz1100B1, same as the engine, which obviously has a narrower back end, compared to the ZRX1200 / 6 inch wheel in the back of mine.
Where possible I'd been buying UK made parts, so for the exhaust system, I went for a stainless Delkevic 4-1 with a black ceramic coating. Seems really well made, and the downpipes and collector went on no problem. Though as I had half expected, the silencer wouldnt fit, as the swing arm was in the way. The system was made for a GPz1100B1, same as the engine, which obviously has a narrower back end, compared to the ZRX1200 / 6 inch wheel in the back of mine.
Merch131 said:
Turn7 said:
Enjoy your builds as its the stuff I used to do, albeit with Suzuki over Big K........
Any pics?This is about all Ive got....
Gsx1100 efe with GSXR1100N motor, GSXR forks/wheels/brakes
Ran 142hp at the rear wheel on PDQ Dyno
Then I got a bit more serious
Katana looks cool, had a couple, surprisingly practical.
Coming up to date now, to fit the silencer, I had to add 60mm to the 4-1 collector, which sadly ruined the ceramic finish. CamCoat are on the far side of town, so hopefully they can replicate the finish. The silencer stick out a bit far, so while the 4-1 collector was cut in half, I shortened it by 30mm. One of the joints of the collector was only tack welded, as I also wanted to chance to change the angle of the silencer. I wont finally weld it all back together until a new pair of foot rest hangers are finished, which raise the pegs 50mm.. this will clear the exhaust, and ensure the kickstand doesnt interfere with the gearchange lever when retracted.. which it does at the moment.
The front guard is from a XJR1300, which for some reason has its mounts just 5mm different from those of the R6 forks, so need to make some brackets so it'll fit. Also undecided if I'll fit the R90S fairing.. looks a bit big on the bike, and could interfere with the brake / clutch master cylinders. The latter I haven't got yet, but will go for a pair from HEL. The bodywork is booked in for paint next month, so have until then to make up my mind.
Coming up to date now, to fit the silencer, I had to add 60mm to the 4-1 collector, which sadly ruined the ceramic finish. CamCoat are on the far side of town, so hopefully they can replicate the finish. The silencer stick out a bit far, so while the 4-1 collector was cut in half, I shortened it by 30mm. One of the joints of the collector was only tack welded, as I also wanted to chance to change the angle of the silencer. I wont finally weld it all back together until a new pair of foot rest hangers are finished, which raise the pegs 50mm.. this will clear the exhaust, and ensure the kickstand doesnt interfere with the gearchange lever when retracted.. which it does at the moment.
The front guard is from a XJR1300, which for some reason has its mounts just 5mm different from those of the R6 forks, so need to make some brackets so it'll fit. Also undecided if I'll fit the R90S fairing.. looks a bit big on the bike, and could interfere with the brake / clutch master cylinders. The latter I haven't got yet, but will go for a pair from HEL. The bodywork is booked in for paint next month, so have until then to make up my mind.
Got the wiring done, everything works, just need a neutral light switch and a couple of seals for the inner sprocket plate, then can put oil in the engine and try to start it. Bike has Dyna S ignition and coils, MotoGadget switches and M-Unit, GPS speedo sensor.. the latter I may bin as not sure it'll work ok.
It should fire up now, except cant put oil in the engine, as I'm still waiting for a couple of seals for the cover which lives behind the front sprocket.
Made the exhaust bracket from 3mm stainless plate, took ages to make it with a hacksaw and file, still need more work to shape it a bit neater. Then it'll be powder coated black, while the new foot peg hangers have been machined to make them a little less of an eyesore. They too will be hard anodised black over this winter.
The bodywork is going of for paint next week, if I get it back before year end I'll be happy.
Received the clutch and brake master cylinders, made in Exeter by a HEL. They are machined from billet alloy, as is the lever, while they have a variable piston size.. in my case 14/15/16mm. The clutch and brake are identical, as they are made so they can be used on the left or right. The bleed nibble and banjo threads are the same, so they can be flipped over.
It should fire up now, except cant put oil in the engine, as I'm still waiting for a couple of seals for the cover which lives behind the front sprocket.
Made the exhaust bracket from 3mm stainless plate, took ages to make it with a hacksaw and file, still need more work to shape it a bit neater. Then it'll be powder coated black, while the new foot peg hangers have been machined to make them a little less of an eyesore. They too will be hard anodised black over this winter.
The bodywork is going of for paint next week, if I get it back before year end I'll be happy.
Received the clutch and brake master cylinders, made in Exeter by a HEL. They are machined from billet alloy, as is the lever, while they have a variable piston size.. in my case 14/15/16mm. The clutch and brake are identical, as they are made so they can be used on the left or right. The bleed nibble and banjo threads are the same, so they can be flipped over.
With the paintwork away, been slowly ticking off the long list of jobs before I can try to start the engine for the first time. Drilled and mounted the blank rear sprocket, had to be blank as the rear hub was drilled to match no other wheel in the known universe.. With that done could check on the chain alignment, with the ZZR1100 front sprocket, which in turn has a 5/8ths built in offset. Turns out that's not enough and its still 10mm out of alignment. Been trying to source a 1 inch offset front sprocket, but no look just yet. Another option is to remove and dismantle the rear wheel and machine down the LH hub by 10 mm.. luckily there is plenty of room between the chain run and rim/tyre.
The next job proved to be very frustrating, trying to fit the one off outrigger bearing support.. the inner plate wouldn't fit over the gearchange shaft, as the side stand spring tang got in the way. Something that should've been spotted long ago. But with the various C19 lockdowns it wasn't possible, as the engine and frame were in different workshops.
The answer was to fit the shaft through the plate, then fit its mechanism to the engine.. while the plate was in the way.. took a lot of attempts before I felt confident enough to fit the handmade gasket and fit it for real. Got there in the end. Though its support spacers for the outer plate need a little machining to get them to fit just right.
I painted the alloy foot peg hangers satin black, just to see how they look, they'll need to be hard anodised later, as even the so called 'tough' paint will soon be scratched otherwise.
Also fitted the duel cable throttle with a cable kit from Venhill, and measured and ordered the brake and clutch lines from HEL.
The next job proved to be very frustrating, trying to fit the one off outrigger bearing support.. the inner plate wouldn't fit over the gearchange shaft, as the side stand spring tang got in the way. Something that should've been spotted long ago. But with the various C19 lockdowns it wasn't possible, as the engine and frame were in different workshops.
The answer was to fit the shaft through the plate, then fit its mechanism to the engine.. while the plate was in the way.. took a lot of attempts before I felt confident enough to fit the handmade gasket and fit it for real. Got there in the end. Though its support spacers for the outer plate need a little machining to get them to fit just right.
I painted the alloy foot peg hangers satin black, just to see how they look, they'll need to be hard anodised later, as even the so called 'tough' paint will soon be scratched otherwise.
Also fitted the duel cable throttle with a cable kit from Venhill, and measured and ordered the brake and clutch lines from HEL.
Great build…. keep pushing on …. no doubt you’ve got lots of challenges to come.
I ran a build thread on here on my Zed build - it’s a good way of staying motivated.
A few lessons learnt:
1) really hard to set up those RS34s
2) these older bikes need to ridden differently - you can’t just whack open the throttle in top gear and expect it to pull cleanly. Once you get the hang of non cv carbs they are good fun - like riding a 2 stroke.
3) fit an oil cooler - they run hot
4) make sure you’ve got those valve clearances and timing right
5) be careful to not over tighten the cam carriers
6) think carefully about the way you use the spare switched outputs on the M-unit…. The way they are programmed can catch you out…
7) make sure you put a decent earth strap direct on the engine for the plugs
Here’s my Zed, ready for a bit of rework to sort some nigglies…chiefly lengthening the forks for more ground clearance and fitting an oil cooler
I ran a build thread on here on my Zed build - it’s a good way of staying motivated.
A few lessons learnt:
1) really hard to set up those RS34s
2) these older bikes need to ridden differently - you can’t just whack open the throttle in top gear and expect it to pull cleanly. Once you get the hang of non cv carbs they are good fun - like riding a 2 stroke.
3) fit an oil cooler - they run hot
4) make sure you’ve got those valve clearances and timing right
5) be careful to not over tighten the cam carriers
6) think carefully about the way you use the spare switched outputs on the M-unit…. The way they are programmed can catch you out…
7) make sure you put a decent earth strap direct on the engine for the plugs
Here’s my Zed, ready for a bit of rework to sort some nigglies…chiefly lengthening the forks for more ground clearance and fitting an oil cooler
After a pause of a couple of months, rolled the bike out on the drive and made a start, leaving a trail of oil on my drive. No surprise as the gearbox sprocket outrigger plate isn't fitted yet. It needs a thicker gasket, which is unique, I've made one, but not tried it out yet. Therefore as soon as I took it off the paddock stand, oil was bound to leak. Hence all the cardboard under the bike.
Fitted the badging on the RHS and fitted the ZX6R rear brake light. Still need to bend its alloy mounting bracket so the number plate is angled out a bit. Then it'll have to be given a tough black finish, either Cerokote or hard anodised. In the pic the ducktail isn't bolted down yet so it's not at the correct angle.
Fitted the badging on the RHS and fitted the ZX6R rear brake light. Still need to bend its alloy mounting bracket so the number plate is angled out a bit. Then it'll have to be given a tough black finish, either Cerokote or hard anodised. In the pic the ducktail isn't bolted down yet so it's not at the correct angle.
Took a few parts from the 1170 and my Mk2 project to Camcoat (a local specialist) to be ceramically anodised, 2 or 3 week turnaround. So decided just to paint the rear light bracket for now in so called 'Tough Paint' not sure how tough it really is, but it'll do for now. Meanwhile, got a frame arriving today which will be the start of a new project .
Not much happening with the 1170 project, as been waiting for some parts to be ceramically anodised etc. However, the 1170 is only one of four Zed project bikes I'm working on at the moment. The first is the free green Z650 which I already have a build thread about. That one is now awaiting the winter when its engine will be rebuilt. The third Zed is a 1979 Z1000MK2, which I bought from a mate last year, it was far from standard when I got it. The frame had been braced and powder coated already, while the front forks, swing arm and shocks were from a ZRX1200, while the three spoke wheels were from a early R1. However, it came with original and mint bodywork, which had been carefully kept in my mates loft for decades.
As for the engine, it is getting my old Z1000 turbo engine, sans turbo, which has some cool performance parts, such as the Orient Express big block and forged pistons, which give 1400cc.
Rebuilding the motor has taken a long time, and at the moment its all done, except for the head, which has gone off to be ported and completely rebuilt.
Couple of months ago I finally rolled it out for the corner of my overcrowded garage to make a start on the rolling chassis. I didn't like the old R1 wheels, so replaced them with a pair of a new old stock wheels from an R6. Fitting they wheels to the ZRX1200 forks and swing arm wasn't easy. I went for a set of British made Armstrong discs, and must say they seem excellent value.
I also wanted to upgrade the ZRX shocks, so after a lot of research, I ordered a pair from Maxton, custom made to my spec. They are due next week. The replica seat came from Japan, via Z-Power.
Only one shock fitted, waiting for the Maxtons to arrived
As for the engine, it is getting my old Z1000 turbo engine, sans turbo, which has some cool performance parts, such as the Orient Express big block and forged pistons, which give 1400cc.
Rebuilding the motor has taken a long time, and at the moment its all done, except for the head, which has gone off to be ported and completely rebuilt.
Couple of months ago I finally rolled it out for the corner of my overcrowded garage to make a start on the rolling chassis. I didn't like the old R1 wheels, so replaced them with a pair of a new old stock wheels from an R6. Fitting they wheels to the ZRX1200 forks and swing arm wasn't easy. I went for a set of British made Armstrong discs, and must say they seem excellent value.
I also wanted to upgrade the ZRX shocks, so after a lot of research, I ordered a pair from Maxton, custom made to my spec. They are due next week. The replica seat came from Japan, via Z-Power.
Only one shock fitted, waiting for the Maxtons to arrived
The forth Zed is another long term project, originally I'd been looking for a rough 'barn find' Z1000 on Ebay, or perhaps a Gpz750 Turbo that needed work. Sadly such bikes are selling for at least 50% more than I think is sensible, so I took a different approach. Since I would be replacing the wheels, suspension, electrics, rebuilding the engine etc, I bought a frame from a 1978 Z1000 instead, which had been imported from the US by D&K. It had no V5, but it did have a NOVA certificate to show import duties had been paid.
I had already decided to join the 21st century and fit USD forks, and since I liked the wheels of the newish Z900RS, I set about buying parts. Got a few good deals, but sadly the Z900RS swing arm couldn't be made to fit the old Z1000 frame, a pity as it would've easy to convert it to twin shock.
Instead I bought an early XJR1300 swing arm, as the spindle size is the same as the Z900RS at 20mm, though of course the swing arm pivot bolt is very different from a Z1000, as indeed are the headset bearings. But nothing that can't be sorted when my mate has a lathe and miller.
All new bodywork from Japan, including the tank, not too expensive compared to prices on Ebay for dented, rusting examples..
I had already decided to join the 21st century and fit USD forks, and since I liked the wheels of the newish Z900RS, I set about buying parts. Got a few good deals, but sadly the Z900RS swing arm couldn't be made to fit the old Z1000 frame, a pity as it would've easy to convert it to twin shock.
Instead I bought an early XJR1300 swing arm, as the spindle size is the same as the Z900RS at 20mm, though of course the swing arm pivot bolt is very different from a Z1000, as indeed are the headset bearings. But nothing that can't be sorted when my mate has a lathe and miller.
All new bodywork from Japan, including the tank, not too expensive compared to prices on Ebay for dented, rusting examples..
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