I found another stray, and it followed me home

[neels]

As seems to be a habit lately, I've found another bike lurking in the back of a shed in need of some TLC.

Never heard of a Zephyr 750, but at $200 for a complete bike that was running when parked with rego on hold was too hard to resist. :facepalm:

So far I've stripped the carbs, freed the float valves and unblocked the jets, stuck them back on and fired it up. Seems to run ok on 3 cylinders, number 4 not so good as it's being flooded to death due to a float that doesn't, bits ordered off the interweb and on their way.

Once it's running I guess the cleaning begins.....

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[ducatilover]

Nice score. I've always thought they were a tidy looking bike.
MoAr picccs!!!!!!!

[Crasherfromwayback]

Awesome score for that coin mate!

[slofox]

That's a quackersaki innit?

[Bald Eagle]

blimey complete with screen & packrack, reasonable rubber. Good score

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2

[Edbear]

One of Kawasaki's best retro's and a damn good bike! I liked the one they did in the gold and brown colours! You got a fantastic score there!

[mossy1200]

Great find. im having trouble finding something like that to fill a gap in the garage at the moment. Good cheap bike projects are getting hard to find.

[scumdog]

Bloody tin-bum, getting all the good scores!
Well done and keep us all posted huh?

[neels]

Nice score. I've always thought they were a tidy looking bike.
MoAr picccs!!!!!!!
Fair enough...moar pics...


That's a quackersaki innit?
First kwaka I've ever owned


blimey complete with screen & packrack, reasonable rubber
Not loving the screen, it's already off. rear rubber not so sharp....

Bloody tin-bum, getting all the good scores!
Well done and keep us all posted huh?
Will post more pics when I get around to shinying the shiny bits of it, fortunately I have a willing minion to help with that bit..

[mossy1200]

Polish the muffler tips perhaps. im thinking they will look good. Maybe add 10% value straight away.

[neels]

Polish the muffler tips perhaps. im thinking they will look good. Maybe add 10% value straight away.
I think I'm going to need a bucket of autosol before I'm finished, but most of it should scrub up ok.

Some more pics, sure is a big lump of an engine for a 750, at least the cans look to be in reasonable nick and everything appears to work.

[mossy1200]

I switched to Mothers metal polish. It seems to last longer and give the same results with same effort. Big container lasts a long time.

[Ender EnZed]

Great find. im having trouble finding something like that to fill a gap in the garage at the moment. Good cheap bike projects are getting hard to find.

You could fix up another GSX550 (http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/classic-vintage/auction-500746889.htm).

[mossy1200]

You could fix up another GSX550 (http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/classic-vintage/auction-500746889.htm).

Only made 300 from about 30 hours working on it. Because i dont ride to work I sell everything I finish due to rego costs. If they do change to levy petrol instead of rego ill do a few for myself to keep.

[NinjaNanna]

Go hand yourself in at the local cop shop you theiving bastard.....that's one hell of a bargain for $200.

[ducatilover]

I switched to Mothers metal polish. It seems to last longer and give the same results with same effort. Big container lasts a long time.
Needs more polish, how am I meant to do my hair in that? Or my lippy?


I think I'm going to need a bucket of autosol before I'm finished, but most of it should scrub up ok.

Some more pics, sure is a big lump of an engine for a 750, at least the cans look to be in reasonable nick and everything appears to work.
I want it, I could spend years polishing that bugger up to perfection :D
Can't wait for progress pics.

[Geeen]

Will post more pics when I get around to shinying the shiny bits of it, fortunately I have a willing minion to help with that bit..

Did you kidnap Ducatilover???? :shit::laugh:

[Road kill]

Had one of them,sold because I kept going to sleep,utterly reliable,poor brakes,very average handling,need suspension up grades from new,good cruising around 130km,good fuel economy.

Best suited to somebody that wants cheap transport with no supprises and also wants to park on busy city streets with no fear of it ever getting stolen.

Good score:yes:

[neels]

Well must be time for an update....it lives

Still as dirty as ever apart from cleaning the painted bits, spent a loooong time cleaning congealed black gunk out of the carbs, tried to do the same to the fuel tap but once it was apart it was never going back together. Almost looks like someone has put some oil in the tank to stop it rusting, and in the 12 years since it's turned to tar, so after a new fuel tap, one new carb float and new float needles it's no longer pouring fuel all over the floor and running on 4 cylinders. Pulled the brakes to bits and freed everything up and gave them a bleed, seem to be working pretty good, and chucked some lube on the chain which doesn't seem too bad.

Took it for it's relaunch ride the other night and wouldn't do more than 95, any more throttle opening and it stared dying, so first guess was to replace the plugs. Out for another ride today and much better, not sure if it was just old dirty plugs or because I replaced the D8 plugs with DR8 plugs as per the manual and it needs resistor plugs, either way it's sorted.

Now it's wait for a rear tyre from trademe to turn up and get that fitted along with the front I scored for free to replace the 14 year old one currently on the bike, and then down to the wof shop to see if I can make it legal.

[NinjaNanna]

As long as nobody has changed the tooth count on either sprocket you should get 5000rpm = 100kms an hour in top gear.

If she's healthy it'll easily pull to 180km/hr and if you're brave you'll see 200 - I'm not brave and didn't.

[neels]

As long as nobody has changed the tooth count on either sprocket you should get 5000rpm = 100kms an hour in top gear.

If she's healthy it'll easily pull to 180km/hr and if you're brave you'll see 200 - I'm not brave and didn't.
Yep, running 5k at 100, haven't really wound it up yet but seems to have a bit left at that speed. Really need to get some decent tyres on the thing before I get any more carried away, and still in need of a tuneup in the carb department.

[neels]

Well.....

Bike now has a WOF, scrounged up a legal rear tyre and took it in, found out it failed it's last check 11 years ago, but all good.

Then....

Dropped to 3 cylinders on the ride home, cleaned the plugs with not much improvement, had a bit of a look and judging from the crc test the intake rubbers are shagged.

Then to finish things off nicely, after sitting outside for a few hours I put it away and it proceeded to empty the contents of a full fuel tank onto my shed floor, and from a quick look at the level glass also fill it's crankcase with petrol. I'm figuring some crap from the rather dirty fuel tank has found it's way into the fuel tap to hold it open, and got into the float valves and held them open as well keeping every flowing rather nicely downwards.

So now I'm at the point that I really can't be bothered any more, don't really want to spend any more time or money on the thing and can't really ride it in it's current state, so thinking it might be time to stick it on tradme for parts and spend my time riding bikes that actually work.

[ducatilover]

Bugger!

Before Akzle gets here; 5 bucks and a bag of chips for it?

[neels]

I'll consider your generous offer, but really would like at least the cost of the shiny new parts I've attached to the thing.

It probably just needs the rusty petrol tank treatment, and to have the carbs cleaned. again.

I think it can sit and rot for a bit, floors to tile and walls to paint before I get to pulling it apart again, a set of intake rubbers from the dealer are around $300 or direct from the US for about $120 so not too bad.

Just bloody annoying when it looked all good to go, and I was about to get keen and start shinying the thing up.

[ducatilover]

Any idea what size carbs and distance between the boot bolts?
It'd be possibly to use other ones (I think they're running 36mm carbs?) as Kawasakis of the era are surprisingly mix and match

Quick little search, P/N 160651256

[JimO]

here is my old one....http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x67/jim157/DSC01404.jpg

[NinjaNanna]

Hmmm, according to evidence I saw on www.zephyr-zone.com (http://www.zephyr-zone.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1333193190) the intake boot is actually a metalic cyclinder coated in rubber. Some summarise that the common cracking is superfical only and a red herring.

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That said though, my old girl had some form of sealant smeared all over them, given that they are metal inside I would recommend doing the same thing to rectify yours.

Don't give up on her!!! a couple more hours and she'll be running great and road legal. just make sure you clean the tank properly this time and fit an inline fuel filter ($8 from cycle treads):msn-wink:

Oh yeah and throw some CHEAP oil in her until you're sure the fueling/rust issue is sorted :mobile:

[ducatilover]

Hmmm, according to evidence I saw on www.zephyr-zone.com (http://www.zephyr-zone.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1333193190) the intake boot is actually a metalic cyclinder coated in rubber. Some summarise that the common cracking is superfical only and a red herring.



That said though, my old girl had some form of sealant smeared all over them, given that they are metal inside I would recommend doing the same thing to rectify yours.

Don't give up on her!!! a couple more hours and she'll be running great and road legal. just make sure you clean the tank properly this time and fit an inline fuel filter ($8 from cycle treads):msn-wink:

Oh yeah and throw some CHEAP oil in her until you're sure the fueling/rust issue is sorted :mobile:
Mine are similar, but they're not steel right the way up (no idea why, blame Kawasaki)
It would be easy enough to make some up out of alloy and use silican joiners between them and the card.

But, to test if they're really fucked, the sealant trick works wonders. The ones on my GPZ probably had more sealant than rubber boot :lol:

[neels]

Well, it lives. :clap:

My fuel tank cleaning efforts weren't quite as good as I thought :o so did the complete POR15 treatment on it, fuel tap still dribbling a bit afterwards so stripped and cleaned that, dropped the float bowls and cleaned the valves and finally no fuel leakage. Smeared some rtv around the intake rubbers on suspicion, seeing as it was in bits anyway, not up for fronting the cost of new ones at the moment.

Went for a ride and still seriously short of go, so *sigh* pulled the carbs off, completely stripped and cleaned them again.
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Reassembled everything, still no fuel leakage as far as I can tell and it actually works proper like, and doesn't sound half bad when you wind it up to 10,000rpm.

Took it out for it's first useful ride tonight to get some paint, the plasterer has finished the walls so it seems to be sorted just in time to move onto the next job, timing is everything.

Looking not too bad for a bit under $500, so far I've only cleaned the painted bits, now I just need to decide what to attack next.....
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[Jen]

Decided I should keep this story alive, as I have now convinced Neels to hand the bike over so he can focus on his house :msn-wink:
Found the air filter and intake box completely corroded, the foam was in bits and had floated into the intake..new air filter arrived, new foam being placed in the intake box, also found the battery wasnt anywhere near big enough for the bike, so have new battery also. Purchased and putting in currently new fork seals and dust covers as had leaky forks. Thankfully all the parts arrived before the holidays, so bike is now in pieces again, and though since forks were all off, might as well grind them back, de rust and de salt and respruce them up. Carb holders ordered from Japan to sort out the intake...and she'll be ready for Woodstock! Though not completely repainted by then.

http://http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=4275 for update pics

[ducatilover]

Great progress :first:

[scumdog]

Decided I should keep this story alive, as I have now convinced Neels to hand the bike over so he can focus on his house :msn-wink:
Found the air filter and intake box completely corroded, the foam was in bits and had floated into the intake..new air filter arrived, new foam being placed in the intake box, also found the battery wasnt anywhere near big enough for the bike, so have new battery also. Purchased and putting in currently new fork seals and dust covers as had leaky forks. Thankfully all the parts arrived before the holidays, so bike is now in pieces again, and though since forks were all off, might as well grind them back, de rust and de salt and respruce them up. Carb holders ordered from Japan to sort out the intake...and she'll be ready for Woodstock! Though not completely repainted by then.

http://http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=4275 for up date pics




Neels told me about you buying it, it's nice you're putting a bit of effort into getting it right, they're a nice style of bike, very retro.:niceone:

[Jen]

Neels told me about you buying it, it's nice you're putting a bit of effort into getting it right, they're a nice style of bike, very retro.:niceone:


Yeah I"m very happy with how she's going, all booked in for carb balance and tune second week of jan so should be sweet for Woodstock rally, all going well. Carb intake holders (or whatever they are called ) are due to arrive from Japland first week, nothing else but tlc, spit and polish required. I love the retro style, was looking at a kawasaki W650 but like this better. And the price was obviously more my style too lol:rolleyes: