1981 Kawasaki GPz550: Restoration

[tkent02]

Powdercoat it. I dunked a powdercoated part I had just taken out of the oven in brake fluid for a few days, then in gasoline for a few days, it still looked shiny and new.

[Big T]

The original was gloss black

Semi gloss caliper paint would be good, as it's a bit more fluid resistant

[posplayr]

i should have mentioned "along with after market cams".
throw in chain stretch/different gasket thickness/head milling/chain guide wear.
i seldom had marks line up exactly on modified engines.
once you degree the cam's then you know all is good.
just saying....

I dare say, if degrees properly you should ignore the chain marks

[posplayr]

Good score ,should be a better bike with these mods,i had one for a few years but got sick to death of its narrow powerband and havin to rev it to death and changing gear constantly.
Dont change anything you dont have to ,so far it seems full of the choice stuff,but I prob would have(from experience, doh) degreed up the engine prior to disturbing the cams to get a base point to start from,too late now but goodluck and keep us all posted on progress

Yep, at least put it back together in the same place if possible to measure before doing any milling or changing the chain.

[srsupertrap]

I stripped both Masters down last Sunday & followed 7981GS's advice & picked up a can of VHT SP739 semi-gloss caliper paint.



Gotta love the smell of baking VHT in the oven


Bought this On EBay to hone the cylinders. The two blade works on 1/2" & up which is what I need. It cost $27.50 shipped



One of the rare tools still Made In USA & Lifetime Warranty



I now think my original Master is the best bet because the two stone hone will probably remove most of the surface pitting. 7981GS told me how to repair the pits in the Master. One of the two should work & give the authentic look.

[psyguy]

Good stuff!

[srsupertrap]

After Honing my original Master with ATF for a couple of minutes . . . Hope it does not leak



OEM replacement parts . . . Kawaskai parts are expensive

[srsupertrap]

I took Ed up on his offer & bought his extra set of All Balls Steering Bearing & Seal kit for $15. Following his instruction I dremeled then chiseled the lower bearing race to remove it. The sledge on the right didn't have enough Ommph to seat the lower steering stem bearing.



Unfortunately the lower ID of the dust seal was to small to fit the OD of the lower tapered roller bearing making it useless.


I found a concave rubber drain valve that was the correct the OD @ The Home Depot. I then cut out the ID I needed.



Not perfect but it will keep the dirt out of the lower steering stem bearing



Here is the steering stem hanging by a thread, once tightened that seal will get pulled up of sight. The races went in 1-2-3 but the lower tapered roller bearing required the 8 Lb sledge to install it.


Top view of the All Balls dust cover over the top tapered roller bearing. I will install the beauty cover later

[srsupertrap]

Got the fork legs back from the powder coater on Friday, went with satin black. Old bushing & fork seal.



Found nicks in both stanchion tubes at the bottom of the travel. Could have got damaged during disassembly because you have to slide hammer the stanchion tube out of the fork leg which pulls out the upper bushing, washer & fork seal. I sanded the high spots with 1000 grit.


Now that I have researched I found these are not the original fork springs. The OEM's are progressive wound with one end tighter than the other. Also has a 1" spacer for more preload.


The GPz forks are different and have two bushings vs. the GS's with one. The second bushing requires a special tool to install but I used an exhaust pipe with duct tape on the lip so it would not damage the bushing & washer/fork seal when driving it in. You have to install the fork stanchions first, then install the bushing, washer & fork seal.



Here is the set up I used. I then added 245 ml of 10 wt fork oil and buttoned it up with the available new parts. Fork tubes ready to get installed. I also redid all the clocks, switch gear heat shrink which was torn and replaced it with Thermofit PVC 105C heat shrink . . . . thick & shiney like OEM

[srsupertrap]

Here is the label which was affixed to the steering stem. I removed the label when the frame was painted & baked.
Does anyone have any experience with reapplying this little label. I know 3M makes spray adhesive but that might not be the best solution. . . . Suggestions?

[GSX1000E]

Spray adhesive on the back and then cover the entire label with clear packaging tape.

[chuck hahn]

I use a thin smear of contact cement on the stickers and let it dry. Apply.

[Nessism]

Clear mylar label overlay materials exist in the marketplace Steve. We use such material over the top of Brady labels applied to aerospace products we ship where I work. I'll talk to the production guys and come up with the specific brand and model of the tape we use. My offer still stands to send you some too. Look for a PM early next week. If I forget, please remind me.

[srsupertrap]

Did some assembly work this weekend & tonight. I carefully removed the swingarm roller bearings with a drift, then cleaned and greased them. They felt real smooth so I reinstalled them despite the manual stating they would be damaged during removal.

[srsupertrap]

Cleaned up the Frt. pads and found they are dual compound although from this pic you cannot tell . . . I will use them again



Wrapped all the Russell brake lines in clear Tygon tubing because they were cutting into other metal things especially the rear brake line



New EBC pads on the back. Took I guess on the Tokico brake carrier color. . . better than yuck brown


Kept the original brake caliper color because it wasn't really scratched up but need a couple of new bleeders too.