Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Carburetor Weekend. It don't look like much in the end but it takes time to rebuild, assemble, bench synch, and then mount them up. It would have helped immensely if my float gauge didn't decide to fall between the drawers of the tool chest and hide in the back between the drawers. I walked around for a good half an hour yelling at any drill press, parts washer, buffing machine, or anyone else that would listen, "I know I put that farking thing right in there in the tool box, where is it? You guys better stop screwing around with me".

A must have,



Carbs mounted,




The air box came back remarkably well. It took awhile but it got cleaned really good with the parts washer, soap and water, and then a final Acetone cleaning. After that it was 3 coats of Mothers Black Magic and I have to say it restored quite well for plastic. The Vapor Blasted Carb Look is pretty good, I'm a fan.




The carb cables were next. Once again the Motion Pro Cable End Kit got put to good use. I lay out the cables and then mark where they need to be cut. After that I measure the cable exit length fully extended and cut the cable. The cover is then cut back and the cable to the same fully extended measurement. The cable is then reinserted into the cover and an end slid onto the cable. The end of the cable is then frayed.





The cable end then gets slid up the cable. The frayed end gets just enough friction in the space at the end of the cable end to hold it in place.




It then goes into the cable pot. Mine is nothing more than a 1-1/4" copper end cap with a small roll of 50/50 solder. Enough solder to do as many cable ends as I will probably do in my lifetime. A simple torch heats it to melting in about 1 minute and the end is dunked after first being fluxed.



And you end up with this, the cut off end is next to the newly shortened cable for comparison.





This time the headlight didn't get dropped on the floor and made it's way to the bucket. I always check the operation of everything after the headlight is installed as I have had them pull connectors apart because of the normally tight space. Everything is working as far as lights, horn, signals, ignition, etc.




This bike is just about ready to test fire. I am waiting on the new Antigravity battery to get here, and that should be any day now. I have been doing my testing off this dirt bike battery which works OK for lights and stuff but it needs a properly sized battery to start, and I am hoping that will happen this week.

That is an excellent idea on the solder pot. I have a professional one, but no reason at all what you created won't work just as well as mine.

On the float bridge, I have an older Honda bridge, adjustable, I modified it to work on all makes of carb, works great.

You are coming right along with that bike. It's already a stunner, should be just plain EPIC when you get it done.

It is looking beautiful, wish I could be there to hear it start.

_________________
1969 H1, 1971 G3SSA, 1974 G5, 1973 H2A, 1975 S3A, 1975 H1F, 1973 Z1, 1988 HD FLTC, Captain America chopper, 2000 Excelsior Henderson, 1965 Bridgestone BS90

Got back from vacation, put out some fires at work, and couldn't wait to put the battery in. The battery is an Antigravity 12 Cell Small Case.



Hooked the bike up to an IV.



And fired her up. The bike started just about instantly and idled well after about a minute of warming up. The carbs still need to be synched, but I think they are damn close for bench synching. For me, a rebuilt bike that starts well and idles well off the bat is a good sign, hope I just didn't jinx it but this engine is running smooth and fires up instantly on the lift.



I like the sound of the Kerker Exhaust. It is throaty but not obnoxious, and I am not a loud bike guy. Give me a bike you can ride all day without all the noise. Not much left, need a new front brake light switch, redo the seat, a few odds and ends, and just paint. Oh, and the gauges too. I am just going to order another set of faces and not use any Loctite on them. These reproductions look good and will work fine but I want the OEM style on, besides, they are still sitting on my bench and are going to drive me crazy now that the bike is nearing completion. With the weather predicted to go to 75 degrees tomorrow I'm looking forward to finishing, and putting a few break in miles on this bike soon. There are always Gremlins but the bike is at a good point now to be ready for Deals Gap in May.

Nice job. I also like the sound of the Kerker, I had a K5 with one on it. I have one up in the rafters to use for a future project.

_________________
H2B..... H1E..... Z1B ..... RD350...... X6 Hustler..... TS250.... CB750 ..... CB550...... and a Bomber!!

Got the carbs synched Saturday and a few other things done.

The patient hooked up. 2 fans, one so that the motor doesn't overheat and die, and the other so I don't die from CO poisoning. Actually, with the wind Saturday that fresh air fan did squat, it was quite breezy in this room with the 2 garage doors open just behind it. You would think that someone in the HVAC field would have a fancy exhaust and fresh air system in their shop? Nope, chalk it up to the Shoemaker's Shoes, a couple of Walmart fans work fine. Well, at least I didn't make that Dumbest Ways to Die show this week.




Idle synch, the bench synch was pretty close, only number 1 was out, and not that bad.



Got the chain on and the rechromed chain guard on with new chromed bolts and washers. Ya know, I'm not much for the "Guido Gold Chain Look" but I do like a new Gold "O" Ring Chain. The passenger pegs got replated with new rubber. I had bought some repro whole units that were garbage. If you are going to replace the passenger pegs don't waste your money on the Ebay repro whole unit garbage, replate and buy new rubber.




Not the best pic for this but replaced the Kerker shock mount bracket. It is still their bracket but bent, drilled, and repainted to mount to the passenger peg bolt and rear lower brake assembly bolt. This mounting offers 3, instead of 2 mounting points, and is considerably less conspicuous then the Kerker top shock mount strap.




So, things are winding up here. I spoke with the Painter and the paint is coming together well and should be ready soon. Other items are a replacement of the front brake light switch and some odds and ends.

Got the seat finished today and it came out very nice. I had taken pics of the procedure and how I filled in some foam, and a couple other things I do. Oh, and I had a nice tip about how your Wife won't know you borrowed her iron but forgot to put the card back in the camera last night, (Damn Jaegermeister) so, no pics. You guys will have to wait till next Winter and the next bike to learn how to take greasy fingerprints off your Wife's Iron. I will tell you that I gave up on coming up with stories about the Blow Dryer and finally bought one, but I don't use her Iron enough to justify the cost. Next Step: Paint.

I really enjoy watching this thread - great build - awesome bike

I can relate to dropping the headlight. I've dropped a few and I'm always cringing every time I take one off or put one on.

_________________
This is true. Where I grew up the hills were so steep and long, when your ball rolled down the hill you just said "screw it"...

Little break in the action, but we are back. Larry sent me some pics yesterday of the paint and it looks great! I can't wait to get these tins on the bike. The hard part of the paint is done. You'll notice that the tank access door and side covers are the same color as the tank. The original door and panels were originally done in Black. I think doing them the same color as the rest of the bike is the way to go, and this is one area where we stray from OEM. Speaking of OEM, from these pics it looks color wise like the VMR Candy Antares Red is pretty damn good. We'll see what the finished product looks like soon. Larry explained a lot of the painting process with this paint to me but I forget the details, sorry, but I just trust Larry. Ya know, I do have a corporate empire to run ,so I can't just chit chat all day about motorcycles. We should be putting check out miles on this bike soon and look to be on schedule for Deals Gap in May.

Stunning work but wouldn't expect less from you. I've seen your bikes in person and they are beautiful! Really loved the orange 72 H1 500 you did a couple of years ago and had at the Gap. Reading build threads is always relaxing to me so keep 'em coming!

_________________
1972 Kawasaki H2 Mach IV (Candytone Blue),1984 Yamaha RZ350 (KRR- Yellow/Black), 2004 Honda Helix (Clipper Yellow).

“Jeff and Chris are THE MEN!”
RIP John E. Evans

Loctite will eat some plastics to shreds. I had the base of a bilge pump crumble into pieces just minutes after I used Loctite on its screws. Since then I never use the stuff where it can touch plastic. If I had to, I'd check with the manufacturer to see which plastics are compatible and which ones are not.

_________________
If it surges, that's normal, upshift.