Kawasaki ER5 project bike

[TUG]

I've been after a bike since I got rid of the CBR600F, but things didn't work out for which ever reasons and such and blah blah. So the other day I saw a bike on here for £200 of my fine Great British Pounds and fired a quick message over, alas, t'had been sold! Cruel be fate but wished Phil luck and if things didn't work out to give me a shout.

More hunting went on but to my surprise the deal hath fell upon itself. He messaged me and said I'd be over to pick the bike up the next day, however, the Ford KAck decided to reveal to me, in cylinder one that the previous owner was a monkey and in servicing the car I'd unearthed every man's fear! A cross threaded fucking spark plug! So being the nice chap Phil is, he waited for me to get to his to buy the bike, and didn't sell it from under me which tbh given to 6 hour wait I had imposed on him would of been understandable (the guy's a busy bloke!).

So Tl;Dr I bought Phil's ER-5 to fund his tyres for the new GPz900 and I fancy doing a little restoration and tidy it up project.

https://cdn.bikechatforums.com/files/bens-er5.jpg

The bike is well used, it's seen some pretty good motorway miles and generally untidy for it's age. So plans for now are to simply tidy it up a little (nothing major) and the following:

Replace rear tyre
Replace the speedo drive
Replace the chain
Fix the oil leak from the oil pressure tester port
General service (adjustments, clean and lube all moving parts etc.)
Fit an exhaust hanger

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Haz ER-5, innit!

[BenR]

£200??? that's a bargain. Looks like a fairly easy bike to work on I know they're pretty much bomb proof those ER-5s. Nice one.
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Current bikes: suzuki RG125UN wolf. Yamaha MT-07

[mintex]

Nice
Ive got an er5 too.
I bought it after a break from bikes and after i got on it i instantly remembered why i enjoyed it so much .

Its off the road at the minute as i plan on doing a full make over on it as even though i now have the cbr i still like riding the er

[TUG]

That's cool I miss my CBR600F, gave it up for a woman (Yea I know I know!) But the current gf wanted me to get a bike because she knew how badly I missed my last one. I cleaned up one side of the front rim and it came up pretty well so tomorrow's list is.

Power wash
Fit the new speedo drive (thanks PhilDawson8270)
Ring about a rear tyre
General service

____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[recman]

Read the headline and expected a cruiser.

[-Monty-]

[TUG]

I wouldn't mind a cruiser but it would have to be seriously comfortable and black with no chrome or fucking tassels or any of that horrible dressing kits they buy for them etc
____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[TUG]

[-Monty-]

[TUG]

Well at least I know your not up all night worrying about it!

Anyway, I overslept yesterday (I work nights at a rock pup serving real ale ) and missed my window for getting the tyre I need as mine is square as chuff due to epic motorway miles; I also need to fit my speedo drive and give cables and moving parts a good clean and lube up.

I managed to clean the bike though! Obligatory pics:
https://cdn.bikechatforums.com/files/washed-19-04-14.jpg

As suspected it is a bit scabby here and there but it's to be expected, I'm not planning any major mods or anything other than spray the plastics and or replace damaged things a long long time down the line. I just want to have a reliable hack for now, the urge to wax some money on paint and sand paper is really tempting though.

[TUG]

So I dunno why but I thought working on my bike at 2:30am this morning was a good idea, having finished work, I rode home to get the missing peg on and fit my speedo... bad idea.

[TUG]

Still have a lot to do, and having caught manflu recently isn't helping but I'm sure I'll survive! Anyway I keep finding things as I get more used to the bike. The lack of suspension is driving me as insane as the oil leak but I've got my eyes on some parts.
The Idea is to just make it mechanically sound for now so I'll only replace parts that really need replacing while others such as bars and plastics are the very last things on the list.

The MOT is due on the 25th and I don't think it will pass with the headstock bearings being mullered, the sticky rear brake which also might have a warped liner due to grabbing I keep feeling, after a quick google seems like it is actually a common thing. I'm also not too certain on the suspension being passed if they check it, it is very uncomfortable to ride over bumps at the moment.

I had a sneaking suspicion that the fuel tap was leaking and after waiting a while saw some leak off the tap/nob you turn to set it to prime etc. So I'll need a repair kit for that too. Still unsure on the oil leak after reading a few posts on the water pump being a source of the oil that is leaking, I'll have to wash it post rear tyre change and then watch for it leaking.

To do list
Power wash
Fit the new speedo drive (thanks PhilDawson8270)
Ring about a rear tyre & replace
Fix the oil leak
Fit exhaust hanger
Replace rethals (bent)
Fit/Remove mirrors
Replace Lockset (faulty Ignition)
Replace clutch switch (faulty)
Fix/Replace Fuel tap (leaking)
Fit new headstock bearings (notched in center due to lack of suspension or epic wheelies?)

General service


Service rear brake (won't return and pulsing)
Service front brake
Replace chain (wrecked)
Adjust clutch cable freeplay
Clean and lube all moving parts (cables, pegs, throttle etc)
Synchronize the Carbs
Service the engine (oil & filter + air filter thanks again PhilDawson8270)
Service forks (going over bumps, breaks wrists)
Replace Shocks (going over bumps, breaks aaaaanooose)

____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[TUG]

Today I did do, arrange for the rear tyre to be replaced and source parts. The tyre is booked in for tomorrow so that's that! The chain is in need of cutting down until the new one arrives then replace it; also ordered a new headstock bearing and seal kit so it should handle a lot better once the notch has gone. The fuel tap is in need of a repair kit so shall order one of those up asap.

To do list
Power wash
Fit the new speedo drive (thanks PhilDawson8270)
Ring about a rear tyre & replace
Fix the oil leak
Fit exhaust hanger{ON THE WAY}
Replace rethals (bent)
Fit/Remove mirrors
Replace Lockset (faulty Ignition)
Replace clutch switch (faulty)
Fix/Replace Fuel tap (leaking){ON THE WAY}
Fit new headstock bearings (notched in center due to lack of suspension or epic wheelies?){ON THE WAY}

General service


Service rear brake (won't return and pulsing)
Service front brake
Replace chain (wrecked){ON THE WAY}
Adjust clutch cable freeplay
Clean and lube all moving parts (cables, pegs, throttle etc)
Synchronize the Carbs
Service the engine (oil & filter + air filter thanks again PhilDawson8270)
Service forks (going over bumps, breaks wrists)
Replace Shocks (going over bumps, breaks aaaaanooose)

____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[mintex]

[lihp]

[TUG]

[TUG]

Today I did do! Rear brake, removed link from chain, found oil leak, had tyre replaced, swapped my exhaust so its on a hanger and adjusted the clutch cable.

Having rang the tyre man yesterday he said 10am would be the best time to bring the bike to fit it to but call first in case something comes up. So as you do, gets all ready and gives him a ring as instructed, "bring the bike at 3:30?"... Ahhh fuck, what can I do till then? Well the list is big so picked a few pressing things, the rear brake was in need of some good lubing and the exhaust needed a strap around it as the ratchet strap was starting to really bug me.

Part 1: The removal of the exhaust!

The exhaust was held on using a ratchet strap, big cumbersome and to be honest a bit of an eyesore, at first, it was thought that maybe I should just unwind it but several attempts later I just ended up cutting the strap clean off. Would you believe that part was the easiest? Fucking was! The clamp for the can was seized, as I expected as of late everything seems to be due to it's daily motorway commute in all weather, not to worry said I, a bit of WD-40 and some undoing, tightening, undoing again will ease it off. This did work, however after the 10 mins or so of doing this, it was time for the end can to be pulled off. Initially it moved a little but then just refused to move but again with the help of the WD-40 and 15 mins of pure rubber mallet abuse, it was off! YESSSS! By this point an hour had elapsed and I was still no closer to the rear brake, the old exhaust strap needed removing and it came straight off, happy days! So now I had a nice opening to work with for the brake, and so we join the next chapter!

Part 2: Fucking wheel!

So to service the rear drum brake, you need to either remove the wheel or undo the bolt that holds it onto the torque/torsion bar, drop out the spacers then unscrew the adjustment nut and pull out the bar, then you can pop off the brake. Simple right?!

Well that didn't happen! I originally wanted to do the above but the first thing I wanted to check was the brake levers movement because if that is sticking it won't help the actual drum. I find it kind of weird that only 2 bolts support both rider and pillion pegs but anyway, they came out really easily but the spring caught on the inside behind the frame, so before I caused any damage to the brake rod I let it rest against the exhaust pipe and disassembled the rod from the drum. It was a bit fiddly but no real problem, the actual brake pedal was sticking, but didn't really say to me it would cause a binding issue so regardless of this I decided to clean up the pivot anyway, it was really simple to do for anyone who might want to do it as the only thing holding the pedal on is a 10mm bolt with a large washer and a smaller spring washer to keep it in place. I use an old toothbrush and some WD-40 to clean small areas full of road dirt and rust, so used this method again to clean up the pivot and inside the pedal then a final rub with sandpaper to remove the last bits of unwanted rust etc. Once that was taken care of the only thing left to do was apply some grease, copper for the bolt's thread and some castrol graphite grease for the pivot. Btw is graphite grease better than just normal grease for this application? It was so much better once done!

So after the pedal was sorted I then moved on to the drum itself it was in dire need of attention but firstly the wheel needed to come loose so took the tension off the chain and removed the spindle... Also seized! So after another 10 mins of mallet and my massive truck grade punch set I got it out. On the drum, I tried to move the arm by hand and it wasn't having any of it, you literally had to use the rubber mallet to move it about. The drum was still attached to the torque arm by means of a 14mm nut, which upon trying to remove rounded off and after lots of swearing put my in a bit of a predicament, how do I remove it now? Well further up the arm is a P-clipped 14mm bolt and a 14mm nut behind it, so remove the clip and undo, then there you go! Drum is off, but the nut still needed to come off. I have a tiny bench vice here at home so tried to use that but it was so worn out the vice just turned into spacer but alas no problem, I just whipped out the grinder and made 2 flats and re used the vice to finally remove the nut.

Anyone reading this, when trying to remove the springs from the brake shoes, don't! I have a spike set and one of them has a hook ending, well it was in my hand at one point, then I notice... You can just pull one shoe up and then the other and its out! The shoes looked ok, no real need to replace them yet so I roughed them up with sand paper and then moved on to the camshaft and the pivot. The cam was well stuck, I had to put the brake panel onto 2 pieces of wood so not to damage it, and then full pelt whacked the shit out of the cam for about 5 mins until it finally came out. It took well to some WD-40 & toothbrush -> sandpaper cleaning I even cleaned the inside of the panel too for good measure, once happy, some graphite grease was applied but very carefully so that I wouldn't melt/seep onto the brake. In the manual it tells you to apply grease onto the cam and pivot, but please listen, you only need a thin... THIN amount, almost like a smear, if you over grease them they will collect brake dust or melt onto the brake surfaces both of which you don't want.

I rebuilt the panel and tested the arm again, holy shit, I could move it with my finger and thumb alone, WINRAR! Happy with this victory I put the panel to one side as I still needed the tyre fitting. Sooo as I waited I did....

Part 3: Exhaust swap!
I only swapped it because I just wanted to fit a hanger and the only exhaust that fit it was my GP can. It's pretty wrecked from my CBR crash, but it will do for now until my other hanger comes in the post for the Viper can. I tried sliding it on but the link pipe is a really tight fit and at first I thought BUGGER! but I used the link pipe from the CBR and the mallet to extend the opening, several bashes later and it was decent enough but was catching a lot. Applying a little copper grease to the pipe sorted it and the hanger was a perfect fit, I even robbed the Db Killer from the viper for it to help reduce the noise, it was a bit ridiculous. At this point it was time for...

Part 4: New shoe!

So loose wheel thrown in the boot, we headed off to get my tyre, it's funny how they get you, quoted £76 but then hit with a £15 fitting charge, is this normal these days? The other place I go to would of charged that to take it off the bike! Anyway £93+ lighter it was done, apparrently the other tyre was on the wrong way around but I'm not so sure as he fitted the new one twice not to mention he couldn't remember what he quoted me but anyway, it's all dandy, the bike feels a lot better now handling wise.

Part 5: Feeling Kinky!

So as you can guess, it was time to put it all back together again. There was a slight issue with the chain rubbing the center stand so it needed taking care of, luckily the chain was a split clip type so easy to remove. Once out I checked how many links would be best to remove and for me it was only one, belting! Quick grinder action and chisel to split and it was good to go, put it back on and lubed it right up both forwards and backwards rotation as it was uber dry under the link rollers. This will hold me until the new one turns up.

Last bit: The leak and the cable

It was getting dark now so didn't get any pics. I washed the bike down to get this oil leak sorted, it was really bugging me as I didn't know where it was leaking from, as it turns out in the workshop section someone posted that their GPZ500 was leaking too from a similair place. It was said that the water pump area likes to leak and it got me thinking mine might be the same. I used an ear bud to poke up into the opening above the bolt and sure enough its leaking there. And finally I adjusted my cable as the biting point was a bit limp.

So yea productive day! Pics to come.

To do list
Power wash
Fit the new speedo drive (thanks PhilDawson8270)
Ring about a rear tyre & replace
Fix the oil leak
Fit exhaust hanger{ON THE WAY}
Replace rethals (bent)
Fit/Remove mirrors
Replace Lockset (faulty Ignition)
Replace clutch switch (faulty)
Fix/Replace Fuel tap (leaking){ON THE WAY}
Fit new headstock bearings (notched in center due to lack of suspension or epic wheelies?){ON THE WAY}

General service


Service rear brake (won't return and pulsing)
Service front brake
Replace chain (wrecked){ON THE WAY}
Adjust clutch cable freeplay
Clean and lube all moving parts (cables, pegs, throttle etc)
Synchronize the Carbs
Service the engine (oil & filter + air filter thanks again PhilDawson8270)
Service forks (going over bumps, breaks wrists)
Replace Shocks (going over bumps, breaks aaaaanooose)

____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[mintex]

[TUG]

[mintex]

just depends how good you are with a spanner and if you have a welder i guess.

My er has a warped rear drum so i will probably do mine but if the rear brake was ok i probably wouldn't bother

[TUG]

[Carvel]

Gpz500 rear discs are shit anyway.

Stick with the drum.
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2002 Aprilia RSV1000R, Cbr600Fs, Mk1 B12, Vfr400 NC30...

Matt B: I can deal with crushed nuts to beat Ollie.

[mintex]

If the rear drum is warped to much it fails the mot, mine only just passed last time.
Most rear brakes are shit as when you grab a handful of front the back wheels skipping the floor anyway.

[TUG]

[TUG]

I know this thread is lacking pics but its mainly due to extremely poor timing, anyway, I've fixed my fuel leak as far as I know anyway, I removed my GP exhaust and fitted the hanger I ordered, the chain seems ok now it has been lubed and had a link removed.

I'm still confused as to where the oil leak is coming from but I'll start from the clutch cover first as its cheaper than the water pump. Next on the list is the headstock bearings, but I'll do a write up on the fuel tap repair soon.

To do list
Power wash
Fit the new speedo drive (thanks PhilDawson8270)
Ring about a rear tyre & replace
Fix the oil leak
Fit exhaust hanger
Replace rethals (bent)
Fit/Remove mirrors
Replace Lockset (faulty Ignition)
Replace clutch switch (faulty)
Fix/Replace Fuel tap
Fit new headstock bearings (notched in center due to lack of suspension or epic wheelies?){ON THE WAY}

General service


Service rear brake (won't return and pulsing)
Service front brake
Replace chain
Adjust clutch cable freeplay
Clean and lube all moving parts (cables, pegs, throttle etc)
Synchronize the Carbs
Service the engine (oil & filter + air filter thanks again PhilDawson8270)
Service forks (going over bumps, breaks wrists)
Replace Shocks {ON THE WAY}

____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!