Kawasaki Z250 A3

[solemnwarning]

Three months ago I picked up a 1981 Z250 A3 as a project to replace my YBR125. The engine hasn't ran in several years, but it turns over and has only done 14k, so surely I can get it going again!

Onwards!

This is the first time I've stripped a bike down, very different to the Land Rover I'm used to working on. Most of the bolts come undone with very little effort. Sadly, the others are made of cheese and snap off with similarly small amounts of effort.

Biggest sticking point while stripping it down was the centre stand. The slip-fit mild steel pin had (shockingly) fused to the inside of the stand, resulting in the pin rotating in the frame rather than the stand and wearing the mounting holes slightly oval. After lots of hammering I give in and cut through the pin. Now I'm waiting to have it reamed out and a new pin made up.

Once I've got the bike broken down into convenient bits I decide to start with the rear caliper, a quick and easy job for me to get out of the way...

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So, a couple of months later I get a small, cheap compressor from eBay. By combining 8 bar of constant pressure inside the caliper, a mallet and a heat gun the pistons finally come out. Progress!

The master cylinder comes apart much easier, except for needing an 18" pipe wrench to get the lid off of the reservoir.

One more thing...

Has anyone got a grab rail/handle for one of these? Someone replaced it with a generic luggage rack that didn't really fit... until some thin, bent threaded rod and the indicator mounts got involved. Then it just wished it wouldn't fit.

[pepperami]

Hmmmm? I see no pictures?
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Ollie1995]

Awsome, I'm rebuilding an '81 XS250 and have had the same trouble with the pistons seized in the calipers, I tried heating to no success so I think I'm going to steal your idea.

Ollie.
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XR 125, DT125 LC, Greeves Scottish, RS200, XS400, GPX600r

Theory Passed - 18/7/13 MOD1 Booked - 24/9/13

[UnspeedySam]

Looks like a cool little bike. Good luck getting it on the road!
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Riding: BMW R1150RT `02 bought mildly crashed
Fixing: Also the BMW as I get less broken bits
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01, Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[Stonefly]

Have the tank/tail/side panels been changed? They are A2 colours, not A3.
I will have a look in my garage for a grab rail for you. I know i DID have one lying around a few years ago and it will be a bit rusty if its still there, but you could clean it up and get it rechromed.
If i still have it, its yours for the cost of postage.
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Current......Kawasaki ZZR1200 C2H and Kawasaki ZZR600 E7
Previous....Yamaha FS1E, Honda SS50, Suzuki AP50, BSA Bantam D14, Honda CD175, Honda CB250N, Kawasaki Z250A3, Yamaha RD250E, Kawasaki Z400, Kawasaki Z500, Kawasaki GPz550, Honda NTV600, Kawasaki GT750, Kawasaki Z1000R, Kawasaki GPX250

[solemnwarning]

[spikenipple]

I'm halfway through restoring a Z250 LTD at the moment, great but shitty little bikes these are!
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C50 > GN250 > XJ600 > SV650S K7 > 2001 RSV Mille R > MT-09, XR400R > 2005 Fireblade (trackbike) + 2022 MT-09 + ZXR400 race bike

[RhynoCZ]

I've got a question, is it swift enough, for normal riding? There is one '80 in perfect condition near the place I live and I can not stop thinking about it.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[UnspeedySam]

[RhynoCZ]

Normal riding = cruising and occasional flat out run on my favourite mountain course. 60 is really not enough
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[UnspeedySam]

[RhynoCZ]

Thank you for the info, I'm gonna look for something else then
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[solemnwarning]

A busy weekend... I love this country.

[solemnwarning]

Got the forks stripped down today

I struggled a fair bit getting them apart and now I can offer some pointers to other noobs:

- Don't try holding the fork between your legs, compressing the cap with your chest and picking the retaining ring out with dental tools. It won't work and it looks rather silly. Clamp the bottom bit in a vice.

- Use a T handled allen key or similar to press the cap down and slip a thin screwdriver under the ring from the top to pry it inwards and out.

- Don't drain the oil before you start (did this on the second one to make less mess), doing so makes the forks compress a bit easier and thus holding the caps down is harder.

- If the cap doesn't shoot out once the retaining ring is removed, hold a rag (or your hand...) over the top of the tube and bounce the fork up/down until it does.

Checked the springs for wear and they're both 25mm longer than the workshop manual says is standard... someone fitted uprated springs maybe?

One of the cap bolts that goes into the bottom and stops the forks flying apart has a chewed up head, I take it grade 8.8 will be fine to replace it? Come to think of it, is there anywhere on a bike where 8.8 is not sufficient?

[alansaxman]

Hi,
I run a Facebook group for the Kawasaki Z250A/B bikes and wondered if you would be interested in joining. You can find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/862358307130312/
Kind regards,
Alan