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gpz900 project of bits + Shed and Lift

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tony_d123
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PostPosted: 15:10 - 20 Jun 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try this site for decals https://www.gpzzone.co.uk/acatalog/Stickers__Decals_and_Paint.html

If not available, I also use Image Works https://www.bike-stickers.com
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pompousporcup...
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PostPosted: 15:34 - 20 Jun 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

cheers tony,
unfortunately the zone has not what i need. Might well try that other link though. I have the original tank with decent decal on it too so could always try and restore that one.

Or do the third option and just not get too bothered about it.
Heres how to tank looks without any more work.
https://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w188/Sharpe2002/IMG-20170619-WA0000_zps37xtbgqy.jpeg

i have 3mm gold tape on its way along with gold Ninja stickers.. it might look alright Smile
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madcow87
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PostPosted: 08:47 - 21 Jun 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very cool mate, my old man had a few GPZs in his heyday. I'll keep a watch on this, very cool Thumbs Up
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 11:01 - 21 Jun 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

pompousporcupine wrote:


i have 3mm gold tape on its way along with gold Ninja stickers.. it might look alright Smile


No, no, no! It's a pre-Ninja bike. Doesn't have to be completely original, but please! Not that!
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pompousporcup...
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PostPosted: 11:25 - 21 Jun 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

chickenstrip wrote:
pompousporcupine wrote:


i have 3mm gold tape on its way along with gold Ninja stickers.. it might look alright Smile


No, no, no! It's a pre-Ninja bike. Doesn't have to be completely original, but please! Not that!


This was the original ninja at least as far as i know. Marketed here as the gpz900 but it was the ninja 900 in the states.

The ninja decal already exists for the gpz900 and is found on a fair few of the models already.. i just intend to put it in the wrong place Laughing See image, my tank and front fairing decals will be switched..

This is an a8 (mine is a7). No idea if it originally came with it but mine looks he same as this, originally with no tank writing, but with a silver/grey sticker following on from the nose cone. Ninja decal doesnt look too bad here
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjgxWDEwMjQ=/z/l1oAAOSw0UdXrenR/$_86.JPG
https://www.morebikes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Kawasaki-GPZ900R.jpg

I may well put a GPZ decal on instead..
like so but on the tank instead of the nose cone.
https://m-bike.sakura.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/gpz900-2/06/02.jpg
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 11:35 - 21 Jun 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pah! Yanks! What do they know? Laughing
Have you tried people like ZPower?

https://www.z-power.co.uk/merchantmanager/
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pompousporcup...
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PostPosted: 11:58 - 21 Jun 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know Laughing The yanks are suckers for that sort of marketing. It worked though

not tried them yet for anything. May well have bought a few things on ebay from them though Thumbs Up
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pompousporcup...
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PostPosted: 10:08 - 22 Aug 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

here is the brief history of this bike under my ownership: What has been done so far, problems encountered and what still needs to be done. (Pics to be uploaded over time)

Acquired the bike back on 23rd of March this year after a lengthy drive down to Plymouth with a mate. This is what the bike looked like when i got it. My first 900r and i was quite excited to get it. Excited enough to overlook all the things that were wrong with it.

https://s12.postimg.org/b8gzk5znh/image.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/wkohhujlp/image.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/b9qxdl1h9/image.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/fy6x8rqnx/image.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/l9qvqlj25/image.jpg

There was no fuel in the tank but the PO had helpfully brought a jerry can with him so he put a bit in the tank and it fired up and ran for about 20 seconds. All good.. or so i thought. It was a bit dirty from sitting in a workshop for a while and bolt heads had started rusting but as it was on the south coast i had expected some corrosion here n there. The frame was clean and straight and as far as i'd seen the engine ran so the deal was done, the bike loaded into the van and off home we went.

Knowing the bike didn't have an MOT on it i got straight to work preparing it. This is when i started noticing all the little things that would usually have put me right off. To get it through the MOT i ended up doing quite a lot and knowing i'd rather not mess around later down the line i did:

Tyres
Pads, front and rear
Chain and sprockets
Rear brake light bulb
Headstock bearings
Front and rear wheel bearings
Bleeding brake and clutch fluids
Rear caliper rebuild due to the dust seals poking out.
Coolant change
Oil and filter change
Rebuild of the carbs as the PO suspected a float valve leak
New throttle cables
New grips
Fuel tap rebuild
Replaced all the rusted bolts/screws i could find.
Sanded and repainted the front upper sub frame
Valve clearances
New Motobatt gel battery
Removed the Givi rack and fitted standard indicators


At this point i gave it a good ol clean and a polish up and it looked pretty damn good considering what it looks like before. The wheels need some work but considering how bad they were before i put that on the low priority list. I also sprayed the Red tank black to make it match the bike a bit better. Unable to get original decals i improvised with some ebay stickers and some gold pin stripe.

https://s12.postimg.org/gp4pbnzct/19222902_10155295644057464_9171451810755254770_o.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/51anh4a7x/19264380_10155295644052464_3891569955577664645_o.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/dyvdeh2nx/19400655_10155308607557464_7965512869044497000_o.jpg


Off to the local MOT man who after spending 20 minutes on the ground, underneath the bike with a super bright torch, checking it to within an inch of its life, told me "All in good working condition here mate, except the fuel leaking from the tap".. Inspecting it myself i acknowledged the issue but was surprised as it hadn't leaked on the test ride nor had it leaked just sat in the garage. Off i rode with the fail sheet and ordered a brand new OEM tap from the zone shop.
A few days later i took it back for a re-test and it passed without a single advisory. Score one for not messing around.
https://s12.postimg.org/6b8gw63zx/19577333_10155332030597464_5701298587998398780_o.jpg



This is where the problem started showing showing its ugly face. Now able to take the bike on some longer journeys i found that it was quite lumpy low down and had what seemed like a misfire. After a few attempts at getting the airbox back on i scrapped the idea of ever doing it again and set about fitting pods whilst trying to diagnose the misfire

In doing so i replaced some more bits n bobs.

Spark plugs
HT leads
Plug caps
3 variations of air filters
Checked engine timing
re-checked clearances
Fitted a ledar kit from Straker to account for the missing airbox

I must have spent the best part of 50+ hours in the garage trying to diagnose and tune out a low end misfire without success, before deciding to purchase a Dynojet kit from the zone shop, convinced it was a fuelling issue. Knowing the A1-A6 had a stage 3 option for the dynojet kit, and that i was already running a6 jets and needles, i moved on to replacing the 4-2 Neta exhaust, which was way to quiet for my liking, with a 4-2-1 Micron system.

Cue 2 snapped exhaust studs that took an eternity to get out. After many many hours trying to weld nuts to the studs, giant vise grips etc etc etc i resorted to cutting the stud flush with the head and drilling it out. I was quite pleased with myself after succeeding.

https://s12.postimg.org/ub5f47gzh/20017783_10155394752672464_1465150042457540666_o.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/uqgox82wt/20121434_10155394752677464_1339794696901222216_o.jpg

https://s12.postimg.org/donuv4o1p/20017622_10155394751022464_6076606664713113256_o.jpg

After fitting the Micron system and the Dynojet kit i got it running reasonably well but the misfire was still there. After seeking the advice on this forum i set up the carbs as follows (for future ref)

Lighter springs
Drilled slides
DJ Needles, second clip position
DJ 140 mains
Keihin 40 pilots
Cut away Needle jet/holder from the Ledar kit
Mixture screws 3.5 - 4 turns out.

Then i stumbled across a thread on this forum relating to a backfire into the carb which caused a burn marks/sooty deposit on the mouth of the carb. Knowing mine looked exactly the same and seeing the outcome of that thread i was dreading the worst. And as sure as i was, it came.

Checking pistons 1 and 4 as a start, i found a 3mm difference in piston height. Buggers :*( Bent conrod looks to have been the cause of the engines continuous misfire problems... and a compression test confirmed this as well with #1 being 60psi down on average.


https://s19.postimg.org/uufkmw84j/IMAG3975.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/r9f3pxe77/IMAG3980.jpg


I have since swapped the engine with one i had in the shed off a spares bike which has good compression and all 4 pistons are the same height.

https://s19.postimg.org/whltsibdv/IMAG3995.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/joxpskzs3/IMAG3985.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/vgll3dueb/IMAG3988.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/uahl4l63n/IMAG3987.jpg

This engine has been sat for the best part of 13 years IIRC which was the last time that bike was taxed and MOT'd. With the engine in the frame i have dropped the sump to give everything a good clean.. boy was that a dirty job.
Valve clearances have been done and all bar 1 exhaust stud has been removed.. i guess i will jump straight in to drilling it out rather than wasting time trying to weld a nut to it.
Parts have now arrived from Craig to get the sump back on and hopefully i will be able to fire the bike up at the end of the month when i can get some oil and coolant.

That's where i am now and with a bit of luck this engine will hold out until i can get the old engine rebuilt with new parts. I say hold out.. #4 spark plug thread is a bit suspect. #1, 2 and 3 seem to torque up nicely but #4 hasn't. I'm too chicken shit to keep turning in case the thread goes completely...

Future mods include:

17inch rear wheel conversion.
Renthal flat bars with different control switches/reservoirs
LED superbright bulbs all round
A respray in white.
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stevo as b4
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PostPosted: 19:50 - 22 Aug 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

The proper way for these bikes to be liveried IMO is:
GPZ on the upper fairing. Kawasaki on the tank. 900R low down on the belly pan, and Ninja on sides of the tail section.

It looks wrong being on the tank, but not as wrong as no Ninja at all. I'd feel extremely violated and seriously abused if I owned a liquid cooled IL4 Kawasaki that didn't say Ninja on it! Laughing
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Shaft
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PostPosted: 23:33 - 22 Aug 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

i remember one of my mates bought a new 900R, when they were the 'big thing', 87ish - we were all sitting round one day, having a bit of banter, when he announced that they were called 'Ninja' in the US.

We all laughed our bollox off, the general consensus was, only a kunt would call their bike ninja Cool
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stevo as b4
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PostPosted: 00:03 - 23 Aug 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

It'd take a Khunt on a big fast bike to keep up with one though!
Back then if you wanted a bike that'd keep up just about, you'd need an FJ1200 or VFR1000R. And neither would handle as well probably.

By the same logic, it would have to be a proper tool that called a bike a Katana, Hurricane or Fireblade.

At least Kawasaki started using the names of combat swords much earlier though.
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pompousporcup...
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PostPosted: 09:42 - 23 Aug 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

ha i know what you mean. I don't call it ninja. Its a 900r and that's that.

stevo, i agree also with the livery. It needs an anglular GPZ logo on the fairing, Kawasaki on the tank, 900R on the belly pan and ninja on the side panels. Maybe i'l do it that way after a respray. I have been toying with the idea getting a compressor and staying away from rattle cans, which i have got good enough results from before.


fwiw, this one, even with a bent conrod was still incredibly quick given the decade the engine and frame were designed.
It will cruise at 95 all day long, which is about 6-6.5k rpm and get up to that speed before you realise it. The size and handling make 95 feel very slow. I havent maxed it yet. No point doing that sort of speed on the public road Liar Shifty
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pompousporcup...
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PostPosted: 00:07 - 30 Aug 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Little update after the bank holiday weekend. The other half and i went up to north wales for a friends wedding so had no time for anything bike or car related, other than rebuilding the front brakes on the mx-5 so we could use it for the trip.
Just before we left I started up the replacement engine after adding oil and coolant. It started up after a minute or so and settled down to a solid idle and revved really well. WIN!. As i walked over to the bench to get the torch (to check for leaks) i turned and noticed fluids dripping all over the floor which i narrowed down to either fuel or coolant. It was fuel.. Carbs back off the bike for inspection then.

I then decided to check the float heights manually, ie off the bike, and noticed that mine were WAAY off. Further inspection and unluckily leaving the temp fuel supply on showed the problem was worse than i expected with the level in the tubes rising to the point fuel came out of every available hole in the carbs.

Previously i fitted an aftermarket rebuild kit (the smaller kit for the fuel bowls) as i needed to replace the gaskets. As the kit came with the needle valves i used them without thinking much of it. Turns out those cheaper aftermarket ones were complete shite and simply didn't stop the fuel coming in once the float was as high as it would go. Looking at them, they are pretty much identical except the rubber tip has a slight difference in the height and profile. I then removed the aftermarket ones and fitted a set of older but still in good condition needle valves from my spares box and voila! that particular leak stopped. Float height was about 10mm off the top of the bowl. I don't think this problem would have been obvious when using the vacuum tap on anything other than the prime setting when riding but would certainly explain why my idle would drop after 10-20 seconds as the carbs would flood.

Unfortunately a leak sprung elsewhere, from one of the fuel T pieces. I took the time then to swap all the internals from that set of carbs to a spare set i had and guess what... the fuel T piece leaked on that set as well.

So that evening i spent a considerable amount of time splitting the bank of carbs in order to A, use the little ultrasonic cleaner i got and B, replace the seals and O rings that were more than likely 25+ years old. Good thing i took the time as pretty much every O ring turned to dust as the carbs came apart.

The parts have now arrived and the carbs have been cleaned up.. They're not perfect on the outside but i know that all the passageways are good and clear.

and yes, i have already taken the plugs out and turned the bike over to eject anything in the combustion chamber. I hope i will never make that mistake again. Whilst the rod in the old engine may have been bent outside of my ownership i do not want to repeat the mistake.

Some pics. I used tap water with a good squirt of fairy liquid and changed the water for each carb. I set it to run for 10 minutes before turning the carbs over and running it for another 10. This was repeated for each carb with lots of brake cleaner being used between cleaning cycles.

Carbs split
https://s19.postimg.org/8zq1nq4o3/IMAG4025.jpg

Clean water
https://s19.postimg.org/55wleknc3/IMAG4034.jpg

Water after the first 10 minutes
https://s19.postimg.org/muoc66z37/IMAG4037.jpg
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pompousporcup...
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PostPosted: 09:02 - 19 Sep 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Little update:

I took the bike out for a ride up and down the street to check what else needs looking at.
It works at least. Clutch is now working properly and feels good at the lever. The carbs need a tune up though as its stumbling which i expected as i changed the settings during the engine swap as i had to rebuild them with new O rings. At least the engine runs and gets to temp. Fan comes on when ignition is turned off but i didn't let it get hot enough to check the higher temp sensor. Carbs are balanced but need another set up after the rebuild

Current settings:
3.5 turns out (always difficult to get this 100%)
DJ needle on the middle clip position. (2 washers used)
DJ shorter springs.
40 pilot jet (Keihin)
Oem rubber stacks with foam socks.

I seem to have run out of idle adjustment at the knob (at #1 float bowl). I think i need to turn the mixture screws IN a turn or so which will give me some adjustment range back as i can raise the idle via the knob.

Inspired by a post by greenmachine as well as a fitment idea used on the lsl bar conversion kit i started work on a plate to mount some Oem Kawa 22mm bar mounts to my A7/A8 top yoke.
Parts list includes a 100mm x 10mm x 300mm sheet of aluminium, some 14mm OD x 8mm ID tubing, a zephyr 750 bar mount and some A2 stainless bolts as well as a spare top yoke.

Currently very much a work in progress but it looks promising. When its finished i will make it again as the bar mount is 2 or 3mm of centre.. still straight, but 2 or 3mm to the left.. measure twice, then measure again, then drill and its still wrong :-"
The plate is threaded for the bar mounts and there is plenty of threads for the bolts so no worries there Smile Working with Aluminium seems almost too easy. Its soft enough to be easy on tools but solid enough too. Steel plate would have taken hours and hours longer.

Abba stand. Should have invested in this much earlier.
https://s19.postimg.org/yt9ubbp5v/IMG-20170824-_WA0002.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/rfugcd543/IMAG4056.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/ijjo8fehv/IMAG4057.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/rtvsbyp7n/IMAG4059.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/3wipqrfvn/IMG-20170917-_WA0003.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/7u5zg62oz/IMG-20170917-_WA0005.jpg
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