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1981 Kawasaki GPz550: Restoration

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    restock them in a special place till you come back for more I'm thinking.
    1983 GS 550 LD
    2009 BMW K1300s

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      Did some assembling this last weekend



      Although tucked in tight the Yoshimura exhaust doesn't fit all that well. Lot of effort to get the exhaust collars spaced properly

      Steve

      1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

      Comment


        What a thread! What a build! Read the whole thing in a sitting! Steve, you've had some luck, mostly bad! But, when it fires up, and you've got a few miles under your belt on it, all that pain will be worth it! Good luck with the rest of the build!
        GS750EC, GS1100E, GS1150EG, Harris Magnum 2 (GS1170E motor), GSXR750F, Mk1 GSF1200, and finally Mk1 GSF600.

        Comment


          I can't wait for a ride report.
          Back in the day I heard that these could kill a 750.
          Suzuki GS550; Kawasaki H-1E, GPz900; Honda MT250, CB400F, CB550, GL500, CBR929.

          Comment


            Thank you MauriceG. I actually made more progress. Carbs are next and might get installed if the Super Bowl becomes super boring.



            Don't like loosing the centerstand & oil filter access but on the plus side the Yosh exhaust is tucked in real tight
            PS: IF anyone happens to ever run across a 1980-83 KZ550 Supertrapp 4 into 1 header please let me know since I have the NOS muffler which keeps centerstand etc.

            Last edited by srsupertrap; 02-05-2017, 03:11 PM.
            Steve

            1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

            Comment


              Thats a beautiful bike man, glad to see its going back together
              I build Pipers

              https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4842/...b592dc4d_m.jpg

              Comment


                Decided to replace the chessy plastic fuel filter



                Emgo 5/16, 3" overall length



                Most would say leave it out but I found some fine particulate in the carb bowls

                Steve

                1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

                Comment


                  I like that filter. Good pickup.
                  Ed

                  To measure is to know.

                  Mikuni O-ring Kits For Sale...https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...ts#post1703182

                  Top Newbie Mistakes thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=171846

                  Carb rebuild tutorial...https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/mtsac...d_Tutorial.pdf

                  KZ750E Rebuild Thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...0-Resurrection

                  Comment


                    Getting down to finishing touches . . . found a tool tray on Ebay. The tray is not secured and just sits between the battery box and frame rail. No wonder they're scarce




                    picked up a tool kit when I first started this project and it barely fits

                    Last edited by srsupertrap; 03-06-2017, 09:05 PM.
                    Steve

                    1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

                    Comment


                      Steve,

                      Did you ever get it fired up?
                      1978 GS 1000 (since new)
                      1979 GS 1000 (The Fridge, superbike replica project)
                      1978 GS 1000 (parts)
                      1981 GS 850 (anyone want a project?)
                      1981 GPZ 550 (backroad screamer)
                      1970 450 Mk IIID (THUMP!)
                      2007 DRz 400S
                      1999 ATK 490ES
                      1994 DR 350SES

                      Comment


                        I need some help getting it out of the living room now that's assembled & heavier. I wheeled it up the stairs by myself but that was disassembled. Plan to have Ray shoot the video . . . again. How does that sound Ray?
                        Last edited by srsupertrap; 03-20-2017, 11:21 PM.
                        Steve

                        1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

                        Comment


                          Sure Steve, this weekend?
                          "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded" -Yogi Berra
                          GS Valve Shim Club http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=122394
                          1978 GS1000EC Back home with DJ
                          1979 GS1000SN The new hope
                          1986 VFR700F2 Recycled

                          Comment


                            With the help of Scott, my neighbor the GPz is back in the garage


                            Ray came over Sunday, we started it and immediately noise came from the #1 cylinder. Ray characterized as misfiring or incorrectly timed I thought it was similar to noise when it ate the spark plug electrode in August . . . it ran a whole 5 seconds maximum before I shut her down.

                            We didn't see much value in starting it up again. Scratching our heads Ray suggested perhaps a valve was stuck but we ruled that out. Ray suggested perhaps the wires to the coils were reversed and it was firing 180 degrees out. I jumped on that idea because I was not looking to disassemble this thing yet again and was hopeful for an easy fix.

                            I ruled that out pretty quick by reviewing the wiring diagram & photo of Coil 1-4 below when it was disassembled back in Dec 2013. The Yellow/Red is the switched power going to both coils, the black wire going to the bottom of the coil indicates it's Coil 1-4. The green wire goes to Coil 2-3 and plug wires go to correct cylinders. . . I verified that was correct.



                            The culprit could be the Dyna S wiring i.e. switched. I took several picture in 2014 but couldn't tell which wire of the Dyna S was installed in the 4 position connector (Kawasaki Wiring Description). Below is the Dyna S which is a bit confusing because Dynatek shows a Black wire going to Coil 1-4. In reality 1-4 is the pick up on the left side which I redlined, it's a White wire which has a heat shrinked black sleeve on it. Conversely 2-3 is the right side pick up which I also redlined. The 2-3 is a black wire which has a heat shrinked green sleeve on it.

                            Glad you're following because back in August I installed a new connector to eliminate the PO jury rig. The index card wiring below reflects the wiring which goes to the 4 position connector which I believe is on Page 30 +/- page. The rectangular symbols represent the heat shrink. The wires from the bottom represent the Dyna S wiring. That being said it looks correct to me.



                            I will have to perform a static timing check per Dynatek's recommendation to determine if I have correct spark to the right cylinder. Just to throw another variable into the mix, I performed the static timing test back in August and with the #4 spark plug removed, grounded to the cylinder head nut I saw it spark.

                            We also turned over the engine with spark plugs installed and the plug wires removed from the spark plugs. That sounded completely normal. . So the noise is attributable to firing, compression, mechanical damage or other. Feel free to ask questions or comment on what could cause the noise Ray (Ghostgs1) & I heard.
                            Last edited by srsupertrap; 03-28-2017, 11:59 PM.
                            Steve

                            1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

                            Comment


                              No good answer that I can think of. Do you think it is possible that the crank through moved when the piston hit the ceramic? Long shot. You could possibly check for this with a dial indicator in the spark plug holes, comparing distance to the pistons at indicated top dead center. If they are not all the same, that would be a good indication that all isn't well.
                              "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded" -Yogi Berra
                              GS Valve Shim Club http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=122394
                              1978 GS1000EC Back home with DJ
                              1979 GS1000SN The new hope
                              1986 VFR700F2 Recycled

                              Comment


                                Checked & rechecked items on Saturday including Static timing, compression check, piston location, verified Dyna S wiring was correct, coil wiring was correct nothing reversed etc. The compression check albeit low was consistent across cylinder 1-4. Then I recalled when reinstalling, the Yosh pipe in February one fibe exhaust gasket OD was too large. I made it fit by unwrapping several windings from the OD, trimmed the excess, reinstalled thinking I was good which led me to believe Saturday night maybe all I had was an exhaust leak.

                                Sunday I tightened up the exhaust system bolts, started it and was greeted with a loud knocking noise from the intake cam which is a different than the exhaust leak. Sounded like excess valve lash with a running clearance of .25" (exaggerating). Recall I went to all the trouble of grinding valve stems (.50mm to .70mm) max to correct the valve lash and bench shimmed the head etc. What I can share is the machinist from Iowa milled off material from the top of the several valve spring retainers but didn't increase the counter bore depth. With the valve shims installed in the retainer several shims actually rocked back and forth (red X) and one shim once installed could not be removed. To alleviate that situation I replaced those valve spring retainers with EBay KZ550 un-machined valve spring retainers, the rocking valve shims went away and the shims could be easily installed & replaced. Apparently some valve stems were no longer contacting the valve shim. That's the only thing I can deduce. I think I heard a valve spring keeper came loose but won't know till I open it up . . . again


                                4/4: I pulled the valve cover tonight. I turned the engine over by hand, no mechanical interference felt & crank resistance seems normal. Cam sprocket bolts installed and have not moved. Checked valve lash on 3 & 4 Intake which measured .009" & .008" respectively which is were I set them. I will check rest Wed.
                                Sounds like a stupid idea but can I learn anything from running it with the valve cover removed?
                                Last edited by srsupertrap; 04-04-2017, 11:14 PM.
                                Steve

                                1979 GS1000E (45 Yrs), 1981 GPz550 (11 Yrs)

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