Here it is:
A month ago I wiped out on a ’84 Kawasaki ZN700 LTD. I needed to find a replacement by the time I could start walking again. After trying for 3 or 4 GSs the right one for the right price finally shook loose from here. Two problems from the beginning. 1. The bike is blowing the main 15amp fuse. The owner was open about this, but just had too much on his plate to deal with the issue. Problem 2. While not dealing with problem 1 the bike sat. By the time I went to see it, 6 months after the last work had been done to it, the gas cap was frozen. With all that going on I decided to walk away from the bike. Price was too high, and there were too many unknowns. Eventually, my friend who went with me to check it out and knows better than me on such things said to get it. He also got the price down a bit more. I bought the bike.
My friend instantly took charge of the bike. I’ll give as much detail as I can on these initial repairs but a good deal I never even saw happen.
The gas cap was a total loss. A screwdriver had to be used to get it open. Before you respond with your tips on how to not have to do this, take a glance at how the inside of the tank looked.
The tank had a run wash of phosphoric acid and the inline filter was beefed up.
Still running out of gas on short runs the petcock was removed to show that there was no screen,
just the feeder tube. Before that was installed the tank got another wash through with muriatic acid. This really broke a lot of the gunk free, but there was so much that it was only going to get so good. When the weather becomes unrideable I will most likely do another treatment. All of the rust damage did end up taking the fuel gauge sender unit as a victim as well, total loss.
While all of that is going on the electrical problem was also being addressed. The problem was traced to very corroded connections in the blade fuse box. The decision was made to cross grade the fuse box to a glass one. There was some elegant wiring and mounting done that I will share photos of in a separate post.
So there goes the two “big problems” I almost walked away from the bike for; fixed in a manner of days. I bought the bike on Friday and got it back last night (Tuesday).
Those weren’t the only issues however. Also fixed in that time frame;
o replaced rear tire
o Brakes bled
o Rear brake light that was always on fixed
o Side stand warning light always on fixed
o Replacement front turn signal (just enough to get it legal, new lights all around have been purchased. I know you’ll love them)
o All new fuel lines
So the two immediate issues that are left to deal with are the chain and the breaks. When the bike sat, it sat. The chain is stiff where it was sitting around the sprocket. A couple runs have been made at cleaning it, and it has improved, but the thinking (hoping) is it will improve as the bike gets broken in.
The breaks however are not going to improve on their own. Caliper kits and possibly pads all around are due.
The numbers so far (btw the friend that was doing all these repairs just so I could have transpo also threw in the parts he used, like the petcock filter, fuel line filter, fuse box, etc. so this number should be higher).
Bike – 500
T&T – 120
New helmet and gloves – 140
Acid – 10
Plugs and oil filter – 18
Oil – 23
Signals 25
TOTAL: $836.00
The good news. I took the bike out today for the first time, my first real ride since the accident, and it was great. The Kawasaki after a one hour ride it would take me 20 minutes before my teeth would unclench but this bike was smooth and fun. The manual puts the weight at 425lbs (193 kg) but it seriously can’t weigh more that 40lbs. It is the lightest feeling bike I’ve ever been on. It feels as though if it broke down you could just throw it on your back and walk on. It is a very spry bike, bordering on being squirrely. It handles spectacularly. I’m sure modern bikes do as well if not better, but it is the first bike I’ve ridden that is so easy to move around.
The power is sneaky. Suzuki claimed at the time 64 horse power. Even if that was true, I’m sure that’s not what’s there now. This bike will not win a drag race. There is no torque really to speak of. All of that being said, I was on the highway today just rolling along in 5th (it has a 6th) and the bike is not making a sound. I assume I’m going to slow and look down to see 70mph. Now the speedo may be a little bit generous, but even if it was 45 this bike was purring. I will have to make a video to demonstrate the lack of hyperbole here, so look for that in upcoming post.
My only question for now, if you made it this far is about the kick stand. It is at a really weird angle and I’m just not sure if it was made that way, bent, or just a replacement part not fitting well. Here are some pictures to take a look.
on the center stand, side stand extended
on the center stand, side stand in
To Dos:
· Turn signal
· Oil change
· Fuel filter change (yea, it is going to need one already)
· Brake job
I’ll try to document those with more detail and photos than this post.
Parts needed:
· Chain guard
· Headlight ring
· Side panels maybe
Finally here are some beauty shots…
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