Progress on the 1970 Bighorn

[Big Horn Bill]

Ok, the cold weather both helped and hindered my efforts on reviving the old Kaw this past week. I got the gas tank cleaned out and took the petcock off and boiled it out. Anyone who has never tried boiling carbs or like parts in plain old distilled water should give it a try. The boiling gets all that varnish to a point that it can be rubbed off easily, plus it's a lot more enviromentally friendly that the carb soak that you get at the parts stores.
I got it all together long enough for quick ride through the yard. I then decided that the rear wheel was even more wobbly than I had originally thought, wheel bearings and loose spokes. I knocked out the old bearings and crossed the numbers over to National numbers 303 & 303s. I got a set of double sealed bearings, part number 303ss. The OE seal number is 25.47.8. National makes a seal that is quite close, part number 24x47x7. Should fit right in, and these bearings and seal are available through most auto parts stores and bearing distributors for a fraction of the price of the Kaw parts.
I am spending the down time cleaning, and working the spoke nipples loose. As soon as I have the new bearings and seals in, I'll be tightening spokes and truing the wheel.
One of the guys that I work with is a skilled auto painter and he has volunteered to help prep and then shoot the paints for the tank and fenders when I get it to that stage. This part was a growing concern for me as the budget to throw wads of money at this project just isn't there. So I'm looking at cost of paint and maybe a few beers for a professional quailty paiint job. It's good to have friends.

[Badger Bob]

Bill I know how it is. I have 7 1970 bighorns. (got a weakness for rawhide paint ) all in very good to bad condition. 1970 had 3 production changes. all conserning the carb covers. what month is yours? thanks Bob

[clifftt]

Good luck Bill. Its good to have friends in the trade. Can you shoot us guys any pictures?

[Big Horn Bill]

Mine is a 3rd month bike, according to the VIN tag. It has several changes made by the original owner. It has forks from a different model, not sure which one. Very unfortunate, as I am going to be forced to use those for a while anyway, and they are badly in need of fork seals. He also used a pipe from a different bike. Probably the donor for the forks.
Bob, seven 'horns is quite a herd. This one is my first and probably my only one.
I'm really getting itchy to get it ready to put back on the road. As soon as the work really gets underway, I'll be posting a few pics of the teardown and reassembly. Thanks for the replies, Bob and Cliff

[Badger Bob]

Yes the very early ones have the boot on top of the carb that has no chrome clamp on it. i think that it was the 4 month thay put the chrome clamp on them. yes 7 is a bunch but thats only
till i find number 8. ive got 2 71 bighorns- a 71 and 72 250s 1 72-1 73 -2 74 bighorns 2 175s 5 500 tripels plus a bunch of junk. the latest thing that i picked up is a 71 f81 250 just like the one that i hillclimbed years ago. yea ive got it bad. bill and cliff keep us poster on your progress and well do the same. thanks Bob

[Big Horn Bill]

Ok, I got an urge to see if I could dissassemble the rear shocks on the old beast tonight. I got the right one off and torn apart, cleaned it and decided to refill it. It works, but is going to need a new shaft seal. I am off to the local Kawi dealer in a day or two to see if such part is still available. So far, the local shop has surprised me by actually having a few parts for the 'Horn in stock.

[Badger Bob]

good luck on serviceing the shocks. the orignal ones were not serviceable. well i think there not. let us know how that gos. i looked at you picthers and the forks and front wheel and tail light and tail light are off a 74 to75 bighorn. one thing neet about the 70 is it had its hone fuel tank. its not the same as 71 up. it has a indentation in the top that the newer ones dont have. if you have any questions just shout. thanks Bob

[Big Horn Bill]

Hey Bob, Not sure that I have the original shocks on mine or not, but these shocks can be taken apart. I'm not sure they were intended to be rebuildable or not. BUt if these are the OE shocks, here is the teardown on them. Thread the top mount eye off the end of the shaft, this may require a touch of heat to get it loose. Slide the bottom-out bumper down and work a wrench inside the spring to hold the jamnut on the botom of the eyelet. The turn the eye off, remove the jamnut. Now, here is the fun part. There should be four small squares in the cap where the shaft goes through. If you look closely, you will see that one of those squares has the tube centerpunched into it. You will need to straighten that out. Make sure that it is completely bent out of the way, because the steel of the tube is much harder than the aluminum of the cap. this is the voice of experience, I took most of the threads out on the second shock because I got in a hurry. Once you have that out of the way, you will need a tool to turn that cap out of the steel tube. It's a right hand thread. I'm still not sure that I will be able to get a replacement seal for the shaft, but what the heck, I had no shocks at all before, so what did I have to lose? If no seal is available, I'm thinking that searching up an O ring the right size to act as an aid to the garter spring in the seal lip might be a way to get more life out of the old one.

Like I said, I'm not sure that I have the original shocks on the bike, but if you look at one of your bikes, check for those four little squares in the cap at the top of the steel body. If they are there, you should be able to take your shocks apart the same way and get a little more life out of them.

[kawah1c]

Speaking of Bighorns, here's a pic from the shop



Belongs to 2 of my buds

[Big Horn Bill]

Wow, can I say I'm GREEN with envy?

[clifftt]

Too cool Kawah1c!!!!

[kawah1c]

Thanks. We're pretty pleased on how the workshop has turned out. More pics in a new thread to avoid hijacking this one. Cheers

[Badger Bob]

Bill well you were right. I checked the shocks on my f5 and f8 all were what you seid. all able to be taken apart. keep us posted on you hunt for replacment parts. kawah1c nice looking equiment. ive seen it posted over on the triple sight. we see some h1b s around hear but a h1c now that is 10 times better than the h1b. keep in touch. thanks Bob

[Big Horn Bill]

I sure will, Bob, especially if I am able to come up with a readily available seal for those bad boys. I'm not sure what should be in them, but I think I will probably end up with a much heavier oil than I put in them.

On another note, does any one know how much fluid the forks hold? I have them opened up now.

[kawah1c]

Originally Posted by Big Horn Bill

I sure will, Bob, especially if I am able to come up with a readily available seal for those bad boys. I'm not sure what should be in them, but I think I will probably end up with a much heavier oil than I put in them.

On another note, does any one know how much fluid the forks hold? I have them opened up now.

0.185 US qt (175cc) or 18.90 in (480mm) in depth.

The depth is measured from the upper end of the inner tube, with the fork fully stretched out.

Does this mean that you don't have a manual ?

[Big Horn Bill]

Thanks for the information, Kawah1a. In answer to your question, I have not purchased a manual....yet. The next step in the project will be a top end refreshing, so I will be purchasing one soon.

[kawah1c]

Here's one for free download

Manual GA1 GA2 G3SS G3TR G4TR G5 G31M F5 F6 F7 F8 F81M B1L.pdf

It covers several models and is not specific for the F5, but it is in there and it it a genuine Kawasaki manual.

[Big Horn Bill]

Thanks for the tip, I'll try it out.

[Big Horn Bill]

quick update, The old girl is torn down, I am trying to get the frame ready for new paint, but unfortunately, an old hip injury has sidelined me this week, I find out Wednesday about surgery.

[Big Horn Bill]

latest update on the project. I was able to get the frame painted, the suspension and wheels back on and am currently putting the wiring harness back on. My son dropped by a couple of days ago and set the engine onto my workbench and I had him tear the top end down. Bore looks to be in really good shape, piston to cylinder clearance is good, so I'm probably going to put new rings in and button the top end back up. Bottom end feels very good. I've had several two stroke Yamahas that ran much looser on the crank and rod bearings.

Also, since money is tight with me being off work, I hand stitched a seat cover. It didnt turn out too bad. I'll eventually pay a professional to shape new foam and put a new cover on it.

I'm getting really eager to get the old gal back in use. I took a couple of sort rides on it before the tear down and and it was just great.