Super moto power with kz550 engine (project)

[nelson8708]

Here are a few pics from my trip to "tail of the dragon" i took over the weekend. I rode a 1985 Honda Sabre 700........i couldn't keep up with my buddies that were all on 06' and new crouch rockets. Even so, i still had a great time riding. Any one who rides needs to make it there at least once. Stay humble though and leave your ego at the base of the mountain......some guy was killed Saturday on the mountain.
















^tree of shame....bike parts from wrecks

P.S.
I plan on rebuilding the forks this weekend on the SM project.

[nick4203]

where is that at??? pretty sick

Here are a few pics from my trip to "tail of the dragon" i took over the weekend. I rode a 1985 Honda Sabre 700........i couldn't keep up with my buddies that were all on 06' and new crouch rockets. Even so, i still had a great time riding. Any one who rides needs to make it there at least once. Stay humble though and leave your ego at the base of the mountain......some guy was killed Saturday on the mountain.
















^tree of shame....bike parts from wrecks

P.S.
I plan on rebuilding the forks this weekend on the SM project.

[kopcicle]

Very true , The dragon has teeth .

~kop

[nelson8708]

where is that at??? pretty sick

East Tennesse and just crossing into North Carolina.

[anamosity]

Your build is looking pretty damn cool.
Hope it gets done and we can get some video.
Looks just dangerous enough to be exciting as hell to ride.

[klx678]

I figured i would start a build thread in here since the only kawasaki part is the engine and this is the best place to get my questions answered. For starters the reason i am putting the kz in there is because it is going to cost the same to put new crank bearings in the yz engine since that is what it needs along with a whole new top end.....jug and all. So instead of going through all that just to end up with the stock 30 or so hp seemed kinda boring. Not to mention the headache it would be to split the case and do it all my self. So instead i happened to find a wrecked 1982 kz550 with nothing left but, a frame and engine more less. No electrical, carbs, exhaust...nothing. For the price it was what i was looking for with a title. I have spent the last week ordering parts for it and was a little surprised how fast the budget build seemed to suck up my checks but, if it runs then it will all be worth it. Carbs, igniter, rectifier, starter, shifter, vulcan vn1500 coils, and starter solenoid have been ordered. The engine only has 9,100 miles on her so she is still fairly young. My goal is to have all the parts by the end of this month and to have the engine mounted in the yz frame by the end of july. Then be running in august and plated with lights and all by september. I have a lot of work ahead of me but, with everyone's knowlege of vintage engines i think with your guys help i should be able to get it done. .

Opinions, objections, suggestions welcome

-Nelson

Why not? Hill climbers are jamming sportbike engines in their MX frames all the time! It could be interesting for sure.

[nelson8708]

I rebuilt the front forks last weekend.....right now i'm waiting on some parts. Also picked up some alum wire for my mig to see if i can fix a few things my self instead of paying to have it done. Now that all the big stuff is out of the way i'm having trouble getting motivated to go into the garage to finish it.....

Things left to do:

Throttle cable bracket
Install front and rear sprockets (when they get here)
Run clutch cable
Repair where an exhaust stud was broken when the bike was dropped
Finish gas tank.....

Not a whole lot left but, i dont seem to have the drive right now since school started and i picked up an xbox 360 so i'll be ready when forza 3 comes out

p.s.

Going to the Indy GP today....

[klx678]

Going to the Indy GP today....

As close as I live... 150 miles... I'll have to watch it on the tube. Maybe next year I'll be able to go. It isn't easy being the first week back to the classroom and having things that need to be done. At least I got to Mid Ohio for both the Superbikes and the Vintage, 45 miles - I just can't miss that!

[nelson8708]

I'm going to make it to Mid-Ohio next season for the Indy Car race....The GP is pretty coo. For me it doesn't come close to Formula 1 when they were here (hope they come back) but, its better than the Indy 500. For me ovals are just to plain for me.....i'm all the about the road / street courses and hearing the cars bang through the gears and have braking contest into the corner........the just gets my blood pumping thinking about it

[klx678]

Just tryin' to make me feel bad...

[nelson8708]

No, just getting you ready for what you'll see next year (these pics dont do it justice) .....

[klx678]

No, just getting you ready for what you'll see next year (these pics dont do it justice) .....

I gotta tell ya though, my bikes kind of reflect my real interests. I just love the vintage stuff, the old modified streetbikes that Ken Roberts and Eddie Lawson used to call "diesels". I absorb Vintage Days like a sponge. That's why I ride the Zephyr. I'm a poser on a bike that looks like a first gen superbike. I just like the "hot rod" bolted together look. The ELR and even the later Honda Nighthawk S were embodiments of that era.

We do the vintage flat track races at Ashland, which reminds me of younger days racing short track and going to watch flat track races where there were all sorts of 360 two strokes like Bultacos, Yamahas, and Kawasaki Big Horns. There were the Aermacchi Harley four strokes and the Yamaha and Suzuki twin 250s too. In the pros there were XRs, BSAs, Triumph twins & triples, Yamaha XS650 based bikes, plus the experiments like the Ducati, the KZ twin, and the Yamaha Virago based bikes. Those were some amazing days. Heck, the real toppers were there that one night at the Indiana State fair. The Kawasaki triples and those incredible TZs. Yep, I got to see THE MILE. We were there when KR first threw a leg over a TZ750 flat track bike and proceded to both win and kill off any future flat tracking with anything other than a twin (read as XR750).

The fact is I do like modern roadracing, but the bikes just look all the same. The most modern racing I've really taken a liking to was the Supermoto races. Unfortunately the AMA just can't quite figure out how to make it work. My introduction, besides those days watching the Superbikers on ABC Wide World of Sports, was the incredible race held in a parking lot and construction site in downtown Columbus on a gorgeous October day in 2003. Wild side note, two of the faces of kids that showed up on the cameras ended up being students in my classes last year. I was showing a video of the race and the kids said, "Hey, that's Ian!" They were right, and CJ was right behind him. Kind of cool.

Regardless, you're still teasing me.

I will say I'm trying to set it up to go to Mid Ohio for the Amateur Nationals here in the next few weeks. One last hurrah before the fall... Maybe you'd be interested?

[nelson8708]

i have the next few weeks lined up with event here in indy as well. This week / weekend is the US nationals and the weekend after that is some shifter kart racing on blocked off streets, and then a motorcycle swap meet so i can pawn off my extra 550 parts and maybe the yz125 parts i have laying around. It seems like there is more racing in the end of summer/fall than there is during the beginning / mid summer weeks.

[nelson8708]

Getting closer and closer.....I need to repair where the exhaust stud threads into since it was damaged when the bike was dropped but, other than that its ready to be started.

To do list to ride:

Fix exhaust stud
Get pod filters
Jet kit
Sync carbs
Send gas tank to get finished

To do list for the street:

Head light
Tail light
Turn signals
Street tires
Insure
Plate



^ straight pipe exhaust

^just enough room for pod fitlers....need to pick up some wire loom also


^ What do those two lower ports go to? There is one vacuum port hiding on the right side that you cant really see in the pic but, what does she go to as well?

Thanks,
-Nelson

[RichLockyer]

I'm not familiar with the smoothbores, but on the FCR and CV, one port is the idle air bleed, and feeds through the air cut valve to the bowl, the other is the air bleed for the main jet.

[Brewtus]

You know we will want video of this monster when you get it going, right???

[nelson8708]

You know we will want video of this monster when you get it going, right???

YZ125 with street bike engine start up - Car Videos on StreetFire

Needs jets and the carbs need to be sync'ed.... #2 cylinder is not firing, i think the pilot might have gotten clogged again.

[StarGate]

I love the project and it's looking good. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[nelson8708]

i ordered a mini drill bit kit so i can drill my own jets...So no action this weekend but, hopefully next. While i'm waiting i was wondering whether or not you guys run the stock pcv system or if i'm better off putting breathers on it?

-Nelson

[RichLockyer]

If you're running the stock airbox, I'd stick with the stock breather system unless you are very careful with hose routing to prevent water contamination from rain and washing.
I did convert my Vulcan over to an external breather filter... but the breather hose has two "zig zags" in it. I'm running with the stock hose which leaves the case, goes up and over the front cylinder, then down to the stock airbox... then I hooked into the hose there and ran it back up to the backbone, to the front of the frame, then down and directly into the breather filter.

Any water that gets into the filter will "fall" back out of the hose, rather than fall into the case.