1982 GPz-750 (KZ750R1)

[jhwalker]

[SonicVenum]

The ol' timer is running again! The starter clutch is still slipping, but I'm hoping it will loosen up and grab better as it warms up. It idles and revs nicely once it's going. Brake clean-up, and new tires are up next, then maybe a test ride around the neighborhood on a dry day.

[xbacksideslider]

A great bike then, and now.

[xjrguy]

Very cool seeing an update and the history from 2013 here. Thanks for posting about this.

[SonicVenum]

Thanks, guys!

I'm still not completely out of the woods because starting it cold is tough with a slipping starter clutch. Once it's warm, it'll fire up with even a brief grab on the starter shaft, but cold, it seems to need a few cranks to get going. I've been having to use starter fluid to get it going from cold. I'm doubtful riding around will get it to loosen up, but I might get lucky. If not, I'll have to tear into it to replace the springs and rollers in the starter clutch. Also, something seems to have gone wrong when I swapped the coils and ignition with new Dyna parts because my tach isn't working now. I'll have to look over the wiring I did, and check it again the wiring diagram in the manual to see what I did wrong.

[SonicVenum]

My snail's pace is finally getting somewhere. I've had the bike out on a couple shakedown runs now. Ended up tearing into it to refurbish the starter clutch. New springs and rollers are doing their job. Also replaced the brake lines with new Kevlar lines from the UK. Another long sit gummed up the pilot circuit. Another tear down of the carbs, to get them cleaned up again. This time I boiled them for about an hour to break any gunk down. Didn't feel like using the hardcore carb cleaner because it would probably eat the paint, and I didn't want to have to paint the carbs again. Boiling, compressed air, carb cleaner, and compressed air did the trick. It's tough to start when cold. I'm going to get a Colortune, and get the pilot screws dialed in, then re-sync the carbs. After that, some clean-up, and it'll be a good rider, and not too shabby looking from 10 yards.

[Tetge]

I guess that you will know how to maintain your motorcycle yourself, which, if you keep it forever, is a really useful ability. These days, with all the dealer only locked down computer controlled models, an owner, even one with mechanical skills and tools, if often at the mercy of hacks at dealerships, as it requires the proprietary tools that only dealerships possess to work on the machines. But, based upon your pace, it is fortunate that you are not relying on the bike for daily transportation.....

My niece's husband just got a brand new Suzuki GSX 750 of some sort and, he put up a couple of videos on youtube. You might want to take a look for clues on how, apparently, 750's are ridden. The link it to one of the videos, but, he may have gone quicker on the other video. I can not ever ride with him, as his 750 goes faster in second gear than my KTM goes at the rev limiter in top gear.....

phpBB [video]

[SonicVenum]

At this point, if had to tear into quite a few different components on here, so I should be able to tackle whatever comes up, as far as maintenance goes. The starter clutch rebuild seemed pretty intimidating before I actually did it. I tried to find a local shop to do it, but the smaller shops either wouldn't answer the phone, or didn't know what they were talking about (one told me that the starter gear needed replacing without even looking at the bike). Chaparral is local, but I didn't want to pay their rates, though they did mount the new tires for me.

The GSX looks nice! Definitely way more modern than my old relic, but I must say, the exhaust note of my V&H 4-1 sounds much nicer. Maybe once I knock the rust off, I'll try to find a nice empty road to cruise on around here. I'm not too far from the SB mountains, but I'm not brave enough to venture up there without plenty of seat time first.