Bike of the month - March 2006

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Written by kzrider kzrider

Parent Category: Bike of the Month Archive Bike of the Month Archive

Category: BOTM 2006 BOTM 2006

This is 1960vw's 1982 KZ 305 A2. It has 22,000 miles on it, but the owner is hoping for an other 20,000. Nice looking bike that we don't see too many of around here. You can see a better picture and some member comments in the gallery.


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Gauge Glass Clean Up

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Written by wiredgeorge Motorcycle Carburetors wiredgeorge Motorcycle Carburetors

Parent Category: Articles Articles

Category: Technical tips Technical tips

My gauges were working well and look fine except for the area under the glass. The area under the glass had considerable gunk and not only looked bad but made it diffiult to read the gauges. To clean the inside of the glass, the chrome trim ring which girds a Nippon Denso gauge must be removed and the glass bezel top half must be separated from the bottom half that contains the gauge mechanism. Between the two halves is a rubber seal that provides water proofing integrity. I found the condition of my seals excellent. They were both soft and pliable on both the tach and speedometer. If the condition of these rubber seals is poor, and they are not pliable, you will be forced to fabricate or locate new ones. I believe they could be cut out of any piece of thin mill rubber using the gauge as a template.

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Bike of the month - February 2006

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Written by kzrider kzrider

Parent Category: Bike of the Month Archive Bike of the Month Archive

Category: BOTM 2006 BOTM 2006

This is tonykz1's 1975 KZ 400 D. It has a few minor modifications, like Accel Coil & Wires, Mac 2-2 Exhaust, Loobman Chain Oiler, a solid state rec/reg from Rick's Electrics, and a generator & recently recovered seat from a '76 KZ400. He says it's still little rough around the edges but he's slowly improving it. You can see a better picture and some member comments in the gallery.

Want to see YOUR bike as the KZrider.com Bike of the Month? Post your picture in the gallery and make sure you add a nice description of at least a few lines.

Setting valve clearances

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Written by wiredgeorge Motorcycle Carburetors wiredgeorge Motorcycle Carburetors

Parent Category: Articles Articles

Category: Technical tips Technical tips

Properly adjusted valve clearances are necessary so that the valves will open and close as they should. Cylinder head valve seats wear from the contact with valves that move on every turn of the crankshaft.  The clearance between the cam shaft lobes and valve shims lessen over time. If there is insufficient clearance, the valves can remain open during combustion and power will be lost. Engine damage can result if valve clearances are not adjusted as needed. There is a maintenance schedule in your factory shop manual or Clymers. Generally, clearances do not change rapidly so while checking is needed at periodic intervals, actually changing shims, which is the heart of setting valve clearances is done fairly infrequently. If valve clearances are too wide, the valves can be very noisy and as clearances close, the valves tend to get progressively quieter. If you don’t hear your valves at all, this is a sure sign that you have insufficient valve clearance.

Read more: Setting valve clearances

Bike of the month - January 2006

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Written by kzrider kzrider

Parent Category: Bike of the Month Archive Bike of the Month Archive

Category: BOTM 2006 BOTM 2006

This is vic44139's 1979 KZ 1000 ST. The bike is all original except seat and backrest, and is in near mint condition. You can see a better picture and some member comments in the gallery.

Want to see YOUR bike as the KZrider.com Bike of the Month? Post your picture in the gallery and make sure you add a nice description of at least a few lines.