1966 Kawasaki A1 Samurai restoration project

yamaha rd 350/400 pipes look kinda like your originals also.




i would be curious to see inside to see if they are actually straight or if there is some chamber inside of the pipe.

expansion chambers are for performance.

try your straight through style and if it doesn't run good look for some chambers off an rd close to the same cc's as your bike to mod to fit your bike.

just a thought.

leon

531blackbanshee wrote: yamaha rd 350/400 pipes look kinda like your originals also.

i would be curious to see inside to see if they are actually straight or if there is some chamber inside of the pipe.

expansion chambers are for performance.

try your straight through style and if it doesn't run good look for some chambers off an rd close to the same cc's as your bike to mod to fit your bike.

just a thought.

leon

The ones I have are really dinged up...I may cut one open just to see what the guts look like. LOL!

if you do take some pics if there is anything wierd :woohoo: .

i have always wondered about this.

i have only ever had dirtbikes and banshees and they all had expansion type pipes.

you can have custom pipes built but they can get expensive fast.

highwaymanpipes.com/?p=8

so that is why i suggested that you find some rd pipes that are for close to the same cc (rd's were built from 125cc through 400cc)and mod those to fit.
if you decide that you need expansion chambers.


leon

see what i found on that highwayman page :ohmy:




leon

I definately wouldn't be hacking up stock pipes! That's crazy!

You have a 45 y/o bike, the last thing you should be worrying about is performance. lol Get it road worthy and reliable, then play with pipes, etc. Is that a rotary engine? Send Harry an email if you are going to tweak it at all. www.klemmvintage.com/ Nice guy and he knows his stuff.

Personally, like my Z1, I take it for what it is. If I want to go fast I'll get another ZX6R. Just DO NOT F**K with those original pipes!

531blackbanshee wrote: see what i found on that highwayman page :ohmy:

leon

I like those. Can't seem to find a price for them so I think I will email them.

Kidkawie wrote: I definately wouldn't be hacking up stock pipes! That's crazy!

You have a 45 y/o bike, the last thing you should be worrying about is performance. lol Get it road worthy and reliable, then play with pipes, etc. Is that a rotary engine? Send Harry an email if you are going to tweak it at all. www.klemmvintage.com/ Nice guy and he knows his stuff.

Personally, like my Z1, I take it for what it is. If I want to go fast I'll get another ZX6R. Just DO NOT F**K with those original pipes!

They're beat up pretty bad, and getting replaced. Just want to dissect them LOL

After stripping and removing the 14 screws on the clutch cover, it was off! I will be replacing them with allen bolts.





A pic of the clutch assembly




Not sure if this is a big deal, but on inspection, I found that this one plate has a broken tab. I'm guessing a PO didn't have a clutch holder tool...





The clutch off, and done for the day...

If you do get silencers, go mad, they're cool as shit, but get silencers for sure.

Today I went crazy in the garage. I removed the left side cove, oil pump, left side (rotary) valve cover, the alternator cover, and the alternator. I am hoping there is a way to bench test the alternator, since I don't know if it's working properly. I did bench test the rectifier and found it to be bad, so I am going to attempt to replace that with a regulator/rectifier unit if possible.

I also removed the primary gear nut and washer, and in the process lost one of the pins from a piston pin roller bearing. It fell into the engine, so I will find that when I split the cases. Before I can do that though, I need to figure out how to remove the actual primary gear! I removed the nut and the lock washer, but I still can't pull it off the shaft. I've gone through the parts lists and only see the nut and washer...so I don't think there's any kind of clip holding it on...Any thoughts?

Spent a little time trying to get that primary gear off. I did manage to move it out an inch or so, which may be enough to get at the rotary valve, and split the cases. I also flipped the motor and removed all the case nuts off of the studs in preparation for splitting the cases. Here's a few pics to hold you guys over til next time:

Search around for an old print of a clymer repair manual for that bike. I got one for my KE100 with the special "Hop Up" section that describes a TON of tuning you can do to those engines. From building a custom intake to modifying the rotary valve, cutting pistons, etc. I got my copy off Ebay for like $5, but my version is based on the rotary singles, not twin.

Between that and the info Klemms gave me I have alot of ideas for the winter. I can only get 55mph on my KE, trying to get another 10mph out of it. Those rotary engines have a ton of potential.