1966 Kawasaki A1 Samurai restoration project

I got the idle set pretty well on it, just a round about note for you: I found that if you have the set screw set on where it is all the way out but on the thread to catch (I count that as 0) you put it about 4½-5½ turns in, it was idling at 1500-2000 which seems high but it dose not wanna bog down when I am at a take off, but it is also kind of cold out too, but I figure it could be a helping tip.

A little update since I haven't been here in a few days. I got my crank sealant, and my needle bearings. Sealed the crank case back up, reinstalled the pistons, and mounted the crank case back in the frame. I've been very lazy about working on those engine covers, so they're nowhere near ready to go back on yet. Tomorrow I plan to put the cylinders, heads, clutch, and generator back on if I'm up for it (feeling a little under the weather today). I will get some more pics for you guys soon.

So I finally made it back out to the garage today, after a week or two of not feeling well/feeling lazy. I got the #1 cylinder and head back on, and attempted to do the same for #2, but snaped one of the piston rings in the process (whoops...a little too rough I think). So...I will be scouring ebay for some new piston rings today...

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configuration

SPARKY47 wrote: Most of them mated with oak trees here. I think they came as a bit of a shock after pre war tech 4 stroke thumpers and other such "classic" crap.:woohoo:
I had the following model, the S1 250 triple, but the twin was wilder.
The twin was the one with the rotary inlet valve gubbins I think.
Not sure...memory going:blink:

Expensive project. I mailed these to Australia a couple of weeks ago. Probably the only set in the world.

The seller was Yvon Duhammels tuner when he won his first victory for Kawasaki on a H2.

Don't mean to be off topic. Just had to show these jewels.Roy

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configuration

roy-b-boy-b wrote:

SPARKY47 wrote: Most of them mated with oak trees here. I think they came as a bit of a shock after pre war tech 4 stroke thumpers and other such "classic" crap.:woohoo:
I had the following model, the S1 250 triple, but the twin was wilder.
The twin was the one with the rotary inlet valve gubbins I think.
Not sure...memory going:blink:

Expensive project. I mailed these to Australia a couple of weeks ago. Probably the only set in the world.

The seller was Yvon Duhammels tuner when he won his first victory for Kawasaki on a H2.

Don't mean to be off topic. Just had to show these jewels.Roy

So far I haven't had to replace much. I got rear brake shoes, new needle bearings, and am waiting on my piston rings to come in (see above post explaining my mistake lol). I will be replacing exhaust (probably aftermarket), the front fender (not sure with what yet...all i can find is dinged up used ones), and a few small things that I found for decent prices (foot peg rubber, new gauge sticker, etc). Keep in mind, I think the charging system may be bad, I haven't even bench tested the coils yet, and I'm not 100% sure about the condition of my cables.

While some of the parts of been tricky to find, Z1E was able to track down a couple things for me (those guys rock!).

Went out to the garage today, and did some work on the right side of the engine. I reinstalled the clutch, primary gear, and generator. I then realized I hadn't tightened the rotary valve cover down, so I had to remove the clutch. I tightened the screws on the valve cover, only to realize that for some reason, it was seizing up the crankshaft. So...off came the primary gear, and the valve cover. Thankfully, it was only the huge valve cover o-ring causing the problem. It had broken and wrapped itself around the rotary valve, thus causing the problem. A few minutes on eBay, and I ordered 2 new valve cover o-rings to replace both, and the price was only about 50 cents more than stock price (free shipping made that a no-brainer).

So now I am waiting for the piston rings and the o-rings. I may go ahead and start wiring up a few things, or perhaps throw the handlebars back on to attempt to properly align that front end. Either way, there is plenty left to keep me busy while waiting for the parts to arrive.

Could you please take pics of putting the wiring thru the handle bars?

cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Kawasaki-A1...&hash=item256a367b8c

nuf said.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationJust saw this on Ebay and thought you might be interested:



Be kind of a nice little item considering your project.

elfmagic17 wrote: cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Kawasaki-A1...&hash=item256a367b8c

nuf said.

Wow...$2500!! Maybe I will sell it after I'm done! Though...that one was an A1SS, not a regular A1 like mine. It's not completely original either. I picked out a handful of things (like the paint) that are not correct on it.

Finally got the o-rings for the valve covers yesterday. Today, I put the right side valve cover, primary gear, and clutch back on. I still need to torque the nuts on the clutch and primary gear, though I will double check that all the timing marks are lined up before I do so. I may go back out to the garage again later to do that, and start cleaning up the carbs.

I'm waiting on my piston rings from Z1, though I did receive an update that they finally got the second set, and one of the rings was broken into puzzle pieces. LOL! In any case, I will find things to work on when I am motivated to brave the cold while waiting. LOL

So I have good news and bad news to report today. The bad news is that I am 99% sure I need to split the case again because I don't think the kick starter return spring is in the correct position. The good news is that I have been lazy and haven't done a whole lot, so it won't be too much work to split the case again. There is more good news too though...the piston rings I ordered are on the way to me now too, so I can move on with getting the motor all put back together (after I take it apart again