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I'm a bit proud of this. I would call this a 'survivor' sort of project, not a resto.

The bike was a low mileage but rusty old mess that had been left standing in all weather, and not started for 5 years. I believe it belonged to an old man who looked after it before its period of abandonment in someone's yard. However, I didn't begin work on the bike until I established that the fundamentals (engine, clutch, valvetrain, chassis etc.) were good.

Work I did:

- Completely de-rusted by multiple applications of proprietary rust remover product.
- Took carburettors apart at least 6 times, and cleaned and set them. This is where I came across something interesting. One of the middle 2 carb tops had been screwed back on without a washer, leaving the screw sticking out underneath just enough to hold the choke on one of the carbs in the open position. This probably caused really poor running when the bike was last run, and may have been the reason it was laid up.
- Lots and lots of work on the exhaust - a replacement (rusty old) exhaust was being sold for silly money on Ebay, so I decided against buying it, and instead cut out rusty sections of the existing pipe and welded on new sections of 30mm steel pipe. I also layered over some enormous gaping rusted-out holes using weld. I filled out a couple of dents too, then primed and painted the exhaust, leaving the make (Motad) and masking off the model number and EC compliance info so it could still be seen.
- Adjusted the ridiculous 3-part clutch cable on the bike, so it works normally.
- Replaced ignition coils (both tested as bad!) and HT leads.
- Cleaned up all electrical connections with contact cleaner, and scrubbed them down.
- Measured and cleaned up clutch plates, and fitted new clutch gasket.
- Checked valve clearances and valve timing, and refitted leaking valve cover with a NOS valve cover gasket (not cheap, so it will be a cornflakes packet if I have to do that again)
- Fitted cheap mirrors (just for function) as one was smashed and the other was scratched. Not original Kawasaki GPZ-type mirrors as they're ridiculously expensive.
- Rebuilt fuel tap using a kit I bought online.
- Replaced spark plugs, oil, oil filter and air filter.
- New battery fitted.
- Rebuilt front brakes with new pads and seals. Unfortunately, it was necessary to drill out the JIS screws on the brake reservoir to do this.

The bike starts on the button and works perfectly in all respects. Gears, electrics, brakes, etc. all work. It only remains for me to get an MOT (UK roadworthiness) certificate some time this coming week.

ITCHING to take it for a ride!

Very nice! That bike looks like a great touring machine! Is that front fairing original or did someone install one from a Gpz? It looks very 1984-1986 Gpz to me. Good luck on the MOT!

Thanks! Not sure, but I think it may be original. The paint matches the fairing, and the gold pinstriping on the tank and side covers matches the fairing. The underneath of the tank is the same dark red colour - it has a slight pearlescent/flake effect, so I would guess it's all factory. The inside of the fairing is the same colour as the outside, and the fairing hasn't been repainted. It's possible the GPZ-style fairing was a factory or aftermarket option for the first GT550 bikes, briefly. It's held on with a fairing subframe that seems to be made for the bike.

That's interesting. It looks good.

Well done.
She looks great.