kz200 snagged from barn-need parts and guidance

Did you remove the flywheel at any point? It is probably keyed to hold its position on the crank, but in case it moved, you will want to verify the pistons are at the top when the T mark lines up.

Here's what you should see for valve timing:

yep all that is correct. straight from the manual.


uhhh i think i missed that the advancer cam lobe could be installed backwards.... i wonder. I didnt take it apart on purpose it just sort of fell apart, i put it back together sans manual....in a split second...

im gonna be mad at myself lol.

i remember that part of the manual... skipped right over it lol got tunnelvision straight to "yep i ruined it" lol


makes sense though

"feels" like it has compression
doesnt fire, even with starting fluid.
timing marks, crank and cam sprocket all 100 lined up.
i did a points test last night... its opening when the crank is at f/ap mark.
I released some tension on the advancer, checked that it turns... that wasnt it.
plug checks out fine outside the cylinder.






anyone have a good initial carb setting? how many turns out etc?

yup thats what was stopping the party. take your time, and make sure the person who puts things on is the same person who took th em off lol

thank you @loudhvx

more work to do but almost there.

Even with the same person disassembling and reassembling, stuff like that happens :whistle:

The advancer flip happens to many folks.

Good luck getting it running!

thanks again guys.

she still smokes pretty bad... so head gasket wasnt the only thing wrong.... cylinder looked good so we left it.. oh well, still pretty simple...

i see three different ring sets listed to fit this thing. some are oversize? not sure which to order....



"finished" pic. blaze orange plasti dip.

i'm enjoying doing this with my son...save for the two days i had that cam on backwards lol!

Peelz wrote: i see three different ring sets listed to fit this thing. some are oversize? not sure which to order....

"finished" pic. blaze orange plasti dip.

i'm enjoying doing this with my son...save for the two days i had that cam on backwards lol!

If it's been sitting for a while, the rings might be stuck and/or the valve guide seals may have perished.

Bright colors are awesome, The 400 in my avatar was done with Rustoleum Safety Yellow. Good stuff and frankly hard to look at in direct sunlight.

Some of my best memories are of wrenching with my dad. Good on ya, even if mistakes happen.

100% i remember dad and me getting his old suzuki gs1000 going. spent all day... he let me ride it first.

this one, igot it back together after the cam issue, i rode it up to the local small town ice cream shop he works, and left it for him, the kid was beaming. Loved riding it even with the blue smoke lol

Just th is morning, ordered rings, valve guide seals, base gasket. and a new honing tool.. since mines MIA havent done this in YEARS. also ordered carb float bowl seal. it looked tired.

well have it going next weekend.just did the math, well have <400 in it when were done.(including purchase) not bad. and more fun i think than just buying a new one....

OK, still not done... tore it apart, honed it, lapped the valves and replaced seals....

but one of the o rings was chewed up, not sure how i did that unless the head bolt pinched it on the way down.... so grabbed another at work...

also, multiple deaths in the family lately... and a family member in the hospital followed by commensurate drinking slowed me down. its been a long ass few months guys....


question: is the new head gasket ok to go back in after about 30 minutes of run time?

My condolences on your loss. My prayers to you and you family. Maybe the bike can be a much needed therapy.

Mikaw wrote: My condolences on your loss. My prayers to you and you family. Maybe the bike can be a much needed therapy.

Thank you. Aunt pulled through!!! it is therapeutic... but then you need therapy for the motorcycle problem. lol

bike back together waiting on carb float. my soldering job on the hole in it was hilariously poor, and didnt hold....

DONE: rings, gaskets, valve guide seals, lapped valves. rings worn, cylinder looked "ok" slight score... just honed it pretty good. Carb gasket,float....new throttle cable.

i think even with all the fun stuff were still under 400 total including buying the bike. Good fun but spent more time on it than I wanted, because I was cheap and didnt do the rings the first time lol add to that my upside down timing advancer. hahah still mad about that.

honestly, my son learning how motorcycles work and enjoying them like I Do, its priceless. And Im thinking about doing another one. I do believe its better than just going and buying a bike

time to ride this weekend. i hope this time the blue smoke is gone lol

thanks everyone.

updating. ended up going 1mm overbore. there were some questionable scores.

here is how it is, just got it all back together last weekend. Just some carb tuning to do.