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Kawasaki Z 500 discussion forum:RE: help |
| RE: help |
| kode said 2005-04-06 15:14 |
| Easy to restore? The Z500 was well designed and built compared to many 70´s/80´s bikes, and unlike many "race replicas" was a genuine race bike (ridden to victory by Damon Hill, later the 1996 F1 world champion ). There aren´t any nasty suprises if you know what you´re doing but after 25 years _everything_ will be worn out and in need of attention (disintegrating frame, rotted electrics, alloy turning to cheese). Service parts and consumables are easily available and a great many parts are shared with other Kawasaki´s of the era (z250-Z1R) but some assemblies are unique or very rare: (I have listed some of these along with suitable donor bikes, if available): Cylinder (unique) Camshafts (unique) Pistons & rings (z250 A1-4) Charging & ignition systems (z400j1, z550a1) Front forks (z400j1, z550a1) Front wheel & speedo drive (z400j1, z550a1) Rear wheel (z250 A1-2) Rear disc (Unique and most expensive in EBC catalogue) Rear caliper (z650 c2-3) ..if you need any of these assemblies then your best bet is to rebild, repair or remake them, as it can take years to find spares - many parts have been discontinued and the z500 was never sold in the USA (usually a good source of spares). I´m currently totally restoring a second z500 using parts sourced worldwide over three years (I´m building an engine from new parts), and expect it to take another year yet. My first one has done 13,000 miles since I rebuilt it four years ago (everything except the engine/gearbox) and is in use daily for London commuting. I outraced a trick ´02 ZX6-R (636) over five miles at over 90mph (on an urban motorway) yesterday, so I guess it´s as good as it ever was. If you want a very rare bike, and time and money are no object then go for it. If you want an easy restoration and a reliable bike, get a Kawasaki GT550 instead - they´re leigon and bombproof. |
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