[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

 

[Hammerhead]

I know EXACTLY why shops don't work on old bikes; It's nearly impossible to make any profit from doing so. I recently resurrected two Suzuki's that had been left outside under a tarp for 5 years and 2 years, respectively-a Katana 750 (5 years) and a DR 650 (2 years). Neither had any service record and both had hacked and burnt wiring harnesses as well as clogged fuel systems. The Kat had been wrecked and needed an entire front end rebuild/replace. The DR 's wiring looked like a bird's nest and all the new wiring was of one color. If a shop were to take on such a project, the owner would owe more than the bike's worth on storage alone, waiting on parts, substituting used parts where new parts are either unavailable or exorbitantly-priced. And then a shop would send it out with some form of a repair warranty. It's a bottomless pit to toss money into and a fool's errand to expect any return. I did favors for two friends, one of which who was about to go to divorce court over the derelict bike under the tarp by the tree in his backyard. If I were doing this as an actual moneymaking venture, both friends would owe me more than the bike's worth. the guy with the DR said I should go into biz buying old hulks and bringing them back to life. I doubt that would have been his opinion if he had to pay me what a shop would need to charge to do the same thing.

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

I know EXACTLY why shops don't work on old bikes; It's nearly impossible to make any profit from doing so. I recently resurrected two Suzuki's that had been left outside under a tarp for 5 years and 2 years, respectively-a Katana 750 (5 years) and a DR 650 (2 years). Neither had any service record and both had hacked and burnt wiring harnesses as well as clogged fuel systems. The Kat had been wrecked and needed an entire front end rebuild/replace. The DR 's wiring looked like a bird's nest and all the new wiring was of one color. If a shop were to take on such a project, the owner would owe more than the bike's worth on storage alone, waiting on parts, substituting used parts where new parts are either unavailable or exorbitantly-priced. And then a shop would send it out with some form of a repair warranty. It's a bottomless pit to toss money into and a fool's errand to expect any return. I did favors for two friends, one of which who was about to go to divorce court over the derelict bike under the tarp by the tree in his backyard. If I were doing this as an actual moneymaking venture, both friends would owe me more than the bike's worth. the guy with the DR said I should go into biz buying old hulks and bringing them back to life. I doubt that would have been his opinion if he had to pay me what a shop would need to charge to do the same thing.

you are right, old bikes are a money pits. buy the time i dump the money to get this thing running good i could a bought a fairly decent EFI bike from the pas 10 years. however, the newer bikes lack the character and style of the old school stuff. TBH I sold my 99 katana a few years back and i sold a 09 FZ6R, I wasn't looking for another bike until this as offered to me. i guess you can say the urge for being on two wheels never goes away. So I couldn't let this go. I had to have it..

Good lord.. back when i had a 99 katana 600 just the carbs alone was a pain in the ass to deal with. This bike here is a different animal, way different. Having a place to work on this thing is the biggest issue. I don't have a garage or the tools to work on this. so i figured sending it out would be the best option

 

[57x]

The wiring is fairly straightforward if you get a Kawasaki shop manual.

Tighten those lock rings under the engine mount bolts, and confirm the adjusters are torqued properly also.

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

Yeah I need to find one for the zx7/9 I think they are the same right.. just different size motors

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

Does anyone have a shop manual they are willing to sell?

 

[57x]

Yeah I need to find one for the zx7/9 I think they are the same right.. just different size motors

The lock rings are on there, but don't look tight

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

The lock rings are on there, but don't look tight

Like I can't wait to get this thing right.. I really gotta look it over really good.

 

[57x]

Too bad you are so far away. It's really only a few hours of work to get that thing back up and running.

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

yeah, i looks like more than that. I don't mind the working on it i just want some one that knows what they are doing to help. that way i can learn along the way

 

[57x]

I've built so many ZX7's I think I can do it in my sleep. I've built several from buckets and bins. 92 still has several of those buckets.

 

[92Ninjas]

I've built so many ZX7's I think I can do it in my sleep. I've built several from buckets and bins. 92 still has several of those buckets.

They're still in buckets. In case you were wondering.

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

Damn lol at least one bucket is running

 

[185EZ]

My first bike ever was a 1974 Yamaha DT-175. And the reason why I became involved doing my own repairs was because the Yamaha dealership in my hometown overcharged me for replacing the piston and rings.

In my opinion, motorcycle technicians nowadays are not familiar or interested in working with older bikes. Now bikes get plugged into a computer to diagnose problems, like Slorg442 said.

''''''''

 

[KoflaOlivieri]

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Wow, the bike looks in great shape.

 

[Hammerhead]

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Maybe we should start a Yamaha tiddler club
Here's mine at Barber Vintage fest year before last.

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

@Hammerhead where are you located.. your may be my neighbor lol! I have always wanted to go to barbers. That place looks amazing .

 

[Hammerhead]

@Hammerhead where are you located.. your may be my neighbor lol! I have always wanted to go to barbers. That place looks amazing .

Southern Illinois, close to St. Louis, Mo. Barber is a day ride (531 miles) from here. The Museum may only be second to the National Motorcycle Museum of Great Britain.

 

[Chocolate Cowboy 86]

Southern Illinois, close to St. Louis, Mo. Barber is a day ride (531 miles) from here. The Museum may only be second to the National Motorcycle Museum of Great Britain.

Oh good lord.. that museum is like 2 and a half hours away from me ..

 

[Hammerhead]

Oh good lord.. that museum is like 2 and a half hours away from me ..

And you've never been there? You need to see what you've been missing.