[Slingshot]

This has been on the back burner for a while, but I was able to get the head gasket swapped out last week. I had used a solid copper gasket initially, but replaced it with a spring steel type this time.

I put about 50 miles on it over the weekend, and I don't want to jinx myself but so far, so good. Looks like the problem was the type of gasket I used.

I'll ride it a couple of weeks and put a few hundred miles on it to make sure everything works like it should. Then I'll tear the body work back off and paint it. Need to get that done before it gets too cold.

One question concerning the temperature gauge. It barely moves off of cold. I can see it move up and down slightly as the thermostat cycles, but it only moves a millimeter or two. I put the sensor in hot water on the stove and could watch the resistance change as temperature increased, so I think it's good. Also, when I touch the gauge wire to the frame, it pegs. Does this sound like a mismatch between the sensor and gauge? Is there a range of resistances I can check the sensor against, or should I just replace it and see what happens?

You don't use a copper gasket on these water cooled motors UNLESS it's an O ringed application or it will leak. Even back in the Z1 / KZ days a copper gasket would leak oil like hell unless the Greek Gods blessed your assembly and everything went perfect. Had to use them on O ringed cylinders to keep the boost inside but I hated them because they almost always seeped oil. They wouldn't pour but they would seep. In a water cooled situation it would be almost assured you would get water in the oil since the spaces between the passages is quite small.. You should be fine now.

I gotta fix my ZX11D one day.. Nice long ride bike, smooth as butter and steady as a rock at 150 plus speeds.

 

[scrdmgl]

Slingshot:

The problem lies that most people don't know that copper needs to be annealed for that purpose and then it becomes malleable and soft. Also beating and hammering copper will work harden it fast and good.

 

[twerth]

I've been riding the ZX for a couple of weeks with no issues, so I think it's safe to call the head gasket issue solved!

I started pulling plastics back off yesterday so I can get started on the paint. It had previously been painted with some super thick black paint with sparkles :loco: that wasn't fuel resistant. However, it does seem to be fairly resistant to sandpaper. This is going to be a long process, unless someone knows of a paint stripper that's safe for use on ABS.

I haven't decided on a paint scheme yet. I've posted a couple of shots of some of my previous work that turned out well. I like these, but I don't want to do the same thing over. If you have ideas or suggestions, I'd be interested to see some photos.

 

[scrdmgl]

Paint Job

What about Kawasaki Racing Green? the old girl will be happy in that livery.

Jorge

 

[twerth]

What about Kawasaki Racing Green? the old girl will be happy in that livery.

Jorge

That was actually the bike's original color. I know this is heresy, but I'm not too wild about green. I've always loved Kawasakis and I understand the tradition, but it's just a little too loud for me.

Thanks for the input though. I was starting to think I was talking to myself.

 

[Perfecte99]

I ove that yamaha... what engine/frame is that? Those 650 xs rims looks awesome.

 

[twerth]

I ove that yamaha... what engine/frame is that? Those 650 xs rims looks awesome.

It's an '82 Virago XV920. The front wheel is the stock Virago wheel, but the rear is off an '82 SECA 750. It bolts on, but it's an 18" instead of 16". It also has a Vulcan gas tank.

This was actually a parts bike that came with another Virago I bought a couple of years ago. It didn't have a title, but it ran so well that I bought another frame with papers and put it back together. Here's a "before" shot.

 

[Perfecte99]

Oh yeah that's right they are the 750, I forgot I bought one for 200 bucks one time thinking was a 650... Only to realise later was the 750... Lol shaft drive... I think had the anti dive brakes... Lol what a bike. Fast as fuck though for having zero handling and brakes.

Again beautiful work.

 

[twerth]

Oh yeah that's right they are the 750, I forgot I bought one for 200 bucks one time thinking was a 650... Only to realise later was the 750... Lol shaft drive... I think had the anti dive brakes... Lol what a bike. Fast as fuck though for having zero handling and brakes.

Again beautiful work.

The SECA was one helluva bike in the day. Advertised as the fastest production 750 ever built. It made the cover of Hot Rod magazine in 1981. I bought a new hold-over in '84 and loved it.

 

[twerth]

It's been slow going, but I've got the old black paint stripped off everything except the wheels. Bodywork on metal parts is done, but I've got a little plastic repair left to do. My plan for the weekend is to get everything into primer and then paint the wheels, front fender and some other small parts. I may be a little optimistic on how much I can get done, but that's the plan.

I've settled on a color scheme, but I don't have the stripes completely worked out. I'm going with black and grey with burgundy wheels and accents. Once the big pieces are in primer, I'll hang them on the frame and play around with masking tape to get some ideas.

 

[scrdmgl]

You're an ambitious man twerth, and lucky to have lots of room to safely store all the bits.


Cheers

 

[twerth]

I got everything into primer and I got the wheels, front fender, mirrors and a couple of other miscellaneous parts painted. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Back to wet sanding. Gotta get this thing painted before the snow flies.

 

[twerth]

I got the front fender buffed out and the wheels on last night. If things block out well, I may be ready to paint this weekend. Chances are slim, but I'm hopeful. Running out of good weather.

 

[scrdmgl]

Superb job twerth. Would paint mine? I'm just in Toronto the Good, Ontario, Canada.

Cheers

Jorge

 

[twerth]

Superb job twerth. Would paint mine? I'm just in Toronto the Good, Ontario, Canada.

Cheers

Jorge

Thank you. I'd love to help you with paint, but I'm not planning to be in Canada in the near future...

I'm really happy with the color on the wheels, but the shine on the black once it was polished out is even better. So far, so good.

 

[twerth]

I got everything into final primer over the weekend, and most parts have been sanded and are ready for paint. Still waiting on some decals, so it'll be next weekend before there's much more progress.

In the meantime, I started laying out some stripes without much luck. The tank and rear fairings seem to flow pretty well, but the front fairings were clearly designed by a different person who had no communication with the guys working on the rear. Body lines don't flow from front to rear, and nothing ties together. This is a bike that really wants to be all one color. Boring!!. I'll keep working on it. Here are some shots of things I tried yesterday. I don't like any of them.

In general, imagine black on top with grey below separated by a burgundy stripe where the blue tape is.

 

[OutsiderZX12R]

I think the ZX11 looks best all black.

 

[twerth]

I think I'm going to try to make something like the picture below work. I'll ignore the body lines since they don't work together anyway. The silver will be darker grey and the red will be replaced with the burgundy from the wheels.



I know it's a different bike, but similar shape and layout. I should be able to make it work. What do you think?

 

[Japiooo]

I think this is the best looking ZX-10 by far. It should be beautifull on the ZX-11.

 

[twerth]

I got the paint sprayed over the weekend, and it turned out ok. I'm never satisfied with my work, but overall it doesn't look too bad. I had intended to put the "Kawasaki" decals on the tank, but my grey decals turned out to be off-white. Had to improvise.

Still needs to be sanded and buffed, but let me know what you think.