Yes, the disk size would explain the thickness difference. The surface area, I think, is down to manufacturers. The pad I put in there after the rebuild was an Armstrong and these have a steel backing plate on the outer pad as well as the usual plate with screw thread for the inner pad. This style a...

Excellent information, thanks. The first 550 had the same front end as the 400j but only for 1 year (the A1). The Z-Power listing looks like this:- http://www.z-power.co.uk/z400500550/front-disc-pads-fa33 It shows the 550 in this list as well as Z650, Z1000A etc. This listing mentions the thickness ...

Hello all, I bought a set of replacement pads for the Z550 (A1, same calipers as Z1R and Z650) and they are thicker than the originals. The outer pad also has a depression cut into it where the piston sits and has no metal backing plate. Reading up on this, there are 2 listed pads for these calipers...

Love the project. Who needs a van? I got 2 x 400F's in the back of an Austin Maestro back in the day. 400F had great geometry and I put my 550 engine in it for a while. Handled lovely but monoshock linkages wore out fast so I binned it. Engine went back in the twin-shock and I restored it here:- htt...

Thanks, yes, it could be the oil from the rings/hone. The air filter looks a bit suspect.
It could just be the passage of years: it doesn't feel as 'firm' as it did 20 years ago but neither does the missus

Passed it's MOT first time and out on the road. Rides lovely but revs feel slow to rise. Hard to explain but feels similar to retarded ignition timing. Plugs are soot black. I've got an eye on the pattern air filter (may try it without) but any ideas? http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a247/mole24/20...

I had a regular 'R' in the same colours. Best front end on anything I've ridden since including my 06 R1.
I needed to do some work on the paint and the white was a bitch to match (it's a 3 stage pearl with a bit of blue in it).

Great story. Mine also served as a despatch hack. It tried to kill me many times and I suppose that's why I kept it (like kidney stones in a jar on the mantelpiece).

Ah, thank you, sir, and thanks for the inspiration in the first place. I prefer your colour as that was how mine looked when I bought it in 1980-something but I wanted to do it myself in the end and the candy defeated this amateur painter. Now it's finished I'm tempted to do another around some of t...

Thanks. It was moved out of 'Projects' by moderator as not a Z1.

After a fight with the fuel tap (2 different rebuild kits later).... http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a247/mole24/20160520_121843_zpstdufyzbp.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a247/mole24/20160520_121902_zpsudsy7ezo.jpg Bit of blue smoke from LH pipe on start but hoping that's the hone and not ...

Thanks.

I'm looking forward to riding it again (it's been nearly 30 years since this was last on the road). I seem to remember it handling well. Light and flickable but stable (or that might just be nostalgia).

Finally got aroung to putting some paint on this:-



Spraymax aerosol 2K clear over black base. I don't even bother loading the gun nowadays as this stuff is amazing.

Managed to pick up a NOS front guard on German Ebay. Not bad for 15 Euro but wrong colour:- http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a247/mole24/IMG_20150802_172815_zpsaghkzaie.jpg The tank and plastics all needed loads of work but here in primer:- http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a247/mole24/IMG_20150802...

Thanks!. I too had an AP50. For a whole year the only conversations I had revolved around how much faster it was than a fizzy.
It seized every other day and I pushed it further than I rode it.