Z1A Restoration

[Ultim8pc]

Looking nice.
If you get stuck with resolving your low end running issues then get in touch as I'm only over the hills In Keighley.

[Tonto]

Lovely bike - cracking job

[MrDavo]

Thanks for your comments, much appreciated.

Test riding showed the tickover to be 'chuggy', with a lot of noise from the clutch in neutral. Time for a tune up.

I had a go at strobe timing and synching the carbs yesterday. My cheapo Gunson neon timing light proved to be utterly useless, I couldn't see any marks at all, even after I painted them yellow! My mate Mark says you can use these, but only looking close up in near darkness. A year or two back, an old chap I know who used to be a rally mechanic gave me a bunch of his old tools, as he was moving into a flat, he wanted them to go to someone he knew would use them. A root around in the garage revealed an old Crypton Powerflash he'd given me, with 12v leads to a battery and an inductive pickup. Once I had it all worked out, what a difference! It turns out my static setting was a touch advanced, we'll see what the difference is like when I go out next.

Mark lent me a big fan, and a set of vacuum gauges. Here we are set up, with the chain oiler tank pressed into service again.



I got the 4 carbs about equal at a steady throttle, however I seem to have adjusted all 4 off their stops, as the idle adjustment screw had a gap that it didn't have before. The adjuster screw on #1 carb is a bit broken, I'm going to order a new one, but it may have to come from the USA. I've got them as near as I can for now, I'll have to do it again when I change the adjuster.

[MrDavo]

After a promising start, the Z1A is now being used as a paper towel dispenser.



See my 'oily pipes' thread in Bike Help, the barrels and pistons are away at an engineering firm being properly measured for clearance. As well as reassembling the head with new valve seals, I also need another look in the carbs, I will have to resynch them after. I have a new NOS adjuster to replace the one I broke, also I assumed that all the needles were in the right place. The clips should be on the third groove down, however this photo I took when I was sorting out a battered pilot jet holder clearly shows the needle in position 4, this is how I found it and probably how it went back together, so I need to check all four. Maybe it will help the slow speed running, at the moment the air screws seem to make beggar all difference.

[MrDavo]

Back on the road this weekend after her little reset, with a sump full of Tescos mineral oil and definitely no 3k rev limit this time round.

I got the wife out to watch it start straight away and ..... nothing! Quick fuel and spark check - sparks yes, so I dropped a float bowl drain plug, and.... nothing!

It turns out that although there was a little petrol in the tank, the head wasn't enough to open the float valves. Jump in car with a petrol container, and put 5 litres of Super Unleaded (Because E5) in. Retry, instant start! A bit reluctant to go on all four pots, I may have fouled a plug with the oil I squirted into the bores when I assembled the top end. Anyway, a pop and a bang an suddenly its running clean and off the choke, so grabbed my helmet and went for a 13 mile test, before the heavens opened again, I got back just in time.

No smoke, running clean and the plugs looked Ok. Its a lot easier to ride now I'm not watching the tacho like a hawk - not thrashing it but riding normally, as recommended by the engineer that measured my bore clearance, as well as people on here.

After leaving her overnight to cool down, the oil was at its normal level, and I recheked the torque on the head bolts. Outers and inners didn't move, the pairs between pots 1 and 2, and on the other side between 3 and 4, all took about 1/3 of a turn. Some dry weather to get some miles done would be a help, she's still too shiny to take out on a filthy day, not a good state of affairs I know, but better than my mate's idea that I should buy a van to take it around in, like he does with his show bikes. ! I'd rather sell it than do that.

[Pigford]

Great news - chuffed for you

[MrDavo]

Just back from a 50 mile ride out, yesterday I did 70 miles going to Three Sisters circuit and back for a spot of karting with a few of my mates. Here's the bike at the top of Holme Moss admiring the view.



Basically, the bike is running perfectly, very smooth, mechanically quiet, nice tickover etc, until it isn't! Once on each ride, while running at speed, I suddenly lose a lot of power, but it doesn't cut out altogether. I suspect its running on two cylinders, certainly not four. Limping along, yesterday to get off the motorway, today to get off Saddleworth Moor, the missing pots slowly come back, until it all runs normally again. Then it's as if it never happened.

I haven't investigated yet, but my theories are:

!) Overheating, due to the engine still being tight, though I don't see why that would be sudden, I'd expect it to start running rough long before the sudden loss of power

2) Loose connection somewhere between coils and points or coils and power. That would lose two pots at once, but again I don't see how it would fix itself, electrics usually work or they don't. alternatively it could be a bad coil, that gets hot and gives up for a while until it cools.

3) Fuel. It acts as if its going onto reserve, as the power loss is sudden. There could be crud in there but the filters in the tap are clear. Alternatively possibly the cheap pattern fuel tap doesn't have a fantastic flow rate, maybe it's enough, or maybe it gets overwhelmed and the fuel levels in the float chambers drop until it won't run right. That could possibly fix itself as I go slow on low power, until the bowls fill up again enough to run normally. I don't want a Pingle tap as they look wrong and cost the earth, but I'd try it if I could rule out 1) and 2).

I'd be interested if anyone has informed comment on my problem.

[Wrigers]

Hi Davo, not far from you over in sunny Chadderton.....
You say it started to run on two, if it was 1 +3, or 2+4 that malfunciouned then it might be a coil issue..... just a thought.
Paul

[MrDavo]

I thought that, but the failing suddenly at speed, then being mysteriously alright again, seems more like fuel starvation to me. It feels very much like running out of petrol, apart from the getting better again bit.

I’m going out to check, but when I tried to drain the tank recently it dribbled out of the open tap, a PMC replica. I may need to warn my bank manager, then buy a Pingel tap.

[sanderz]

Fuel vent in the cap blocked?

Lovely Zed that, you've done a crackin' job

[MrDavo]

Thanks.

I’ve just had the tank off, no sign of blockage at the cap vent, but with the tap open, and the cap, fuel comes out of one outlet as a stream, but out of the other it’s a pathetic dribble. I think that’s my problem, at speed the fuel flow to carbs 3 and 4 doesn’t keep up, until the fuel level is too low for them to work. Slow running means they fill back up, and the bike goes onto four pots again.

Pingel it is then.

[Bill P]

Lovely job you've done
Pingle are certainly expensive but they are well made, i have fitted a couple lately which i bought from
Suzuki Performance Spares best price i could find and ultra fast delivery .

[rickm]

Can you not get the fuel tap fully serviced ?
Especially if only one outlet is blocked ?
There's a guy on the triples forum who refurbishes things like this. I could send you his details if interested ?
There may well be someone on here who does this too, but you might need to ask in the Technical section ?

[Wrigers]

Hi Davo, glad you sorted the issue.
Why don't you just have a peak inside the tap, there's not much to them. It could just be a little bit of crud in there stopping the flow, might save you some cash as well...
Paul.

[MrDavo]

I ordered the Pingel from Suzuki Performance Spares this morning, who replied to my query last night in minutes. So no point trying to improve or fix the PMC one. It is brand new, so not worn or clogged, and no blockages where I can see them.

Also I've been informed that, although dearer, they are sourced from the same Chinese source as the £15 ones, and are just as rubbish. I don't know if that's true, but others have tried and ended up going Pingel. I just want my Zed to be right, and get on with enjoying it.