ChrisNI's Z1000 rebuild

[chrisNI]

As some of you might know my 1000 A1 has been pending a major revamp for about the last four years. A lot of it was good and had been sorted out over the years, but it needed a top end re-build because it was quite noisy, the frame was horrible because it hadn't been painted in twenty five years, (see pic in the photo album - '82)and I'd always thought the engine was a bit rumbly - it sat for a number of years '83 until about '91 - so I'd always wanted the crank looked at. I'd been gathering up bits for ages and have been having some bits made, quite literally for years, so it's in for a new front end and back end, but it's like pulling teeth getting stuff back from the machinists.

The bike's been off the road for about two years now, but I hadn't started dismantling it until I exchanged the Dresda arm with Paul for a ferry ticket on the way back from Dipper's 2005 Welsh Rally in the forlorn hope I'd soon get some shiny new bits, but once it had been sat on concrete blocks for what seemed like ages I decided I may as well pull it apart so I dismantled it in about September 2006.

Now it's actually starting to go back together! Still a few bits to sort but here's where we are.

This is the bike when it was still on the road a few years ago on holiday in Scotland:

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This is what it's like just now:

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Frame's cosmetically quite horrible - like my garage.. It's going off for a bit of welding, new shock mounts, and a powder coat within the next week. Hopefully my brother will pick it up from my garage while I'm at Donno - he's got a powder coater near him plus he's ging to weld the new pins in for me before he takes it there. If the pins bloody come - they should have been here weeks ago...

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Much elbow grease and swearing they're still not Steve Smethurst crankcases but that's as good as I'm realistically going to get - plus this isn't going to be a coffee table Zed - so we'll move on...
New crank - old crank:

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I was lucky to get this crank from Martin Newberry at Psycleworkz for less than it would have cost to rebuild mine and it's welded and lightened - it's aMk2 crank so needs different camshaft sprockets and chain but the rotor off the A1 should still fit. Going to get some of Martin's billet engine plates too when we get that far - shortly I hope. (He gives Z1OC club discount...)

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Not much progress really but we're going forwards instead of backwards at last.
This is the rear end which I got back a few weeks ago

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This arm's the same width as the 1000R arm but it's about 5mm wider than the old arm which means it's not quite a straight fit on the earlier frames - but hopefully it'll not be too troublesome. I'll post pics of the solution when it's in.
The arm's going to be powder coated black too - Fer has a black one on his 1000 and Padders recent pics prove my long held theory that the old shape bikes suit a black arm, the lawson/gpz types can carry a shiny arm better - that's just my theory.

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Wheels are Zephyr 1100 spokes which I was really lucky to get a few years ago. The bike had spokes on it when it was new but they were replaced with alloys in about 1979 so the new much fatter wheels are kind of going backwards and forwards at the same time.
Not much will happen for the next day or two with Donington this weekend but now we're moving - yay. Target for completion is the far away but scarily close in many respects Scottish Rally in August.

(Those last half dozen pics were taken on my phone because I couldn't be arsed to go in for the camera - apologies for the quality...)

To be continued...

[paul doran]

it is finally coming together for you Chris
and I look forward to seeing the end result

[Jeff Saunders]

It's looking good.

[davejames]

Nice to see it going back together Chris, looks good so far

[Ed Z1-R]

Chris,nice to see the odds n sods bein nailed together
Its lookin a real Beaut

[Rich]

Chris - check out the alt rotor taper before you go to Donington - I think Mk2s have a different angle to z1000s. You may be looking at a rotor and cover etc as well.

[chrisNI]

A cursory glance suggests you're correct Rich - a few people had told me they thought the rotor would do but I hadn't actually checked yet. Which proves that this forum is a great idea as you can get helpful advice and the answers to questions you hadn't even asked yet.

Thanks for that I'm on it.

[Pigford]

Good stuff, great read (& viewing). But must admit, Padders garage is a cut above your messy old gaff! Snigger.

[Padders]

Looking good Chris like the spoke wheels with the ZRX1100 swingarm.

[paul doran]

I hope it continues to go well Chris as my MK2 just seems to go from one problem to the next

[chrisNI]

Seeing my garage is such a shit - tip this week I have moved the frame to my brother's slightly tidier workshop to avoid any further criticism from Pigford. Once again sorry for the dodgy pics still using the phone

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Next step is to cut out the shock mount pins to put in longer ones...

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.. and to strengthen this up a bit - the metal these are mounted in seems surprisingly weedy although when it's all welded together it seems reasonably solid. However a bit of beefing up won't do it any harm

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So here's one of these tacked in place it will need welded all round

Next step is to cut off the current grabrail brakets and put on something more like the originals which were removed a few years ago in a bit of spring cleaning. I need these because I'm putting on original style indicators again to make up for all the other mods - when the bike was more standard it had mini indicators. Need a grabrail on to line them up - the grabrail is going to go inside the shocks now instead of outside

The grabrail/indicator mounts are being made up from some off an old 250 frame which was conveniently lying on a heap of scrap out the back of Jeremy's workshop. They're the right shape to take the indicators but tthey're a bit smaller so they'll need a bit welded in to get them low enough to be in the right place. I'm angling them forward a bit so they stick down the minimum amount to clear the bodywork and be neat. I always thought the standard ones were a bit agricultural.

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Now we're getting places. Soon be off to powdercoat...

On to the next problem - note: if you paint your engine black it's a right bastard when you decide seven years later you want it silver again...

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More shortly

[davejames]

Looking good, I like the spoke wheel set up too. What section tyre are you going to squeeze in then Chris ??

[Pigford]

Yeah, that rear spoked wheel & disc set up is interesting! Whats the score with that then Chris

[phil churchett]

As a real challenge Chris, i reckon you should Streetfighter the C15 in your bruvs garage!

[Pigford]

Phil, that Beeza is actually a streetfightered D14 Bushman!
This 'Project' section is ace.