Let’s install the Yoshimura ST-1 cam along with the oil-cooled maintenance.
The stock cam was in good condition. There’s a little bit of scuffing, but overall the condition is excellent.
We’ll replace the front chain slider. It should be flexible, but it was already stiff.
We’ll replace the idler as well. It’s still usable, but I have a feeling it might be discontinued soon, so we’re going ahead with the replacement.
Of course, we’ll replace the rocker arms too.
We thought we could get away without it, but not this time. We’ll slot the cam sprocket to get closer to Yoshimura’s specifications.
The cam lobes have sharp edges, so we’ll deburr them. The Yoshimura cam has additional oil passages on the lobes.
We’ll also polish the breather cover.
On to the oil-cooled maintenance. Generator damper replacement. The condition was appropriate for the model year.
The engine damper is slightly worn. It wasn’t too bad.
The case-side wear is moderate—good news. By offsetting the lobe position, the case will last longer. And if we seal it with grease during assembly, vibration-induced case wear will be reduced.
Next, we’ll synchronize the carburetors.
We’ll replace the grips with our favorite Kawasaki OEM grips. Since they come with sleeves, it would be wasteful to throw them away, so let’s use them.
If you’re adapting the throttle, you need to be careful.
• Check the winding diameter
• Verify there’s enough slack in the throttle cable
• Confirm the throttle-off stopper makes solid contact.
It ends up being a bit of a high-throttle setup. Surprisingly, this adaptation turned out pretty nice.
