We need to make progress on tasks we can do before the move. The reason is that the tool layout and arrangement won’t be decided right away.
Especially rental wash stands will be returned once, so we can’t even wash parts during that time. I worked today with things a bit tidied up, but it’s just a bit awkward, making it incredibly inconvenient. I felt that.
So we’re going to overhaul the front fork like this.
Oil leaking from the front fork! Let’s overhaul it.
If it wasn’t leaking, I was planning to use it as is… But as expected, it’s started leaking gradually.
When I removed the dust seal, it looked like this. It’s definitely showing signs of fatigue.
The front fork clips on Kawasaki Z-series are a bit difficult to remove, so if you make a tool like this modified flathead screwdriver, it’s convenient.
Rotten eggs? It has a smell that makes you feel the era.
To be honest, I’ve never smelled rotten eggs… But there was something like that in toys a long time ago, right? The bad smell series?
If anyone can relate, please let me know.
The oil seal press-fit area is also getting jagged, so I’ll clean it up nicely.
Inner tube polishing, bottom case wet blasting
The inner tube surprisingly comes back to life when you polish it with a lathe and then with Scotch. The bottom case was revived by wet blasting the entire surface.
Old parts like this can come back to life with just a little effort. But this front fork might be best left alone after this time.
It’s not in the stroke area, but the plating condition of the inner tube isn’t very good. Next, the bottom case basically wears at the bottom.
Front forks from this era don’t have metal in the inner tube, so the aggressiveness toward the bottom case is high. When the bottom case wears excessively, symptoms like “stem bearing play” can appear. For now, let’s overhaul it and use it until it leaks. *I think it won’t leak much though…
Preparation, preparation, preparation – a simple upright fork
I put away the V-block, so I did a simple measurement. There was no runout, so we can feel reassured. I also cleaned up the cylinder rod threads nicely. This needs to go in smoothly by hand, or it’ll be a bit of a problem. The cylinder rod bolt is M10-P1.00. When overhauling, I want to replace this bolt with a new one.
And just like that, it’s complete! A simple upright fork is really the best, isn’t it? (*´ω｀*)
Didn’t they have flanged bolts back then? I finished this with Honda genuine flanged bolts too.
Thinking about the brake master position issue
The Z1R has an unexpectedly bad mounting position for aftermarket brake masters due to handlebar width issues.
Should I change the handlebars? Or temporarily extend them? Or just install them as is and make do?
I agonized over this three-way choice for several days. Thinking if it were my own bike, I’d probably extend it temporarily to test it, so I decided to extend it. I feel like when you make choices based on the “if it were my own bike” logic, you make fewer mistakes.
First, I really hate rubber fixing, so I’ll machine M5 to M6. Next, since the handlebar inner diameter is 17Φ, I’ll cut the insertion part a bit.
Thinking about it later, wouldn’t it have been faster to make it from an aluminum round bar? I thought that too. But the reality is I only have aluminum round bars 30φ and larger right now.
It’s better to be able to adjust where you grip the lever
So I extended it like this. Since I’m extending it with a bar-end type, there’s a lot of freedom. It’s even possible to revert to the original.
I think where you grip the brake and clutch levers is also important.
If you grip the outside of the lever, you get “light force with powerful effect,” but “stroke distance increases.” If you do the inside, it’s the opposite. Adjusting the lever left, right, up, and down with high freedom increases the fun of operation.
Adjust the lever position to maximize the effect of the currently installed master, and adjust it to your preference, and riding becomes even more fun.
I was thinking of making the brake hose continuation, but… I ran out of fittings and had to order again. To be continued.
ポチップ
