Procrastination Ended
I have been meaning to write a book about procrastination, but just kept putting it off. Much like I have been putting off fixing the niggling faults with the Z750 which showed up on the last ride. I know they need doing but just find other more important issues to deal with, like eating too much.
I awoke this morning to a lovely sunny day, just right for riding motorcycles, and just as good for fixing them. As Graham my workmate kept telling me, it wouldn’t take long to drain and fill the forks to the correct level, and to maybe push them through the yokes a little so they are the same length as the originals. So spanners in hand I set about the simple task.
Firstly drain the old oil from the forks, an easy job on the left hand side, just undo the drain screw, and wait while it drains. It didn’t drain. So undaunted I removed the top plug from the fork, and then the oil drained out of the hole at the bottom. I set up a bottle with the mark at a level indicating 165ml and poured in some fork oil (actually hydraulic oil) to the level ready to pour in. Refitted the drain and poured in the oil. I struggled a little to get the top plug back in, it has to be forced against the spring, but not too hard. One side done.
The right hand fork should be just as simple. I undid the drain plug screw, or rather turned the screwdriver which promptly chewed the cross out of the screw leaving it round and useless. After swearing at it had proved to have no effect, I slotted the head of the screw with a hacksaw and used a flat head screwdriver to undo the offending article. Removing the top bung saw a torrent of oil run out from this fork leg, much more than I’d have expected.
While I waited for the oil to drain I measured the oil out. As soon as the drips stopped, I fitted a new drain screw (new as in old from another fork leg) and refilled the fork and refitted the top bung. Immediately I could feel there was more movement in the front suspension, and it still damped the spring on rebound. Excellent.
Next I measured my old bent fork and, having loosened all the clamps, moved the fork on the bike (they are longer ones from a Z650) up through the yokes to equal the height of the originals as this should improve the handling a little by changing the rake, and the wheelbase slightly. Carefully measuring both sides to get the lengths the same, I clamped the forks in place and checked them again. Now the steering geometry should be as Kawasaki had intended it.
Next I removed the speedo to change the bulbs, then realised I didn’t have any only to notice a set of clocks in the boxes under the bench. Bulbs removed from those were fitted, tested and the speedo refitted in it’s bracket.
I was just about to stop work on the bike to check my daughters punctured bicycle tyre when I decided to check the tyre pressure on the Twin. OH! 10 psi is not enough for this bike at the front, so some legwork with the footpump was required to bring it to a more reasonable pressure. I checked and pumped up the rear tyre too. Note to self, check tyre pressures more often.
With all the work done I decided I should treat the old Kawasaki Z750 to a clean and polish. She scrubs up ok for an old un. Then it was out for a quick test, and all the work seems to have paid off, the handling feels better and the bumps are being smoothed out much better. All in all a very productive day.