This might be a bad idea: the evidence

MY wife told me a few weeks ago "you should do things, not just say you want to. it's a good example for the kids" i'm pretty sure she meant i should start a business that prints money, or win the lottery but hey, TOO LATE nOW!?

I'm attempting the dirtbag* challenge again this year.
Last time I tried, my bike wouldn't start the day of the event, because fuck you electricity!

This year the thing already runs but I need to clean the carbs because it doesn't stay running, so there is a good chance it won't run on The Day, again.

Anyway. Maybe this thread will help me stay on top of the thing. if anyone has parts or tips on where to get stuff i'm all ears.

cliffs notes:
-subject bike: 1979 kz1000E from right here on barf
-basically stock
-4-1 header supertrapp exhaust
-pod filters (new from seller, who stole the airbox for a different bike he restored (looks awesome btw))
- ~38k miles on it
-shaft drive (yay, don't need to buy chain and sprockets)
-lots of oxidation, probably don't care. chicks dig oxidation even more than scars don'tchyaknow?

definatley needs
-dmv sorted out. no title, out of the system... fingers crossed. i've never actually done this before because it's usually not worth it.
-tires
-carb cleaning and jetting (see pods and 4-1 exhaust above)
-something custom
-better rider
-i have never moto camped before let alone in november
-wtf, that seat has to go
-6 more people to work on it
-battery or battery eliminator kit because the kick start lever is on the way!!!
-fork rebuild
-rear shocks

probably needs
-carb intake boots

*for those unaware, the cliffs notes of the rules for the challenge are thus: (at least they were last year, this year so far indicates similar)
-2 months to build
-$2000 budget
-3 day ride: 1: [ride, camp] 2[ ride, camp] 3[ ride>burnouts and beer] i'll probably skip the beer because it gives me gas.

pictures from today.
in the truck:

Carburetor rebuild kit is $40 + new fuel filter and that bike will run like a champ.

/Soren

Reminds me I should get my 750 Turbo running. Scotchbrite pad will take care of a lot of the oxidization.

Have you looked inside the tank? Before you even touch the carbs take a good look for rust inside the tank so you don't wind up contaminating the carbs.

Good thing it doesn't have anti-dive also =P

Hope you have good cold weather gear camping in November can get chilly even in the desert.

Dirtbag Challenge is now a thing? I DEMAND credit for all the effort I, and others, made during the 1970's and 1980's when junkyards provided parts and crescent wrenches were multi-tools.

Regardless, have fun with duress out there. I did.

That seat gives the bike CLASS.

nice patina!

Had a little time to get into the carbs today. I'd post pics but the internet is conspiring against me. Server errors and odd behavior. Lame

Floats, bowls, jets all look decently clean but both pilot and main jets are too small for pods + exhaust according to internet wisdom. "Correct" ish jets, along with some gaskets and rubber buts are on the way.

Float valves also are in good shape. I think someone has been in these recently. No varnish at all, float pivot pins also came out without any fuss.

sjuels said:

Carburetor rebuild kit is $40 + new fuel filter and that bike will run like a champ.

/Soren

Click to expand...

$40 each, and has the wrong jets /reality

HadesOmega said:

Reminds me I should get my 750 Turbo running. Scotchbrite pad will take care of a lot of the oxidization.

Have you looked inside the tank? Before you even touch the carbs take a good look for rust inside the tank so you don't wind up contaminating the carbs.

Good thing it doesn't have anti-dive also =P

Hope you have good cold weather gear camping in November can get chilly even in the desert.

Click to expand...

Definitely get the turbo running.

Tank looks good and gas that i flushed through comes out clean. Super happy

Pushrod said:

Dirtbag Challenge is now a thing? I DEMAND credit for all the effort I, and others, made during the 1970's and 1980's when junkyards provided parts and crescent wrenches were multi-tools.

Regardless, have fun with duress out there. I did.

Click to expand...

Has been for like... 10 years now? Itll be fun

Bust out the fiberglass and make an MFP replica

Those were good bikes; many police bikes of that era were that exact model because they would run forever. They would sell them after 100K+ miles. You sure that's not 130K miles? Hmmm...

Take a good look at the oil when you change it for metal bits. As long as you kept the cam-chain tensioner tight, & the valves adjusted it should be fine for lots of more miles and miles and miles...

edit: also the steering head bearings likely need replacing. Get an "All Balls" bearing kit is what most of us did...https://www.allballsracing.com/index.php/forkconversion

^^ You're missing the point of the dirtbag challenge.

Only 3 things matter:

Make it run, make it crazy and make it home.

augustiron said:

^^ You're missing the point of the dirtbag challenge.

Only 3 things matter:

Make it run, make it crazy and make it home.

Click to expand...

This. Basically toss everything that's not needed to make the bike go or stop, then make a bunch of crazy mods. All while spending as little as possible. Bonus points for combining parts of multiple bikes from different manufacturers

Now that's a Gentleman's Dirtbag bike.

I haven't heard much of anything thru my grapevine about DB this year. There's usually at least the build and ride for participants.

Any sort of after party is very low key, hush-hush at this time.

how about more than just teaser pics of the truck

BARF and i are disagreeing about uploading pictures at this time. maybe it's my phone that updates and breaks shit all the time.... anyway, untill i figure that out pics of any kind are unlikely. the truck will probably be at dirtbag though, because i'm hedging my bets like that

Still not having luck on pics.

Bike runs, idles. Some turd completely butchered the carb float heights and that made a YUUge difference.

It smokes like a 2 stroke on e warm. It's coming out the baffles, so I'm not completely convinced it's just oil that landed on the pipes. It apparently had a leaky oil cooler at one point that has been deleted but not cleaned up.

I will not buy expensive shiny parts....

https://www.z1enterprises.com/delkevic-kz1000-e1-e2-shaft-79-80-4-1-s-s-exhaust-system.html

well, still no photos via mobile but the show must go on, so transfer to laptop...

dirty vs going to clean them up a little. i'm going to leave the black part all corroded because of that jungian juxtaposition thing


my helper/motivation


painted the pipe after wire wheel and some degreasing the smoke seems to be gone... of course it's BBQ paint so that might burn off eventually under the rust was "SUPERTRAPP" so it's a decent pipe even if it's super rusty. it's still strucutrally sound at least.

i was able to take a spin around the block to look for massive issues. there are non. plenty of little ones. also, i did a "proof of life" burnout. giggle


up next in unknown order:
-rear shocks
-customize
-fork service
-brake service

Burnouts > brakes

Putting a tasty pair of aluminium body konis on there by chance?

augustiron said:

Burnouts > brakes

Putting a tasty pair of aluminium body konis on there by chance?

Click to expand...

if they had the pin on both ends i would. silly honda fitment has clevis on lower end. if i strech my thinking muscle might be able to figure out a simple adapter though. i have some harley shocks lined up that should work, but are a bit shorter than ideal... at least the springs won't be cut

I thought you could weld