The Bikeshite Thread

[gtd2000]

Had a look at a little Zephyr 550 the other day and going to see about making a deal on it tomorrow.

 

Bike is in very good nick for a 1995 machine but it's got a rusted exhaust.

 

You'd think you could pick up a decent exhaust for not a lot of money but they are having a laugh with the price levels on eBay for rusted and dented used items!

[DodgeRover]

Had a look at a little Zephyr 550 the other day and going to see about making a deal on it tomorrow.

 

Bike is in very good nick for a 1995 machine but it's got a rusted exhaust.

 

You'd think you could pick up a decent exhaust for not a lot of money but they are having a laugh with the price levels on eBay for rusted and dented used items!

Where is it rotten? If it's just the silencers you could fit generic pattern items. Motad used to be good for after market systems - I have one on my cb900

[Eddie Honda]

Motad went tits up didn't they?

 

('again' removed as I can't find any details of issues back in the 90s and may have mixed that up with Micron or summat)

[strangeangel]

Motad went tits up (again) didn't they?

 

Website seems to be active.

 

http://www.motad.co.uk/kawasaki-z550-zephyr/

[Eddie Honda]

Aye they went down in March and I see Birchill's bought the assets

 

https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/birchills-buys-motad-assets

[gtd2000]

Where is it rotten? If it's just the silencers you could fit generic pattern items. Motad used to be good for after market systems - I have one on my cb900

 

It's rotten in the collector area and then also blowing at the back/underside end of the silencer.

 

I've got a Motad Nexxus system on my 86 GSX-R.

 

The trouble with the Zephyr Motad system, is that it looks like the crappy styles from back in the day but as mentioned above they did go bust earlier. Looks like £330+ for one if available or if you prefer EU pricing levels, £600 will get you this:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTAD-Auspuff-Exhaust-Kawasaki-ZR-550-Zephyr-91-99-ZR550B-Edelstahl-INOX-NEW-/262755537307

 

There's not a bad looking system made by Delkevic but don't see a 550 variant on sale...

 

[PiperCub]

Motad went tits up didn't they?

 

('again' removed as I can't find any details of issues back in the 90s and may have mixed that up with Micron or summat)

 

Micron certainly did some years ago, don't know if they've ever re-surfaced as I don't bother reading any of the bike press. 

[Eddie Honda]

I used to get Northern Biker years back and there was always a Carl Fogarty News around to read at work. (Also the Riders' Digest.)

[5speedracer]

It's rotten in the collector area and then also blowing at the back/underside end of the silencer.

 

I've got a Motad Nexxus system on my 86 GSX-R.

 

The trouble with the Zephyr Motad system, is that it looks like the crappy styles from back in the day but as mentioned above they did go bust earlier. Looks like £330+ for one if available or if you prefer EU pricing levels, £600 will get you this:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTAD-Auspuff-Exhaust-Kawasaki-ZR-550-Zephyr-91-99-ZR550B-Edelstahl-INOX-NEW-/262755537307

 

There's not a bad looking system made by Delkevic but don't see a 550 variant on sale...

 

Have you tried Blackwidow, formerly Sandy Bike Spares? Not listed but worth a call.

 

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk

[DodgeRover]

Feck! For that money I would be wanting another bike! How about having a system made up for it?

[UltraWomble]

Bollocks frozen on the ped of doom

 

Still iced up after a 6 mile ride

 

[Guest Hooli]

Reminds me of the days I'd turn up at work 11 miles from home with the clocks still totally covered in frost on my 14.

[PiperCub]

Or the fun to be had on my Bandit 600 when carb-icing reared it ugly head. (Nearly as dangerous as when it happens in an aircraft engine.....).

[Jerzy Woking]

I occassionally get offered bikes that look good value (i.e. cheap) as the seller can't retail them in their shop because of age, or because of x,  y or z.

 

Usually the x, y or z reason is that its exhausts have rusted through at the collector box or header pipes (end cans can be replaced with ebay Akrapovic copies at £30). Second hand replacements systems can't be obtained , or the cost of a new system is 60% of the cost of the bike. Or there is no one making replacement systems, which more often than not is the case.  And although there are people that make one off systems,  they are not cheap.

 

Other issues aren't that problematical, as lots of bits around because bikes are broken for spares as the cost of an exhaust does not make them viable to repair.

 

 

[strangeangel]

Or the fun to be had on my Bandit 600 when carb-icing reared it ugly head. (Nearly as dangerous as when it happens in an aircraft engine.....).

 

I've only ever had that happen on a Honda 90, and that was bad enough!

[Guest Hooli]

Or the fun to be had on my Bandit 600 when carb-icing reared it ugly head. (Nearly as dangerous as when it happens in an aircraft engine.....).

 

I had 'carb' icing on my GSX14, it happens just the same on a injected bike. Climbing a pass in the Pyrenees with only the two inner cylinders running was fun*. Probably my fault for picking an interesting looking pass to get to frogshire without thinking March is ski season...

[Dave_Q]

I occassionally get offered bikes that look good value (i.e. cheap) as the seller can't retail them in their shop because of age, or because of x, y or z.

 

Usually the x, y or z reason is that its exhausts have rusted through at the collector box or header pipes (end cans can be replaced with ebay Akrapovic copies at £30). Second hand replacements systems can't be obtained , or the cost of a new system is 60% of the cost of the bike. Or there is no one making replacement systems, which more often than not is the case. And although there are people that make one off systems, they are not cheap.

 

Other issues aren't that problematical, as lots of bits around because bikes are broken for spares as the cost of an exhaust does not make them viable to repair.

Is there a business opportunity there then, for a company with a pipe bender and a reasonable welder to make replacements for oddball stuff without charging $$$?

 

I've got rid of that CBR600 now but you can get new stainless downpipes for that for about £200, surely you could make something custom for not much more with the right fab skills?

[Guest Hooli]

I think you'll find that once you add up the costs, labour, tools etc then you might as well make stainless just like all the other custom exhaust places.

[Cavcraft]

Not that I've actually ridden it recently, but I got my tool box door wrap through for my Scomadi recently and my mate fitted it for me

 

 

very tempted to have the spare side panels I bought done next.

[plasticvandan]

Found a rare full fairing for my MZ,only problem is its in Preston (I'm in Worcestershire) and don't have a car(if I did I wouldn't want a full fairing!) and he won't post,shiply isn't coming up trumps,cost more than the thing is worth,so I'm stumped at the moment

[strangeangel]

Found a rare full fairing for my MZ,only problem is its in Preston (I'm in Worcestershire) and don't have a car(if I did I wouldn't want a full fairing!) and he won't post,shiply isn't coming up trumps,cost more than the thing is worth,so I'm stumped at the moment

 

AS Pony Express? I'll help if I can.

[plasticvandan]

Didn't know whether that might work or not? I'm not too familiar with the concept,but if you think it could be a way then I'm interested

[strangeangel]

Well, what people seem to do is put a shout out on the open forum for someone in the area where the item is who could collect and house it for a bit.

 

We defo have members in Lancs so if one of them can help, it's a question of when they're going somewhere in roughly the right direction for it to get to you. For example, I'm in West Yorks, so it might be that someone could drop it here, and so on, and so on...

 

As long as you're not in a mad rush for your fairing this often works!

[Cavcraft]

Party Marty Micra Lord lives in Preston AND he likes rubbish two wheelers. 

[bezzabsa]

^^ Didn't they morph into RF's???

 

Don't know about the 600 but the RF900 was a very under-rated bike, a now-deceased friend of mine had one, it was bloody fast and comfortable to ride. 

Nope the RF was liquid cooled, did share some components, as most manufacturers did..

I owned a RF600 and they are a quick bike..I fitted Bandit headstock and bars to mine as I couldn't stand the riding position..also owned a GSX750F facelift, VERY understated machine and a great engine donor for a rapid bandit project..(quicker than 1200 IIRC)  

Guy I know in Derby has a RF900 and has posts on youtube on various RF tips n tricks "Derby ram" is his youtube monicker i think

[bezzabsa]

Not that I've actually ridden it recently, but I got my tool box door wrap through for my Scomadi recently and my mate fitted it for me

 

scomadi door2.jpg

 

very tempted to have the spare side panels I bought done next.

thought you'd swapped this for the 'blade??

[gtd2000]

Feck! For that money I would be wanting another bike! How about having a system made up for it?

 

After I get the bike on Monday, I'll see about taking the exhaust off to have a better look. Was speaking with one of my pals that thinks brazing might be an option for it.

 

When I had a look at the bike last night, the collector area wasn't as crispy as I was expecting. That opinion might be revised once it's removed from the bike of course...

 

Thing is, the bike is generally very corrosion free, everywhere else, the exhausts must be very low grade to begin with.

[Guest Hooli]

Took a few more bits off my Bonnie today, it now looks like this -

 

 

With all this on the kitchen worktop

 

 

I have found the way I got the conrods repaired last time hasn't worked. Standard the gudeon pins run in the rods with no separate bearing, I believe the hole has a white metal coating from new. As one of the pins had seized and ruined that I got the small ends bored out, A10 small end bushes pushed in & reamed to fit the Triumph gudeon pins. Unfortunately the LH one has moved, it's migrated towards the middle of the engine & turned so the oil hole in the top isn't aligned. I could see this being a big failure if I hadn't found it early.

 

 

Now I need to decide if I can get these bushes pinned somehow or replace the rods which won't be cheap.

[DodgeRover]

Could you use needle rollers?

[Guest Hooli]

Possibly, if any fit. Being an imperial hole I don't suppose any jap bits would go straight in though.

 

I'd rather stick to roughly the original design/period mods as one of it's jobs is that it's not modern and complicated. I'll speak to my neighbours who build custom bikes from scratch as a business, they'll probably have an idea. My thought is a bit of tube in the oil hole to lock it all in place, but I don't know the best way to retain it.