Kawasaki Zephyr 550

Spanner

Spanner

New Member
Well, here's a story. I was at a friends house for a party recently, and out of his kitchen (because that's just where you end up at house parties) window this is what I see;
10985173_980464848644726_7975963341478767425_n.jpg


I ask him why it's sat there and he just says 'was my dads, he left and doesn't want it, you can have it if you want it' - Long story short I returned the next day with a friend and pushed it (with a flat front tire, and no brakes) the 8 miles home, and it's now sat out the front of my house half stripped for cleaning. But I actually am not really sure what it is? I don't have the paperwork (as of yet), however I'm pretty sure it's a 550 zephyr, can anyone confirm this?

Anyway, I'm not really sure what I wanna do with this, But I'll keep you guys updated
 
Re: kawasaki zephyr 550 (I think)

Sure looks like a Zephyr 550, it's got the elliptical rear axle adjuster.
 
Re: kawasaki zephyr 550 (I think)

Right, thanks :) I know it looks pretty bad (especially as these bikes have a reputation for corrosion) but it's actually not too bad. The tank is in near pristine condition (the actual metal, not the paint) and the frame is just covered in surface rust. I'm thinking a bare metal tank, then a flat brat style seat, and wrapping the headers in exhaust tape


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: kawasaki zephyr 550 (I think)

Here's where it sits as of today, got the loom, and most of the other stuff off ready for a good clean. Engine will be coming out tomorrow. I also flipped the Renthal bars that were there to give me and idea of the riding position with clubmans on it. As I got this with no carbs, can anyone recommend a set of carbs for this bike? Or are the stock ones the way to go with this?

11149514_981494425208435_3473483419886279837_n.jpg
 
I would definitely not put clubmans on it. Those Renthals are going to be much better to ride with. As for carbs, since you have none, you have options. Stock carbs for that bike (or similar) should be easy enough to find. You and Google need to spend some quality time. Zephyrs are cool bikes. Looks like you have your work cut out for you.
 
Thanks for the advice about not putting clubmans on it. The issue I have with the renthals is they bend away from me slightly, which means to grip them I have to bend my wrists in a really weird way. Stock carbs are easy to find, but I do want to run pod filters on this (I'm aware they're a pain to get the bike running correctly with) so was wondering if there was a better option for that?
 
So, dragged the girlfriend in to clean up the pipes with an angle grinder and wire brush attachment, while I tried to lift the engine out on my own. This didn't happen, so I shall be getting help from someone with big beefy arms tomorrow :p

Sorry, this is the only pic I have from todays work

11081493_982018125156065_759621285002032953_n.jpg
 
Spanner said:
Thanks for the advice about not putting clubmans on it. The issue I have with the renthals is they bend away from me slightly, which means to grip them I have to bend my wrists in a really weird way. Stock carbs are easy to find, but I do want to run pod filters on this (I'm aware they're a pain to get the bike running correctly with) so was wondering if there was a better option for that?
Click to expand...

Don't know what style Renthals you have or what shape they are in. I like the Renthal Road Low bars on my ZRX, it's sort of an uncle to the Zephyrs. The clubman thing is fine if you move the footpegs back and lower to match otherwise the riding position will not make you happy unless you are really oddly proportioned person. Look for a bar with closer to stock but a an inch or three lower.

As for how the stock 550 Zephy carbs work with pods, I can't say for sure. . If you are going to run pods, don't buy the cheap ones, get real K&N's. Rough estimate on a properly rebuilt set of original style for your bike is probably between 550-750$ and some shops require your old carbs which you don't have. You could also call Sudco and order an aftermarket set of flatslide direct pull Mikuni's. They'll run right with pod filters. Tell them your bike setup, pipe, normal riding altitude, etc and they'll build you a bolt on setup.

Or, get a used set off Ebay and rebuild them yourself. That's almost always less expensive.
 
I was planning on changing the peg position, my bad I forgot to mention this. And I will most likely be buying a used set (or finding the originals in my friends shed) and rebuilding them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Spanner said:
So, dragged the girlfriend in to clean up the pipes with an angle grinder and wire brush attachment, while I tried to lift the engine out on my own. This didn't happen, so I shall be getting help from someone with big beefy arms tomorrow :p

Sorry, this is the only pic I have from todays work

11081493_982018125156065_759621285002032953_n.jpg
Click to expand...


Just a suggestion.... Instead of lifting the engine out of the frame, try laying the engine/frame on it's side, and lift the frame off of the engine. It's much easier.
 
.......how did I not think of this.......


Thanks for the advice, even if it probably was something I should've worked out myself
 
Sat here at college trying to did a source for replacement bolts (pretty much all of them need replacing). Does anyone have a source for these?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OK, so here's today's progress. Thanks for the source, however I'm in England so that site is fairly useless for me, sorry I should have said. Got the engine out (sprayed all the bolts/nuts in WD40 to try loosen them up for tomorrow) and started to strip the tank. I did find a lot of filler hiding dents under the nice looking tank, however no rust, so that's good. This does mean I am most likely on the lookout for a replacement tank (something with cut outs for the knees would be nice).
11407_982600628431148_8471220978290822330_n.jpg

11138176_982600648431146_4305945580258367853_n.jpg

11130270_982600661764478_1725073708379134461_n.jpg
 
Two photos from today. All I managed to do before I had to go to work today was take a peek at the top end, and it seems to be in pretty good condition considering how long it had sat before I got it

11009139_983225381702006_8758209765521022058_n.jpg


11040587_983225415035336_5416721628023476013_n.jpg
 
Spanner said:
Sat here at college trying to did a source for replacement bolts (pretty much all of them need replacing). Does anyone have a source for these?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I've used a few suppliers on ebay, they have all seemed very good.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTORCYCLE-STAINLESS-STEEL-KAWASAKI-Z750-ZR750-ZX750-STAINLESS-ENGINE-BOLT-KIT-/361250055546?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item541c2e657a

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A2-Stainless-Steel-Socket-Cap-Screw-Allen-Bolts-M4-M5-M6-M8-M10-/150846401601?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=450086745031&hash=item231f256c41
 
Thanks for the link, I'll certainly be using that some point soon. Not much got done today really. I started de-tabbing the frame(I'm putting all the stuff I cut off/remove into a bucket to see how much weight I saved on completion). Just waiting for payday now so I can purchase an air compressor and sort out soda blasting the engine and callipers/slave cylinders
 
Not sure yet. I may just give some of the covers a nice polish. At the moment, I'm not planning to paint the engine, but I also know I change my mind a lot


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DTT Light or Dark

  • DTT Light
    • www.jadusmotorcycleparts.com
    www.lostapostle.ca/
    www.sparckmoto.com

    Spread the Love

    Back
    Top Bottom