Project "Thomas Conde" - zx600c

[goodfornothing]

Hello brethren,

Short intro: I'm a starving college student and have built two bikes before, one being a cb450 cafe racer and an 89 cbr600 hurricane cafe fighter. It's been quite a while since I've been bikeless and I recently purchased an 89 zx600 last week for $300! Not currently running, gets fuel, but carbs might need a cleaning since it was sitting for about 8 months. Haven't checked for spark yet. The bike however was running before it was stored.

ON TO THE PICS

How she currently sits. Every clutter in the subframe removed.

So tomorrow I'll be cleaning the carbs and trying to start her once again. The plan is to either go with a bobber seat or make a small tail. My build is heavily inspired by NeverEnough's kawi. I'll be modding the current subframe to make it smaller and weld on the supports closer to the tank. Fuel evap system has been removed already.

I already ordered parts to swap in a zx600e swinger and rear wheel. Just waiting on eGay sellers to accept my offer for the wheel lol. I'm hoping to get this thing running and somewhat complete by next month or so. This is going to be a somewhat of a budget build, so go easy on my arse!

Enjoy! ;D

 

[Bozz]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

I've got those forks and triples on one of my builds.


I'm not too cracked with the handle bars, though.


I"m interested if you keep them or mod to a more standard riser system.


I have been planning a riser conversion for a while, but may change front ends entirely so I have not yet pulled the trigger.


Nice score for $300!

 

[MotoMadness]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Cool project

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

I've got those forks and triples on one of my builds.


I'm not too cracked with the handle bars, though.

I"m interested if you keep them or mod to a more standard riser system.

I have been planning a riser conversion for a while, but may change front ends entirely so I have not yet pulled the trigger.

Nice score for $300!

Thanks ! I might keep them or get clip ons and mount them lower. Maybe eventually swap in USD forks for shits and giggles. But I might swap it for a 95 zxe front end, has a 17" wheel to match the rear. I'm just trying to keep it at a reasonable budget though.

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

So I cleaned the carbs today, made sure I could see through each jet and that carb cleaner got through each passage. Just now I put the carbs back on and checked for spark, which I have. The motor turns over and I am getting fuel to each carb, but the darn thing just doesn't want to start. There is a fuel filter on there, but I'd rather have it on there right now because the tank is rusty. My vacuum ports on two carb are not blocked off. One goes to the fuel tank and one is properly blocked off leaving two open. I'm going to block those and check if it could be an air/suction problem.

Any input?

 

[spotty]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

to save money on the bars conversion, is it possible to swap sides and turn them upside down? instant clip-ons!!!!

 

[Big R]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Any input?

Are the spark plugs wet after trying to crank the motor over? Check the battery for proper voltage, check the valves, and compression test would be on my list.

Great bike for the price!

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

to save money on the bars conversion, is it possible to swap sides and turn them upside down? instant clip-ons!!!!

Haha I wish it were so! But the clip ons are bolted onto the triple from the bottom. I'll be converting to a zx6e front end (better suspension) and it's pretty much the same thing.

Are the spark plugs wet after trying to crank the motor over? Check the battery for proper voltage, check the valves, and compression test would be on my list.

Great bike for the price!

Thanks man. The spark plugs are not wet. I'm using an old battery hooked up to my car's battery, but shouldn't it be getting the right amount of voltage right? I'll be getting new sparks today and new vacuum caps for the carbs. Possibly a new battery as well tonight to have to ready by tomorrow. I'll do a compression check when I changed the sparks tonight. Man I missed the joys of a non-running bike lol.

On the bright side, My swing arm and wheel swap parts are pretty much complete. I just bought an 03-04 636 shock to replace the zx6c shock. Just need to get this bad boy running!

 

[Chimera Moto Works]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Haha I wish it were so! But the clip ons are bolted onto the triple from the bottom. I'll be converting to a zx6e front end (better suspension) and it's pretty much the same thing.

Thanks man. The spark plugs are not wet. I'm using an old battery hooked up to my car's battery, but shouldn't it be getting the right amount of voltage right? I'll be getting new sparks today and new vacuum caps for the carbs. Possibly a new battery as well tonight to have to ready by tomorrow. I'll do a compression check when I changed the sparks tonight. Man I missed the joys of a non-running bike lol.

On the bright side, My swing arm and wheel swap parts are pretty much complete. I just bought an 03-04 636 shock to replace the zx6c shock. Just need to get this bad boy running!

Running power from a car battery thru an old bike battery doesn't sound very safe/smart to me. It may be perfectly fine, but a cars batter, its cranking amps are going to be a Lot more powerful than recommended I would think. Being an 80's bike I assume the carbs are vacuum based. If the plugs aren't wet, they aren't getting fuel properly, which could be issues with vacuum leaks not distributing the fuel properly. You could try removing the fuel line/tank and spraying a Light amount of starting fluid into the carb mouths/air box and see if that makes her spit some, and if so, you know you have an issue between the fuel and the carbs.

Good looking project. Whats the deal with that broken front fender? I need a more "modern" yet era-specific fender... but if I want to truly stick to the projects goals, I should probably use one from 83 and under :/ Got any "modern" front fenders laying around? Plan to use that broken fender?

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Running power from a car battery thru an old bike battery doesn't sound very safe/smart to me.

Good looking project. Whats the deal with that broken front fender? I need a more "modern" yet era-specific fender... but if I want to truly stick to the projects goals, I should probably use one from 83 and under :/ Got any "modern" front fenders laying around? Plan to use that broken fender?

Thanks for the great advice. As far as hooking it up to a car batter, I did this with my cb450 and worked fine. However, the car engine is never running when it is connected to the motorcycle battery. I haven't had the time yet, but I'm going to cap off those vacuum ports on the carbs and maybe it'll help with fuel flow to the carbs. Also I overlooked the mixture screws on the carbs. They might be screwed all the way in, that's why it's not idling. I have an essay to finish up, but once that's done I'll report back to the thread!

 

[Flugtechnik]

89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

GFN! Welcome back! Like the bike.


END OF LINE

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

GFN! Welcome back! Like the bike.


END OF LINE

FLUG! Thank you! I missed this place, man. MOAR UPDATES SOON TODAY

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Got the bike to run! I'll upload a video tonight

Carbs open and cleaned

Parts that came in for the swinger swap

So I think the bike may be running a bit lean. I turned the mixture screws on the carbs out by two turns, so I might turn them in by a half once I get em off again. There was also a noticeable amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust and from the headers. I'm wondering if the smoke is from all that built up gunk from sitting that's burning up. ALSO, revving past 6k - 7k rpms causes a little bit of backfiring.

Here's a picture where the smoke was burning off from the headers. I'm guessing that bolt could be the oil drain? Looked as if a little oil could have leaked at that area from sitting.

I'm thinking about getting a stage 3 jet kit and individual K&N filters for the ease of taking the carbs off. Hmm, don't know for sure yet.

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Let it run for a bit just now and all is well. No more smoke from the exhaust or the headers. Just oil that got burnt up. I am however running a bit rich, so gotta tune that down and the build commences!

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Okay brethren, finally somewhat of an update.

Got some goodies in the mail yesterday:

zx6e rear wheel with hub and sprocket. I'll be able to slap on a 160 tire woowee!

Dirty ass zx6e swinger. This'll give me a stretch of about an inch.

636 Shock

Gauges. Pretty cool little device, haven't had time to wire it yet.

I ground off some stupid tabs on the tank and ended up with a couple small holes to fill in. I also played with the idea of making panels for the ugly ass indents. However, I won't be doing this mod. I originally planned on welding the tank myself, but I just don't want to risk it. I'm bringing it in to a radiator shop to see if they can get the holes welded up for me, then I'm going to de-rust the inside with vinegar.

And here's a photochop mockup of the rear end. I'll be welding on a subframe like this one and keeping the stock seat, but shaved down. Budget derp ftw!

I also shortened the stock exhausts by half, haven't had the chance to hear em yet but I'll see. This saturday I'll be fitting the rear end on. Wish me luck!

 

[Flugtechnik]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Should be fun!

 

[VegasChinois]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Finish Buildin' it, Fire it up & Ride it like Ghost Rider-w/ ur hair on fire!!!!!

Lookin' Good Bro!!!!

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

Should be fun!

Can't wait to get it done!

Finish Buildin' it, Fire it up & Ride it like Ghost Rider-w/ ur hair on fire!!!!!

Lookin' Good Bro!!!!

Thanks man! Hahaha I plan to pour gasoline all over myself, light myself on fire, and go for a joy ride on this thing!

So I got quoted $100 for the guy to weld up the holes in my tank. Fuck that! Lol so I just found a decent tank on ebay for $54. That money could have gone elsewhere, but I guess you just have to pay for your fuck ups in life lol. Front end swap should be coming in next week, so that means I need to also put an order in for tires!

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

I'm going to try my hand at clay sculpting/molding. Instead of using sheet metal to even out the indents of the tank, I will be using clay, then fiberglassing over it. I'll also be rounding out the tank at the top by adding a hump to give it a more PHAT look.

25 lbs of clay for $17 on amazon just ordered! Hope it's enough lol. The waiting game begins...

 

[goodfornothing]

Re: 89 zx600c - Giggity Fighter!

A new week, a new opportunity to DW 8)

On to the pics!

The nice UPS guy dropped this off. Wonder what it could be...

Chopped the exhaust and welded the caps back on because derp.

Here's a comparison of the stock shock and the 636 shock. 636 is a good inch + longer than the stocker

These are the top mounting bolts for the shocks...

...which led me to this for over an hour . Haven't used that drill press in a long time, but now the bolt fits nicely. I'll have to shave down a bit from the sides of the inner tube of the shock where the bolt goes through so it'll fit into the stock shock mount.

I shaved this thing down the same amount on both sides to fit the new beefy swinger in. The stock swingarm and accessories look like toys compared to the new one. Pics of that will be posted another time.

This is how it fits, mind you, I don't have the swinger pivot bolt for the zx600e swinger and I'll have to make a spacer out of a poly bushing. The plan is to keep the hole centered to where the shock will mount. :

Another pic with my greasy finger prints on it

IMPORTANT SHIT

Now I have to figure out the chain alignment once I have everything situated. I measured and I'll need an offset sprocket of about 8mm - 10mm to line up with the guide. I haven't measured with the wheel on yet but I need some info on where to get offset sprockets and the compatibility it will have with my bike. I also might have to notch out the frame a wee bit for the chain. Let me know what you guys think.

Another reference picture.

New tank and clay should be in this week so I can start working on it. Gonna get some tires mounted as well hopefully by the weekend, and maybe I'll have a roller. Oh and BTW, my birthday is this Friday so BOOYA!