Picked up a KZ 750 LTD yesterday...

1980 KZ750 LTD.

The seller was nice enough to post this video before I took a look at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC2emtrz ... r_embedded



The PO said he had the carbs professionally redone and is in need of a sync. I feel it is something more, how professional can a carb mechanic be without a sync tool?


Today I put some gas in to start it. It did start but it seemed like one of the cylinders was not firing. Sure enough when I took the spark plug out to check for spark, I got a fountain of gas shooting out of the spark plug hole. So I decided to remove the carbs and it is in time to make sure the carbs are done right. After taking a look the float bowl in the first carb, I found a lot of heavy sediment.

I am thinking that the tank liner (I assume) is of poor quality and is gumming up the system and leaving the carbs stuck open.

Is there anyway to remove the liner? Maybe muratic acid?

 

My understanding is that when a bad tank lining starts to give way, it comes off in fairly large rubbery pieces. In any way, I think both Eastwood (www.eastwoodco.com) and POR-15 (www.por15.com) sell lining removal kits.

Since you had max gas in 1 cylinder you also need to plan for an oil change.

Looks like you also got an aftermarket front fork brace (over the fender).

You might also want to go to the KZ Rider forum (www.kzrider.com) for all things KZ.

Not sure how you want this project to look in the end, but I have 1 OEM rear turn signal stalk; about 70mm from base (where it meets rubber mount) to its end so you could end up with a matched pair... Also have a very good chrome fender for the leading-axle KZs. Shoot me a PM if you're interested.
edit - never mind on the fender as yours is not leading-axle.

 

What is the point of the front fork brace?

Ill measure my turn signal stalk and I can go from there. Thanks for the offer!

 

The fork brace is to help the two forks move together. Without one there is quite a bit of flex. Getting rid of the flex improves handling.

 

Ah I see.

I am still looking for suggestions for tank liner remover. I saw something about using 10 % ETHYL METHYL KETONE ( MEK) and 90% Xylene, any thoughts of that?

 

i hear straight MEK, the mfg. may have a remover i think you can tell by the color what kind it is

 

Well it is kind of a off white color, possibly Kreme? I have a few chips. I guess I could get some MEK if it works on the chips

 

Man, that can be a nightmare trying to remove old liners. I've done a few and it seems like what happens is guys with very little experience don't use a "practice tank" but do their prized tank first time out cause they either don't want to spend the money for a junk tank and extra liner kit to practice with or can't afford to. Then, what happens is they apply the etching agent but don't clean the tank properly first because they are in a rush. Like Zap said, it usually comes off in large sections....except for the parts where the etching did it's job out of sheer luck. There, it comes off in tiny bits clogging filters for 6 months<LOL>. Since there are still a lot of KZ Torque Monsters out there, what about replacing the tank for cheap? I'd check out a ebay or CL tank. You might find one with a nice clean interior for a only a few bucks more then a liner kit.

Just a thought.....

jeff

 

That's what I was thinking as well. I found a guy on craigslist who has a tank for a 78 but he never got back to me. He was only wanting 25 dollars. Last night my father was able to get his hands on some concentrated hydrochloic acid. I may give that a try but hey if I get a gallon of acetone for around 10 bucks and it works, I only spent 10 bucks. If it doesn't work its not the biggest loss. I might try something with it today, Ill post pics of the progress.

 

i think straight white vinegar will peel it.

 

Another option is to take the tank to an automotive radiator shop and have them "boil" it out. Unfortunately this will probably require a tank re-paint afterwards.

 

Extremely hazardous stuff; use nitrile gloves and OSHA particulates mask in a well ventilated space.

 

Update on this; Acetone worked, but was pretty slow. After swishing around 2 quarts separately, I used a little bit of electrolysis, gave up, and threw in the muratic acid. Worked like a charm, and I am happy to see the tank is very solid.

 

Whew, that's a lot of chemicals that a splash of could have ruined your day. How did you protect the paint or did you use the pour&wipe method?

It seems that I have "issues" when it comes to using chemicals....I usually manage to spill some in some unintended spot. I recently had a drop of acid find it's way around a pair of safety glasses then over my regular glasses and into my left eye....an open container of clean water within reach prevented any long term damage.

jeff

jeff

 

Ouch, that sounds like to was incredibly painful!

As far as protecting the paint, I use a lot of duct tape around the opening to the gas tank as well as grocery bags taped over it. I may have spillled some on it but I am not sure quite yet. I have been trying to not get anything on the paint but it has become such a tedious task, I kind of stopped caring since whoever did the liner last time spilled the acid down the left side of the tank.


Oh another thing I did try was to keep certain things powdered with baking soda so any acid spillage would be neutralized quickly. It seems to have worked well because I didnt have any other cap except the chrome one available for it.

Ill get some pics after I do a light acid wash to get rid of a bit of flash rust I got in it now from taking it to the car wash haha