My KZ1300 project thread (photo heavy)

#4 area is cut out to allow removal of the thermostat cover an bolts.

The problem with loose pipe must be with the holder as long as the split collars are correct and the flange on the end of the tube hasn't been bent.

Tyler wrote: #4 area is cut out to allow removal of the thermostat cover an bolts.

The problem with loose pipe must be with the holder as long as the split collars are correct and the flange on the end of the tube hasn't been bent.

I don't really know how it would be possible to fuck up the split collars or holder. That said, next time I get a chance I'll pull the holder and collars from another pipe and see whether the problem is with pipe #5 itself or with the holder/collectors.

Thing is, everything seems to measure up right. I have to be missing something obvious.

Hey, in the intervening couple weeks I've made some progress!

For the loose exhaust pipe, I swapped the holder and collars from a pipe that was tight. Still loose on #5 -- damn, it must be the flange. Lacking the desire to reshape the flange, I simply made a spring from .035" steel MIG wire wrapped around a 7/8" bar and then slid over the pipe. It works like a dream.

I had some things to fix on my Honda CX500 Turbo, so that took up my morning. This afternoon, though, I set up the cooling system. The thermostat and its housings, water pump cover, radiator, etc. all went into place. They'll likely have to come off again as I'll want to pull the pipes to TIG up an exhaust after the collector, but I need them installed to test-fire the bike.





I have a coolant overflow bottle on order. I was going to make one out of either stainless steel or aluminum, but then I found one pre-made and anodized blue for $18. At that point it's worth it just to buy the vessel!

Guys, it's been two years.

This was the last thing I needed to make before test-firing the bike.

I have a battery on order. Next weekend, god willing, I'll fill oil, coolant, and press a switch and see what happens.



This is a temporary panel, but perhaps similar to what I'll make in final. I have a bunch of this 8ga or 10ga stainless laying around, and it was easy enough to plasma-cut a quick dash.

I will have toggles for fan, lights, mains, and start. I have a separate start switch on order that is a flip-cover momentary switch; this one is there just as a placeholder.

I have the wiring mostly sussed out and am running wires for the new loom. I'm also taking copious notes along the way so I can make a proper wiring diagram.

There are some other things I'll need to do (where do those hoses go from the top of the valve cover? How about the one coming up from the crankcase?) before test-firing, but things are moving forward!

You can do away with the hoses on the top of the rocker just blank the ends of the small rocker covers, there an American thing we don't use them in the UK, just put the whole gubbins in the bin.

Well, setback.

I'm finishing up some wiring today, but it's time to add fluids so I filled up oil (holy crap, 4.6L? Jesus!). Good. Filled up coolant. . .and it started leaking at the head gasket on the outside of the block.

It was leaking fairly uniformly around the perimeter, which signals to me that the head bolts aren't torqued correctly.

I pulled the valve cover off and will go back and loosen and re-torque the head bolts, this time with a better torque wrench than I used last time. Hopefully that will solve that problem!