Resurrecting my '79 KZ1300 from a 28-year nap

I've got the tank filled with apple cider vinegar now to address the slight rust inside of it. It's not bad by any means, but I figure I might as well clean it up a bit while it's sitting around anyway.

My fuel sender is a bit gummed up, but I do read resistance changes when I move the float. Would soaking that in vinegar be a good idea too, or could it potentially damage the sender? I've got the hole in the tank plugged with one of those expanding rubber freeze plugs at the moment.

Let's see...what else...

Ah, fork seals, I pulled the forks to replace them thinking they were leaking badly. They really weren't, there was just a bit of oil sitting around the seal. While I didn't have to replace them, I figured I might as well. I'm having a terrible time getting the bottom bolt out, so I've gotta run down to Ace at lunch and get the pieces I need to build the counterhold tool. Hopefully everything comes apart after that.



Had some good help in the shop last night too.

It's a stock chain tensioner so I'd let her beat it too. I'd have to have the last smash though.:side:

That's a cute munchkin and if I posted a pic of my granddaughter who's just turned 5 months old, you'd think they were twins. I'll have to see if I have a pic. (Of course the wife has hundreds !@#@!#@!#. Not sure if she would share.

Daddy duty are some of my most cherished days. My son who is now 30 and working in the oil well services as a youngster would eat damned near anything in a hurry if he knew that after dinner/ supper he and Dad would be working on a project. I'll know if the baby is a future KZ1300 member when I see the grease on her hands?

Yeah, she's helped a lot. She's almost two now and understands what screwdrivers and wrenches do. Start 'em young!







Ran home at lunch and whipped up my fork tool:





Just a piece of 3/4" tube, a metric bolt (M18 I thinkk?) with a 24mm head on it, couple tack welds, and a hole to slip a handle through.

Great success!



Gonna do the other one tonight now that I know what I'm doing, replace the fork seals, and reassemble. Fork oil should be in tomorrow, as should the master cylinder piston. Looks like I'll probably be able to ride it around the block this weekend.

Yabba Dabba Doo !!!!

Busy night in the shop last night...

I needed a tool to pull the fork seals out, and remembered a tech tip from Randakk's I read awhile back. The tool he describes here looked familiar to me. I had a brain wave and realized that the tool he describes looks exactly like a couple of v-belt tensioning brackets from and old Volvo, and I have tons of old Volvo junk laying around!

Dug through my hardware bin and whipped this up:







Worked like a champ, and doesn't risk damaging the forks.

Then, I needed to press my new seals in. I made a seal driver out of part of an old throttle lock that I never much liked.