Zed 13 has a tantrum !

It was all going so well :whistle: been busy this week:
i) just fitted a new cam chain tensioner: all now sounds nice and quite.
ii) then refitted my refurbed starter clutch (again) - now works perfectly.

So thought I would take my big Zed for a celebratory ride whilst we still have dry salt free roads over here in the UK.
Ive not been able to run my Zed13 for a couple of months due to her being sick - Ive actually been running around on my latest resto project a Vmax1200




Been impressed with this bike: really lovely engine.

Anyway, I was well pleased with how well the old Zed13 was going, smooth, fast and powerful; Ive missed not riding her and it was just like I remembered. Rode home with a smile on my face, until I came to wheel her into my garage and found the back brake had locked almost solid :ohmy:

Amazed I could not feel any drag on the wheel whilst riding: shows how much torque these old bikes push out.
Well I know what I will be doing on Sunday: and having reacquainted myself with the odd set up Kawasaki employed with how they mounted the caliper, I guess it will be a bit of a faff ! The joys of old bikes hey

On the bright side, the smoke wasn't coming from the valve seals!! Oh, and you lived to tell the tale. :side:

The 1300 rear calipers are not the best ever fitted to a bike thats for sure and often seize (especially in the UK climate).

Nice to see another 1300 owner with a Vmax............my other favourite bike which I am current riding too.

Pete F

I once had a problem with my rear locking on. I noticed it when I passed a shop window ad saw the orange glow from the disk. VERY WORRYING!

Like you say, I didn't even realise it was happening.

For me it turned out I'd badly adjusted the master cylinder (brake switch adjustment I think) and the fluid was not being allowed back into the reservoir.

zed_thirteen wrote: I once had a problem with my rear locking on. I noticed it when I passed a shop window ad saw the orange glow from the disk. VERY WORRYING!

Like you say, I didn't even realise it was happening.

For me it turned out I'd badly adjusted the master cylinder (brake switch adjustment I think) and the fluid was not being allowed back into the reservoir.

Excellent point Zed_thirteen. A lot of people don't know that the fill/release port (the tiny hole in the bottom of the master) needs to be open when the pedal is released, otherwise the pressurized fluid is trapped between the master and the slave cylinder.
The other oddity that catches people is when the master seizes up on the pin. Then one shoe is constantly riding on the disc. The big telltale of this is when you pull the brakes apart and one shoe is worn out and the other looks like new. (or slightly worn)

All stripped down, turned out to be the usual age related wear to seals and pistons causing the inner caliper to bind: not too bad a job to put right.
Cheers Tim