Wonderings about the KZ 900

[cobra23]

Ok fellas..

Sometimes I think I am "blogging to myself", then I look at the number of views (lots) so this must be interesting to a few of you. Thank you for the interest, it really helps.

This weekend while you was all hav'n the fun, and I was sneaking up to the track on the Honda 90...during the Easter Family weekend....at great risk to life and limb...Mrs. Cobra23, and daughter Cobra23 were not happy when I suggested a track day instead of Easter Sunday with the family. By the way the top speed of a Honda 90 on ALt 95 running late for dinner is 53MPH...just a note.

I had to get the steering stop squared away, used a little Milling machine to machine a chunk of urethane to make a "soft stop". it really did not have anything to do with the fact that I miscalculated the lock to lock travel, and had to do something to shorten it...really nothing to do with that. :

I put the forks back on for the very last time, it's actually getting assembled..Wooo-hooo. Steve helped me find/order longer front brake lines (2wcp), thanks Steve!! Hopefully they will show up about the time that Bikini wash is going on.

Ok so thanks for motovating me by looking at this stuff.





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[cobra23]

Interesting ...

After I build all the stuff my wife wants......do the grocery shopping, clean the house, etc. etc.

run to Costco on Saturday mornings....

Do a track day now and then...

I was up until 4 am last friday night doing the steering stop gizmo.. (she was sleeping).

She is really a good woman, she finances the whole thing.

The tools I have been collecting for 25 years. I was employed as a Patternmaker at a Foundry in Washington, we had lots of bridgeports welders and cool stuff. Lots of very talented friends. ANNDD they is all much smartr thin meee!!

Now I works for a company that makes Machine guns, more machines, more friends that are even more smarter than me.

[cobra23]

  ahh yea!! of course, lets see started this bike in 2003, so should have the RC 30 in about 2014.

[cobra23]

Going to work on the rear swingarm Friday, shock mount. More machining with Ed, who has the best fresh roasted Coffee in Nevada.

[cobra23]

You keep showin me the "line" at Fernley, and I will have no choice but to help you build that RC 30

Thanks for the help on the track, I am now much more relaxed, a little faster, and having alot more fun!!

My camera battery is dead, soon as it's charged I'll post what we did today on the RC 30, ah oh yea I mean the KZ.

[cobra23]

Had many a nights whilestt tryin to sleep thinkin about how I would get the dirt bike caliper and carrier mated to the ZRX swingarm and axle, well it finally turned from pipe dream to "metal".

I had centered the front wheel to the rear wheel via a nasty looking jig I built one weekend. Evidence/witnesses of that jig have since been destroyed and silenced so as not to place doubt on my professional abilities. Lets just say it worked. There may have been some wood and Bondo involved though, I are after all "Patternmaker".

So the spacer width was cyphered from that jig. Then I had to center the Caliper on the rotor. The Rotor was machined to CR 450 dimensions, by Ed the toolmaker. Today Ed let me machine the 2 piece flange/bushing on his lathe...ahhh yes making chips again!! I miss that.

So to kinda prove the point that every litttle thing has to be reengineered,  thought I would post up a couple photos here on the e-mail machine for your entertainment, and/ or ridicule

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[cobra23]

Remeber there was only a little wood and bondo involved..it was mostly "steel" the jig that is.

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[cobra23]

That jig with no bondo or wood involved, yea thats right...well ok a little bondo and wood...mostly steel, yea thats right precision gound steel..yea the shiny stuff..yea no wood or bondo...no no..yea it was real pretty too you know all shiny and precise lookin with no wood or bondo in it ....... It got the two wheels lined up within .005"  Dawggee!!

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[cobra23]

This weekend the new front brake lines go on, oredered them from Steve at 2wcp.

you know the way it's going I may just be on the track this summer for a "shakedown".....the old KZ.......yea!!

[z1rider]

would love to see the KZ out there.

[cobra23]

I really .... really wanted a bike lift, but the cost for a good one is prohibitive.

For about 50 bucks I built one today. It is stationary, just a table of sorts. but I put the bike ramp on the back, like you would when loading, and just roll the bike up on to the table.

Really handy. thought this may give others an idea.



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[cobra23]

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh I put the front wheel on last night for the LAST time!!!

I know that sounds trivial, but when you 've had like three different wheels on and three different sets of forks, and you finally put the front end together for the last time, it's a really big deal.

WOOOO HOOOO!!

[cobra23]

Ever seen the Movie Gran Torino??

I feel like Clint Eastwood. I am proudly showing my Daughter this "thread", and all she has to say is ..hey!!..did you tell them I ge the KZ when you DIE??

Matter if fact I have been told I may be alot like the character Clint Eastwood plays in the Movie.

[n10sive]

Ever seen the Movie Gran Torino??

I feel like Clint Eastwood. I am proudly showing my Daughter this "thread", and all she has to say is ..hey!!..did you tell them I ge the KZ when you DIE??

Matter if fact I have been told I may be alot like the character Clint Eastwood plays in the Movie.

Well make sure your daughter gets the bike and not the kid next door! 

[cobra23]

Unicycle now with Brakes and cool brake lines.

And the neighbor kid needs to start mowing the dam lawn over there before he is even in the running!!

Steve at 2wcp took some wire I had cut to length amd some very crude redneck type specifications, turned them into custom lines that are exactly what I wanted.

Thanks Steve.

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