A new horse in the stable
There are many days—in fact too many days—where I feel like I’m the statue rather than the pigeon. I don’t know why it’s like that and frankly I don’t care. Okay, that’s not true. I definitely would like to know … Continued
Soda blasting on a budget
The motor on the ZN was crummy, although not as crummy as the wheels. I never ever saw wheels as dirty and heavily oxidized as the ZN’s. I started the cleaning at the rear because rear wheels are usually worse … Continued
Bobbing the tail
Fun stuff here! While the majority of the work up to now has been necessary or hopefully makes the ZN run better, bobbing the tail may be cosmetic for the most part but it’s probably the first thing people notice … Continued
Assembling an exhaust system (3 of 3)
Here’s the last of three posts on the exhaust system. This post deals mainly with painting something that can produce over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m painting the whole system—header pipes, collectors, cross-over and tail pipes. So, I’m getting straight to … Continued
Assembling an exhaust system (2 of 3)
Welcome back to the exhaust (go here for part 1 if you missed it). There was a slight interruption of progress here, but it’s back to it. First things first, close the holes that I purposely drilled into the exhaust … Continued
Installing shorter shocks
Back in the day, the 1100 Kawasaki was a muscle bike. It started for Kawasaki in 1972 with the Z1, if in fact I’m remembering the day. Built to be badass on the street, the early Zs were a force … Continued
Learning to MIG weld
Things can look so easy on YouTube or in the movies—kicking open doors, picking a lock, whistling real loud, drawing, losing weight, putting in contact lenses and so on and so on to infinity. I can add another ‘skill’ to … Continued
Assembling an exhaust system (1 of 3)
A good bit of basic or necessary work on the ZN is complete. There’s more to do but we’re closing in, slowly but surely, on fun stuff. For instance, the exhaust is ready to be constructed. Since this can be … Continued
What to do?
Maybe it’s because this is my first build and I haven’t figured out a sweet spot, but this project is in a constant state of stop and go. At least it’s not as irritating as sitting in rush-hour traffic while … Continued
Replacing gaskets and fixing oil leaks
I really don’t like to tempt fate or put a jinx on the works but…the comedy of errors involving cylinder #2 is over. Since retrieving the lost shim and fixing the broken cam cap, I’ve been busy buttoning up odds … Continued