Motorcycle Repair: Kawasaki ZXR 400
Repairing a motorcycle that is several years old often seems out of reach. If you are hesitant to get started, follow the example of a forum member who took care of his Kawasaki ZXR 400. Engine, frame, fairings: almost newer than when he left the factory 17 years ago!
“Sometimes it happens that we start a little crazy project with know-how that we don't have, but this project is so close to your heart that you still take the plunge ... In this case, motorcycle restoration, my motorcycle, ZXR 400 1991 release ". When it is necessary to replace the cylinder head gasket on this Kawasaki, not very common in our area, Slay, a member of the Moto-Station forum, decided to give a youthful life to the engine of his sports car, but also sports car. to the clothes and for the benefit of the users of the resort.
Engine, frame, fairing: Repair complete.
“Cracked paint in places, except for the mirrors, a few touches of obvious bad taste (blue anodized accessories on a green background), but all bills from the date of purchase, which is quite rare ... There are already several restoration projects, so I decided to do this work myself, with support a few friends and a Moto Station, and take the opportunity to make a few aesthetic changes that I've dreamed of before. ”
“So we are in the first chapter of this showdown! Therefore, the purpose of the operation is to remove the engine block from the frame to replace the cylinder head and base gaskets. Therefore, for this, it is necessary to remove the body parts… Nothing complicated at the moment, but still some recommendations: to get started, get small, labeled freezer bags that will allow you to store the parts separately. High resolution photo of each dismantled element, it is very often used for reassembly (for example: clutch cable, was it above or below the bottom crown?)…”
“Once the camshafts have been removed, the chain wear can now be checked. To do this, the repair manual specifies the minimum and maximum dimensions between several links. Lay the chain on a flat surface and measure it with a double decimeter…”
“Who doesn’t have cracks on beautiful fairings? Who has never seen these cracks grow, sometimes even to the point of losing an element along the way. Here are some examples of hulls being repaired... Probably a dropped fairing, blown polyurethane, broken mounting bracket, relief left by a removed decal, I start with a dab of wet sandpaper (600 grit) to clean the surface to be welded... Same with the carcass: you always should paint parts parallel; Follow the contours of the room with a gun, keep a distance of 20 cm ... Then let dry indoors, away from dust. The varnish will dry to the touch in about 30 hours. ”
“And that's it! The few neurons collected for the occasion can now leave, they deserve it. You have no doubt understood, the project has come to an end... The bike rolled over yesterday, it even allowed itself to fry a little... I am obviously not a mechanic and the methods presented are mine (I encourage you in addition to complete this guide with your knowledge) . ”
All this very detailed reconstruction you can find in the section Technical and mechanical forum. Here are two photos, the first is taken at the beginning of the project, and the second is at the end. Between these two, several hours of work to restore the Kawasaki ZXR 400 to its original condition, with a result worthy of the effort.
