The Zephyr Zone

related question - looks like the left side vent on my CA 550 tank has hole in it somewhere inside the tank - fuel is spilling out the vent orifice. I thought having that vent open to atmosphere was important, but this thread leads me to believe I can just block it off. Daftrussel - is the gas cap ...

It’s looks perfect! You are one big step closer.
Now you can measure for the clutch release mechanism shim.

As for the scratches on the crank, if you can feel them with your fingernail, then you may need a professional to polish them out. But if you can’t feel them, then they are superficial and can be polished out with 800 grit wet&dry. A final clean with Acetone is mandatory. (Yes, it sounds insane,...

Spend an hour and lap the valves to the seats. Since you already have the head apart it is good practice to lap them in just to verify they all are sealing perfectly. The valve lapping tool and paste is super cheap in the scheme of things. If it only has 3600 miles on it, absolutely, positively do n...

Nice work with the measurements! Something else I forgot to take in to account is the amount the release mechanism has to travel outwards in order to disengage the clutch. I know on my 750, the full release movement of the pressure plate was only 2mm. So according to your measurements, when the clut...

Fishrider, I see exactly what you mean. So I went and measured both kz750 and zr-7 transmission input shafts, and they were both 68mm long from the case bearing. The 550 input shaft was 62mm long. So that is 6mm less shaft for the clutch release mechanism to ride in. The question is, how much of tha...

You are correct, If the case has no markings and the crank has no markings, then a blue shell is used.
Blue shell thickness- 1.498~1.502mm thickness

I also should have congratulated you on the progress you are making!
Keep up the good work!

As i'm sure you are aware, the bearing color codes (thicknesses) are determined by the bore in the cases and the crank journal sizes. Kawasaki would measure the journals on the crank and stamped specific markings into the crank webs to denote size. (not all the journals would be exactly the same siz...

I just now saw this......use quality rubber plugs exactly like the vacuum plugs on the carbs. Other types of plastic or rubber plugs will become brittle from exposure to the gasoline fumes. As long as you reuse the locking gas cap from your other tank, it will have the pressure equalization ports (v...