Pig of a bike to start but once running it was superb. After 150 km it was looosening up and I was starting to have some fun.. These thing vibrate like hell! I lost a couple bolts and screws (including newly rechromed indicator bolts, damn), the shifter’s linkage unscrewed itself. You do need a good check and a tool pouch.

Sadly once I arrived at home, it cut out. It wouldn’t idle. The next day when I wanted to go back to Lausanne, it was impossible to start, even after a 4km downhill run. It would run but be impossible to keep running.

My diagnostic: shot center crank seals… Another rebuild is looming.

Thanks to Guy who tookthe initiative to invite all known Kaw triple owners of the region at his house before a ride-out in the Gorgeous country side… plenty of unknown road to me.

Of course, my S2 couldn’t get plated in time, so I showed up with my daily bike, a Yamaha DS7, with only 4 gears and very short sprocket ratios… and a bent frame as was discovered by the local Guru at top of the Molendruz pass. Never mind, it did the bike lots of good trying to catch up with 2 H2, Guy, always the polite type, stayed behind me to make sure I wouldn’t get lost.

I went down after coffee at top of the pass and they went on to clock up  another trouble-free 150 km (with the exception of a nearly lost baffle). All the gang then came down to my workshop for a cold one before going back home. A brilliant and simple day of fun.

Thanks Guy!

Hopefully next year (or next time), we’ll get a few extra people and bikes.

At Guy's house in Bottens

Top of the mountain!

It was the first bike I bought to restore, 12 years ago. I caused me no end of troubles. I got to meet the worst parts suppliers in my life. I got  to discover the lack of honesty of a lot of bike shop. I also learned a lot from the  bankrupcy law (one shop closed on me while the bike was inside). The paintjob screwed up twice and the side decals are all skewd and varnished of course… so I can’t ven remove them. The frame was powdercoated and then we discovered a crack in the footrest plate when we kicked it over… the peg just fell on the floor.

The list is endless. The one good thing is that it put me in contact with the world of internet forums. You’ll find on almost all the two-strokes inclined forums under ither the nick “spike” or “motowasabi”. I couldn’t have finished this bike without their help.

Motor has been rebore to over over over S2 bore, the liner is so thin I am not sure it won’t distort and seize the super expensive pistons (from Brétille, a F1 piston maker). Everything mechanical is new, it’s got a Boyer ignition and this made us discover the stator was bad. Even with all that it still hasn’t got a new crank… It is a bad joke. I have the blinkers but didn’t bother mounting them… they need chrome and I’ve already spent a fortune on stuff like that. I mean the bike is jinxed!

Of course even with a fresh battery the bike wouldn’t start… I should have known better. I pushed it down the avenue and it started like a charm… The sound of them triples is very addictive! The oil lines check valves had obviously let a fair bit of oil, so the thing smoked like a Nebelwerfer. I thought the ace bars looked good (don’t they?) on the bike, but I had hard time adjusting to them. Thank God, the brakes, after all the time spent on them, allowed me to stop at the red light at the bottom of my San Francisco style avenue… major crossing ahead. There was a bit more taffic at this hour, so thought it better to go into the industrial zone to warm the motor and get it rid of the oil. I thought it was a smart move…

My tach is slightly-delic, it would go past the red zone. One more thing to check. Motor, even not run-in, would pick up revs and launch you down the road. The sund gets really crisp and is like nothing else in the world. I was starting to enjoy my new found Triple Owner status. For a moment, I thought the jinx had disappeared. I was wrong.

Of course as I went up and down the road, I didn’t notice a silver Kangoo parked… on my return trip, up jumped a policeman… Radar… 74 in a 50 zone. Cursed, I tell ya. After 12 years of work (on and off, I got so pissed at the bike), countless dosh splashed at it, a 1’000$ fine and the loss of my license, it’s only done 5 kilometers… I’m going to torch it!

Needs to be done:
General check all over the bike.
Repair tach
Fit blinkers for safety’s sake.
Fit new non-rusty acebars.
Get the motor to spew out the oil, I mean it needs to be ridden.

This one will get plated chop-chop… so I told the policeman.

Part # = 41034-007
Part Description = FRONT BRAKE DRUM ASSEMBLY
Model Count = 13
A1 N/A 250 SAMURAI DUAL PURPOSE 
A1SS N/A 250 SAMURAI SS DUAL PURPOSE 
KH250-A5 76 250 KH250 STREET 
S1B 74 250 S1B STREET 
S1C 75 250 S1 STREET 
A7 N/A 350 AVENGER DUAL PURPOSE 
A7SS N/A 350 AVENGER SS DUAL PURPOSE 
S2 72 350 S2 STREET 
KZ400 74 400 KZ400 STREET 
KZ400D 75 400 KZ400D STREET 
KZ400S 75 400 KZ400S STREET 
KZ400-S2 76 400 KZ400 SPECIAL STREET 
KZ400-S3 77 400 KZ400 SPECIAL STREET

Thanks to III from the KTW Board

“NTN still list their EC bearings as available- these have two orange plastic rings in their outer races which took up any difference in expansion between bearing outer race and crankcase. Kawasaki used them for their road racers such as H1-R, H2-R and KR750. H1-R cranks used all-roller main bearings, and later apparently switched to cranks with small main roller bearings and large main ball bearings; I have seen one such crank brand-new in the original box.
For the H1, you would require three EC6205/C3, two EC6305/C3 and one EC6305N/C3.
For the H2, three EC6206/C3, two EC6306/C3 and one EC6306N/C3.
For S series, three or five (depending on whether you have a four-bearing or six-bearing crank) EC6305/C3 and one EC6305N/C3.
For the A1/A7, three EC6305/C3 and one EC6305N/C3.
ONLY NTN make these bearings, so be sure to specify NTN when ordering from your friendly bearing supplier.
EC, by the way, stands for “Expansion Compensation”.

The roller bearings for the H1-R are the NTN ECNJ205G1/C3 and ECNJ305G1/C3, and these may also be available, but these are FILTHY expensive………”

This solves my problem of finding good enough bearings for the A1R… now where to get them?

it is finally at the painter’s… and the paint I ordered is WRONG! 
Painter is closing shop Friday next week for 3 weeks holidays…

I need also a weld (this Saturday hopefully) and new seals in the petcock or a new petcock.

Odds are I should be riding the bloody thing this summer???!! 
or it will probably catch fire when I start it!

Advice to wannabee restorers: never, NEVER start with a Kawasaki Triple restoration!!! 
My 400 D took me less than 6 month from start to finish and I ride it everyday…