|
Kawasaki
ZRX1200
Typical service:
Valve adjustment
Oil/filter change
New spark plugs
New
air filter
Replace chain and sprockets
Replace tank
Repair headlight bracket
Service hydraulic clutch
It's always kind of frightening to see things sitting in
pieces.
Inside the sprocket cover was 20K miles of crud. Problem
is, to get the cover off, you first have to take off the clutch actuator, which
is kinda a pain, so this area doesn't get cleaned much. You can't even see the
shift rod in the lower right.
Hydraulic clutch actuator - pretty much like a brake caliper. Zip-tied it
to keep the piston from popping out and strapped a block of wood between the lever and bar, to prevent
my own stupidity.
Before it could be cleaned, it had to be scraped.
Finally, there are shiny parts.
20K miles on the old front sprocket (left). I didn't think I'd ever get the
nut off. Breaker bar wouldn't do it. Breaker bar and a 3-foot pipe wouldn't do
it. Impact wrench wouldn't do it. So I bought a bigger impact wrench. That did
it!
You can see the wear better close-up.
Chain was replaced with the same brand and type. Just for kicks, I laid 'em
out on the bench.
Lined up the pins at the beginning.
By the end, the old one was about half a link longer over the course of 120
links.
Lightly used rear sprocket is an aluminum carrier with a steel ring. Looks
pretty cool. The old one was aluminum and well-worn.
Back together.
The bike also got a nearly perfect new/used tank to replace the dented
original. The petcock (right) is a vacuum type that's prone to leaking past an
o-ring and into the emissions plumbing, which opens into the crankcase and mixes
with gas and oil. Since everything had to come apart, a new o-ring is a
no-brainer. That's the fuel level sensor on the left.
The petcock seals to the tank with an o-ring. This one is kinda used up. The green paint
is from the tank.
Petcock apart. It operates off that rubber diaphragm, which was getting a
little stiff. Kind of a hinky design. In the end, it got a new, old-school petcock -
the kind that requires the owner to turn it on and off.
Obviously, the seal around the tank was a little leaky.
On to the big job - adjusting the valves. Cam cover comes off. It got a good
cleaning.
Scary bits inside.
Crankshaft. Rotate counterclockwise only!
Cam and valve shim in place.
Rocker arm slid to the side and rested against the shoulder of the cam. The
outside shims were easy to get to. The ones on cylinders 2 and 3 in the middle,
not so much.
Reassembled. Amazingly enough, it started right up.
Return home
| 