Round 4, FOAK: 1982 Kawie KZ550 C3 LTD Restoration Options

 



Thank you for all your help so far.  My goal is to keep my Kawie out
of
the grave as it nears thirty years of age.  It certainly has been
neglected in every imaginable way over these decades.  I intend to
give it a "Progressive Rustoration" which is to fix something, ride,
fix something, ride, etc.

I used the advice from the FOAK to reduce the force needed to turn the
throttle.  It worked.  I was amazed at just how much friction had
built
up in the old cables and I also discovered that one of them was
breaking individual stands of wire.  Two new throttle cables and it's
like riding a new bike!  I also replaced the clutch cable.

I can also advise all that using UV or black light oil leak finder
works! It's also inexpensive. I have now pinpointed the exact location
of the leakage and am confident that I can repair without doing too
much or too little.  It's also inexpensive.

As for the pod type air filters that we discussed, I did install them
and it seems to run just great.  The air box/runners to carbs
configuration that was original leaked unfiltered air into the carbs.
The plastic runners had simply hardened because of age and would not
seal to the carb necks.

The pod filters offer one benefit and that is ease of priming.  Now
that it's getting colder the old bike needs a little help in cold
starting so I simply spray the exteriors of the two outboard pod
filters with WD-40 or carb cleaner from a spray can and then hit the
starter. It starts instantly.

The front tire has a very slow leak.  It's tubless Dunlop and the rim
is alloy.  I have replaced the core in the valve stem twice and have
sprayed the tire with soapy water in hopes of finding the leak.

My question to the group is this:  Does "Slime" or other brands of
tire sealants work?  Maybe I should just bite the bullet and teach
myself how to change a tubless motorcycle tire.

Hoping to hear from you and my best to TOG, his kind words of advice
and gracious encouragement are always the antidote to discouragement
as I struggle to keep this thirty year old Kawie up and running.

Biker Dude

 



I do not recommend using Slime or its competitors.

As I've said many times before, Slime can cause corrosion and pitting
of aluminum rims over a period of time.


I put Slime into a flat tire and then that tire with the Slime in it
was stored for
seven years. The rim had very noticeable pitting when I removed the
old, hardened tire, so I used a spare wheel when I mounted new tires.


I put Slime into another wheel when the tire was punctured. I didn't
have time to ride that machine for two years and when I installed a
new tire the Slime had started removing the paint  from inside the
rim.


Since the propylene glycol medium used in Slime is slightly caustic
at
around
pH 8.0, that may be the reason for pitting. Also, moisture in the air
inflating the tire may contribute to corrosion.


If you pay attention, you may notice that glycol-based brake fluid
will remove paint from your brake and clutch master cylinder where it
weeps out around the
cover gasket.


The aluminum body of the master cylinder will also corrode.


I first learned about the corrosion problem in a motorcycle NG when
an
ATV rider complained about how Slime had actually eaten holes in his
spun aluminum wheels.


Slime requested that he send the wheels to them for forensic
analysis,
and there was some talk about whether a batch of Slime had been
improperly compounded.


Now, consider glycol-based anti-freeze, which is known to corrode
aluminum and steel parts of an automotive cooling system.


Manufacturers of anti-freeze add buffering chemicals to neutralize
the
pH of the coolant, and the buffering chemicals get used up over a
period of a few years.


One of Slime's competitors claims that they do add buffering
chemicals
to their tire sealer.


As to the claim that Slime will somehow help balance a wheel,
consider
what material actually seals leaks.


It's not the propylene glycol, it's a lint-like fiber and that fiber
will initially be carried to the leak by the glycol.


But clumps of the fiber will gather around the leak and the glycol
will dry up over a
period of time and the clumped fiber can be enough to cause a severe
imbalance of the tire.


When you remove the tire from the rim, the fiber stubbornly clings to
the rim and is difficult and time-consuming to remove.

 

wrote:

Really? You admit you are an idiot? That's a first. Green Slime WORKS
and is safe for your rims...unlike you I DO stuff I don't wiki for all
my knowledge then screw up the relay of information. You are a hack
and a fraud.

 



Keith's the kind of asshole that gives lifers in the peacetime
military a bad name.

 

wrote:

actually having been a lifer I know for a fact you are a lying piece
of draft dodging shit...and the only things you know about motorcycles
is what you've found on the net. Hacks like you get newbies KILLED.