Kawasaki GPZ500

Got a lot on at the moment, I don't normally share my project threads as usually the bikes belong to others and Ive just had a heavy input. But thought I'd share with you this...

It's a 1987 Kawasaki GPZ500 I got for... Well... For free

It was running up until recently when its water pump packed in... However when the last chap who owned it fixed it, he couldn't get it started again. A friend of mine bought it but felt swamped by the task so gave it to me.

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1401.jpg

I'll update every now and again, I have a Yamaha FZR600 project going but it stalled as the cylinder head was too warped to skim so i'm working around that issue currently. I'll consider firing up a thread on that when it gets back as it has a host of R6 components to go on it.

Let me just lay some ground rules first...

1. If you see me do something "wrong" don't be an arse. You know what I mean. Some people tend to be very attacking when they give advice.

2. If you have an advice I'm all ears! Any info at all is great!

3. This is a modify project. It will not be a restoration although that's what I'm doing to it first... Expect a lot of hacking and slashing!

So I have a 1987 Kawasaki GPZ500 with 50,000 miles on the clock. All things considered it is in better nick than an old 400 I once picked up. All the bearings seem ok but will be refreshed anyway.

The idea of this thread is to take a base bike, restore it to a as new standard, and then modify it to my own standard. I got it for free and will plunge no more than £1000 into it. The idea being I can have something cool for less than £1000 is the exercise.

So first task is take off the tank (1 bolt) and remove the fairings.

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1409.jpg

Seen worse I suppose

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1413.jpg

A lot of corrosion

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1412.jpg

Some bolts already needed the grinder, cut a slot and use a big screwdriver (none of these fairings are going back on)

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1416.jpg

Got it off and found more corrosion (I have a plan to grind the frame down to bare metal and powdercoat)

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1419.jpg

And removed the air box which was a bit of a pain

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1422.jpg

Will put more up as I go...

Already got a plan of what tail I'm using

http://www.motorcyclesdirect.co.uk/upload/images/2013%20KAWASAKI%20ER6F/2013%20ER6F%20Green.jpg

And the front end I'm keeping quiet for now

Have a look on ex500.com, there's a guy on there who used to run a team who raced these things, if you google fog's airbox mod there's meant to be a hole you can drill in the airbox that increases performance. I think he's basically saying gpz's are choked up on standard jetting. I never did it to mine, I couldn't tell you if it works or not, it will make for an interesting read if nothing else.

Here you go http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php?ti ... Airbox_Mod

I've bookmarked it and studied how to do that mod. I will be doing it

I got the carbs off

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1446.jpg

Got them separated...

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1458.jpg

I'm working on getting them as stripped down as I have repair kits.

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1463.jpg

Hit a snag, there was a carb issue with the bike before i got it. Went to take out the pilot jet and even though it has been soaked in penetrating fluid for days it stripped. So I had to get aggressive.

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/IMG_1464.jpg

I've drilled the little sucker out. Unfortunately while a new one screws in, the threads on the inside are damaged. But looking at the general condition of these. I'm going to see about swapping them out for a later model of GPZ. I repaired them best I can, will see what I turn up at the breakers

for getting the frame powder coated it will be a lot quicker and easier to get it bead blasted as that will remove all the old paint and the rust everywhereready to get coated straight away unless any frame repairs/welds are needed

Was just going to try and do as much manually more for the experience, I've got plenty of grinding discs but wire wheels seem to do the best, gives a brilliant smooth finish. I'm toying with the idea of whipping out the welder and making my own sub-frame

Update:

Sourced the following

A set of 1994 (gen 2) carbs

17" Front wheel

I'm looking at fitting CBR600F3 forks, so they will look conventional and re-spring them to my settings. I want this bike to be an agile road racer. I said I'd build a streetfighter but this falls under it luckily as it will be a naked

Need to find out the size of the stem on this bike, see if it matches that of a CBR600 and if it does then easy peasy, if not then I will just take the existing stem and have it pressed into some custom triples that can take the CBR forks.

It's either that or find the bigger gen 2 forks and re-spring those and they come with twin brake discs.

It's only the late gen 2 that had twin discs, 2007 onwards. You'll find tyre choice a b******, you can only get cross ply tyres and not radial for the standard kwak wheel sizes on both generation of wheels.

Limits tyre choice drastically, I didn't get on with the Bridgestone bt45's either, wore very unevenly and used to spin up in the wet whilest being gentle with the throttle.. Eventually settled on Dunlop arrowmax's..

Other link

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=43244

I see what you mean now!

Plan B.

Find a speedo I like, find out how it is drive (speedo cable hopefully)

Buy front wheel from the bike it came from... Looks like I'm fitting Hornet wheels front and back

Going to do a full front conversion and fit a Nitron shock on the back once I have that bit done.

Looking sweet so far fella..

Looking forward to seeing more on this

Carbs off the 1994 model are the exact same as the 1987... This bike really did go unchanged!

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/GPZ500Carbs.jpg

But yet again... the pilot jet of the left hand carb is screwed

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/GPZPilotJet.jpg

How am I supposed to get that out? Drill and small extractor?

As the last one I drilled damaged the threads a bit, I need to retap that one or drill and try and retap this one. The good thing at least is the condition of them was better.

Running out of things to do so I'm starting to turn my eye to the frame and the corrosion. I think I will mimic what Polecat did and paint the frame myself.

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/GPZCorrosion.jpg

Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been very busy fixing my own bike as it's being sold for a new one. Had it 2 years so time for a change.

Carbs off the 1994 model are the exact same as the 1987... This bike really did go unchanged!

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/GPZ500Carbs.jpg

But yet again... the pilot jet of the left hand carb is screwed

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/GPZPilotJet.jpg

How am I supposed to get that out? Drill and small extractor?

As the last one I drilled damaged the threads a bit, I need to retap that one or drill and try and retap this one. The good thing at least is the condition of them was better.

Running out of things to do so I'm starting to turn my eye to the frame and the corrosion. I think I will mimic what Polecat did and paint the frame myself.

http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/Chris-Fozzie/GPZCorrosion.jpg

Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been very busy fixing my own bike as it's being sold for a new one. Had it 2 years so time for a change.

Hi did they use this same engine and carbs in the er5?

in fact the gpz500 ex500 ninja 500r are all the same bike with later models having larger front rear wheels forks suspension coupler and links ,some where twin disc or right side mounted brake so parts are interchangeable then there are just other models with same engine en450 en500 kle500 vn500 er500 some of there bikes fit our engine and vice versa

in fact the gpz500 ex500 ninja 500r are all the same bike with later models having larger front rear wheels forks suspension coupler and links ,some where twin disc or right side mounted brake so parts are interchangeable then there are just other models with same engine en450 en500 kle500 vn500 er500 some of there bikes fit our engine and vice versa

Thank you lunty this is much help for me to find a replacement set of carbs and few niggly parts.