Messages

Was the T500 really that fast in the quarter mile?

I thought the TZ 700/750 came as a result of the GL750 four cylinder, watercooled prototype street bike?

It is fully possible to run battery less, and still have a functional ignition lock and kill switch. That just requires those items to come from a bike with stock CDI or flywheel magneto points ignition. Like RZ350 or almost any Japanese single cylinder twostroke.And some four stroke singles as well..

Had a 90's 600 triple for many years and loved it. Had a chance to ride a new Arctic Cat 800 twin a couple years ago and it was amazing. Pulled like a train from idle to top end. I think it was in the 150 hp range.

My son just told me that the 850 ETEC is around 180 hp.....
After our test run, and him talking to a lot of locals doing what he wants to do (tracking wolverines, lynx cats and wolves causing loss of livestock including reindeer), he decided on a Lynx sled with a 600 ETEC, having a "paltry 126 hp.....Which should be plenty IMHO....

skiDoo makes a 2T sled EFI and SUPER CHARGED... it's actually a dud, made for mountains and it is tuned to keep the same power output, no matter the altitude.... so the charger does nothing at sea level
BUT all the parts are there....
And it passes California clean air... in stock tune.

I actually believe that engine is also an ETEC, not EFI. ETEC is direct, high pressure injection into the combustion chamber, while EFI is more conventional, low pressure injection replacing carburettors. I am pretty sure the ETEC two stroke engines are more fuel efficient than EFI.

Not about bikes but still....I haven't ridden any snowmobiles since the late 90's, back when the majority were still carburetted.
Today I was with my son testing a couple of Finnish made Lynx sleds. Lynx is pretty much a sister brand of Ski-Doo, so both under the BRP umbrella. One of the two was an 850 E-Tech twin (non-turbo). But holy crap!
Power and throttle response was mildly put scary, at least on the hard packed snow on the trail we rode on. I do not what power these are supposed to have, but it must be close to 150 hp... Just imagine that kind of engine in a 600 supersport type bike. Just lighter than any I-4 four stroke.....

if i can't just slide it out, i grab the puller. that tool exists for a reason. that's all i'm saying. 

My reply was only meant for motorcycle 2-stroke engines. On my RD 350's cleaning off that tiny burr/ ridge makes a world of difference. If the wristpin is a push/ sliding fit in a new piston, the only difference when removing the pin from a used piston, are these tiny burrs at the edge of the circlip groove.
OTOH, I haven't removed any car/truck/tractor wrist pins in at least 30 years....

Normally, the problem is a tiny burr/ lip that has formed on the outside edge of the circlip groove. A quick cleanup of this burr with a pocket knife, small machinist's bearing scraper or other suitable tool is all that is required 99 percent of the time. After doing this you can push the wristpin out using very little force. Think about it; the wristpin bore in the piston is very unlikely to shrink with usage.....

IMHO, yes hey are very close in performance on a stock-ish motor to tapered head pipe specII's

Sounds great! You definitely made an improvement to the stock silencer mount (understatement...)
I have some questions though:
Are the stingers as short as the visible part, or do they extend into the chambers?
And, did Spec 2 pipes come with both straight and tapered headers? If so, was that the only difference between them? And how much difference would tapered vs straight headers make?

I found out that citrus oil (in this case ski wax remover) worked a treat on XJ/FJ fairing graphics. WD40 did not work on that glue. Possible due to it being 35 years old.....

I totally agree. A very cool model. The engine looks very similar to the KH/KE 100 models sold in Norway into the mid 80s. I feel a little sceptical about an alloy rotary valve. Aluminum on aluminum does not sound like a happy, friction less "marriage". I believe the composite rotary valves on other Kawasaki models had issues as well?

Thanks for the responses. Seems like I'll be digging into the wallet a little deeper  than planned.

With the rim/spoke price from Buchanan being very high, I recommended you check with the UK wheel builders I mentioned. It may end up cheaper, even with shipping hubs one way, a d shipping complete wheels back.

Oh, I had forgotten that the KE/KH 100 clutches were a little weak as well. Once you had got the engines to run real good, the clutch tended to slip...We were busy playing with porting and cutting the rotary valves back in the early 80s :)

i really like the kawi a lot, its a great engine design.

The only Kawasaki singles I ever worked on, is the KE/ KH100 models from late 70s to mid 80s. The only questionable design feature on those was that the LH end of the clutch shaft, and the RH end of the countershaft ran in Brass bushings, not ball or roller bearings. Is yours the same way?

It is always great when you identify the problem!

I really would like to have a rotary valve single, BTW....
175 to 250 would be perfect.....