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1988 Kawasaki KR-1

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  • I got this bike about 3-4 years ago from Old Gold MCs. From about 1990, I'd wanted either one of these or a TZR250 - I got an RG500 instead (bought 1991, sold 1997)!

    These two photos show the bike in Red Baron's rooftop car park in Japan (note upside-down mirrors!):
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    When the bike arrived in Australia, I was pleased to see that it was in excellent condition. It had obviously been looked after for most of its life, but signs of neglect were beginning to show:

    Rusty fork stanchions and brake discs
    Seized brake calipers
    Cracked tyres (the originals!)
    Corrosion on some parts of engine casing
    Rust in fuel tank
    Grubby pillion seat pad
    Rusty chain

    Although no belly pan is shown in the photos, one was included when I bought it. The only non-standard parts fitted were the KR-1S pipes and the Beet "Full Bank" foot rest assembly. It had only just over 9000km showing on the odometer.

    Although I was sorely tempted to just clean it up and ride it, I decided to dismantle the entire bike for cleaning, checking and repairing (if necessary) before putting it all back together. These bikes had a reputation for piston ring pegs falling out if ridden hard, so I wanted to at least have a look inside the engine.

    I found that there was hardly any dirt on the bike - most of that which existed just wiped off with WD40 on a rag!
    I ended up taking almost everything apart. The only thing I remember not doing was the wheel bearings.

    Engine castings after dismantling and cleaning:
    [​IMG]

    Engine castings after blasting and burnishing:
    [​IMG]

    Although I wanted the bike approximately standard, there are a few departures:

    I kept the KR-1S pipes because they are lighter than the KR-1 pipes.
    I removed the autolube oil pump and oil tank - I just don't trust autolube any more!
    I replaced the vacuum-controlled fuel tap with a normal on-off-reserve type.
    I made up a box of capacitors to replace the battery.
    I fitted extra instruments; CHT & EGT gauges and a voltmeter.
    I fitted thinner cylinder base gaskets to reduce the squish clearance, then regained the standard compression ratio by recutting the combustion chambers.

    Other work done/parts replaced:

    New MetalGear brake discs and pads, new Venhill lines
    Bead blasted and repainted brake calipers (master cylinders and calipers all rebuilt)
    Rebuilt crankshaft with new parts
    Replated bores with new pistons (the old Electrofusion coating was showing some small rust spots after the long period of disuse)
    Replated fork stanchions
    All engine fasteners replated (and some body/chassis ones too)
    All suspension pivot points cleaned and lubricated
    New rectifier-regulator (originals are prone to failure)
    New chain and sprockets
    New tyres (can't get 100/70-17 and 130/60-18 any more, so 110/70-17 and 140/60-18 sizes for KR-1S fitted instead)
    Fuel tank treated with POR-15 kit

    There are probably a few other things I've forgotten, but nearly everything was dismantled, cleaned, checked and rebuilt.

    This is how it looked after reassembling:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Since the bike was in such good condition, I decided not to "restore" it (they are only original once!). The wheels have some signs of corrosion and there are plenty of small imperfections on the rest of the chassis and bodywork. However, I can live with all of these. Since I don't ride in wet weather and the bike is kept under a cover in a dry garage, further deterioration is likely to be very slow.

    Regards,
    James

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