{"id":22140,"date":"2023-05-09T00:01:41","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T07:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=22140"},"modified":"2023-05-07T19:56:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T02:56:13","slug":"zrx-rx-an-exnotes-resurrection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/09\/zrx-rx-an-exnotes-resurrection\/","title":{"rendered":"ZRX RX: An ExNotes Resurrection"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Joe Gresh<\/h6>\n

The Carrizozo Mudchuckers have too much disposable income. Just in the last few months they\u2019ve bought a Husaberg 400, a gas-in-frame Buell, a KTM 890, and a Kawasaki Vulcan 750. The boys want to do some high speed touring, like going to the Sacramento mile in California, and they are talking 500-mile days in the saddle. As I look over my operational motorcycles I don\u2019t see anything I\u2019d like to sit on for 500 miles.\u00a0\u00a0But if I include the non-ops there is one that is capable of reeling off 500 miles without breaking a sweat.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about the long dormant Kawasaki ZRX1100. The bike is a road burner of the highest order and looks cool as hell to boot. The only problem is the ZRX has sat for 9 years as CT and I wandered the world. Nothing on the thing works.\u00a0 The last time I rode the bike was on the Christmas toy run in the Florida Keys in 2014. It\u2019s time I changed that.<\/p>\n

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The ZRX front brake caliper kit<\/a>, available on Amazon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This resurrection might take a while because I\u2019m knee deep in concrete projects but at least I can start ordering parts as my Social Security checks roll in.\u00a0 I\u2019m starting with the brake systems and forks. The front brakes on the Rex are 6-piston jobs and there are two calipers<\/a> which means I have to deal with 12 pistons. The brakes are great on the Kawasaki but 12 pistons are a bit much.<\/p>\n

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The rear brake caliper kit<\/a>, also available on Amazon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both master cylinders are frozen, probably full of crystalized brake fluid. I\u2019m going to try and get away with cleaning up the master cylinders as I have not been impressed with the quality of aftermarket junk and I don\u2019t feel like looking up a bunch of part numbers on the Kawasaki sites. I mostly stop with the front brake anyway; hopefully that master will be in good shape. A failure of the rear brake won\u2019t slow me down\u2026that doesn\u2019t sound right.<\/p>\n

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The ZRX fork seal kit<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I will rebuild the rear caliper using new seals. Don\u2019t try to follow the logic. In addition, the fork seals need replacing and new fork oil dumped in. I might take a stab at greasing the steering head bearings while the front end is apart.<\/p>\n

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Maxima fork oil<\/a>. It’s good stuff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Due to its long slumber there are many, many issues with the ZRX, like:<\/p>\n