{"id":7683,"date":"2020-03-02T05:38:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T13:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=7683"},"modified":"2020-03-02T05:40:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T13:40:32","slug":"zeds-not-dead-part-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2020\/03\/02\/zeds-not-dead-part-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Zed’s Not Dead: Part 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

You may recall from Zed 19 I had to re-soak Zed\u2019s gas tank as 10 days were not enough to dissolve the rust. I drained, dried and reloaded the tank with apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 4 more days. This is what it looked like originally:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The second session really knocked most of the rust out. After rinsing I dumped a large box of baking soda into the tank and added clean rainwater sloshing it as I filled to mix thoroughly. I don\u2019t know the chemical reaction that takes place but the baking soda neutralizes the acid, turning the metal a dull grey, almost white color. This treated metal does not flash rust and I\u2019ve been going 3-4 years on another tank I cleaned like this without rust reappearing. It\u2019s like the metal turns passive and stops reacting to oxygen.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If I wasn\u2019t so hell-bent on riding this bike I think I would flush and cider the tank one more time but it looks good enough and I\u2019ve got to ride! I connected a small hose to my shop vac and played it all over inside the tank. I can hear nothing when I shake the tank so at least there are no big chunks loose inside.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Proving that even the simplest life forms can learn I bought an entire new petcock for $23 rather than the rebuild kit for $8. This is real growth on my part. Usually I buy the kit, mess with it for hours then put it on only to have it leak. Only then will I buy the new one. Kawasaki uses a turnbuckle-type left-hand\/right-hand thread on the Z1 petcock. It took about 145 tries to get it to tighten up facing the correct direction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The new petcock has screens inside the tank and a bowl filter but with 40% of Zed\u2019s tank out of my view-field I can only assume the entire tank is as clean as the places I can see. Inline fuel filters, one for each set of two carbs will hopefully catch any debris still in Zed\u2019s tank.<\/p>\n

An update on the Z1 Enterprises regulator\/rectifier: It works. The battery charges @ 14.8 volts which is still a tad high but much better than the 17 volts Kawasaki\u2019s setup was doing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From the top Zed looks pretty well sorted. I took it for a ride and it ran really well for off the bench carb settings. It might be a little rich at idle or it might just be our 6000-foot elevation. I\u2019m not going to tinker with it for now. I\u2019d rather get some miles on the bike.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what this bracket is for. Located on the right side down tube near the tach drive, it\u2019d too light for a steering damper mount. Anyway, there\u2019s enough stuff on the bike as is so I\u2019m not going to worry about it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I took Zed to my secret proving grounds and she ran through all 5 gears smoothly. The bike hit 90 MPH without even trying. I\u2019ll need a better front tire to do any high-speed work. The brakes work ok. When you ride a SMR 510 Husqvarna all other motorcycle brakes seem like crap. After 33 miles there are small oil leaks at the tach drive and countershaft area. Maybe the clutch pushrod seal or sprocket seal is the culprit. That stuff is easy to fix.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The patina on Zed is excessive, bordering on shabby. The bike sat outside for years and paint wise there\u2019s nothing left to polish or wax. The finish is just not there. The pin striping is cracked and missing sections. I\u2019m not sure what to do about that. On the one hand a ratty bike may be less attractive to thieves and old Z1\u2019s are getting fairly expensive. On the other hand it does look pretty bad. I\u2019ve seen my Enduro buddy Mr. French do some amazing work with rattle cans. Maybe I\u2019ll give it a go. The paint can\u2019t look any worse.<\/p>\n

\n

That\u2019s it: from Dead to Zed in 20 easy sessions. Don\u2019t worry, this won\u2019t be the last you\u2019ll hear of Zed. I\u2019ll be doing some long trips on this bike, maybe Mexico, maybe ride to a few flat track races. I\u2019ll update the blog if I do any more major work on the bike. The story of Zed\u2019s resurrection may be ending but the story of Zed is just beginning.<\/p>\n