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I inherited a 1985 Kawasaki Voyager ZN1300 with less than 6,000 miles if the odometer is correct. It's sat in my garage for almost 2 years now and sat in the previous owner's garage for 3-4 years. I need advice on getting it out on the road. I just started working on it in my spare time the last week. It's not my first bike but the first bike this size. My other is a dual sport(street/dirt) 650. This is kinda new to me.
What I've done so far:
New Battery
Cleaned rust out of tank
replaced fuel/vent lines
What I plan to do:
New oil/oil filter
New fuel filter
new air filter (found a mouse nest in there)
Known issues:
Rear brake sticks (hard to push down, doesn't return)
Some exterior rust on the tank
Broken right side mirror
Assume you mean it's the pedal that sticks -as opposed to the brake pistons? Could just be the brake pedal pivot needs to be greased or maybe the return spring is missing. In any case, if it was me, I'd dissemble and clean the complete rear brake system including mater cylinder and caliper, paying particular attention to insure the bypass hole in the MC is clear (tricky as it's not as easily accessible as the front MC bypass). I'd do the same for the front brakes.
SteelTherapy wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2020 2:52 pm
What else should I think about?
Again, if it was me, I'd pull the plugs out of the motor and out of their wires, then turn the motor over several times for 20~30 seconds (with time in-between to allow the starter and solenoid to cool down) so that the oil gets flowing to where it needs to be before the motor is actually run. You may squirt a little oil (very little) through the spark plug holes into the cylinders but it'll be messy when turning over - cover with some shop towels. Can't remember if the motor will turn over with the kill switch on or not (seems to me it doesn't) - if it does, just put the switch in the kill position - then you don't need to pull the plugs (although it'll turn over a lot faster if you do pull the plugs). If you have the tank disconnected when doing this you're liable to get a geyser of fuel out of the return line when the fuel pump kicks on.
Based on the old license plate, it hasn't been ridden (legally) since 2007, at least.
While I'm waiting for air and fuel filters to show up in my mailbox I decided to tackle the rear brake.
To explain better, the pedal is very difficult to press down and refuses to return on its own. I can see that the pedal return spring is still attached. While it was on the center stand, I pressed the pedal down and the rear wheel spun freely. I also noticed some dried up residue on the caliper. Old brake fluid? I then decided to open the rear fluid reservoir and discovered no fluid. So...is the rear master cylinder toast now? I can see that the pedal return spring is still attached. If not, what do I do with it? If it is, where do I find one? Partzilla.com doesn't seem to have one listed.
The rear brake spindle could be partially siezed in the bracket even with the return spring in place.
The master cylinder may not be toast as the bore can be honed with a small diameter flex hone, if it shows signs of light corrosion, and if the rubber seals are still reasonably pliable. The bore diameter should be described on the casting of the MC.
Van Voyagers advice on pre-start oil circulation is well advised when one has a long lay up motor to try and start.
Not much else I can offer other than generalities as I am a 1200 owner but all the best.
Dave
Ok. Thanks for the advice! The rear brake spindle was indeed partially seized in the bracket. I lubed it up and eventually got it moving freely. This was just the first problem. The piston was also stuck in the master cylinder. Upon removing it i discovered that the remaining brake fluid in the master cylinder had the consistency of vaseline. Cleaned it all up and honed the cylinder and reassembled it. Installed in and bled the brakes. After copious amounts of black brake fluid it finally ran reasonably clear. Front fluid was just as black.
Still waiting on new plugs and my air filter to arrive before moving forward with the engine.
I got it running after doing all the things listed above. I had a bit of a problem with the idle. It would stall out whenever I let off the throttle. It took me a minute to find the idle set screw. Now it's running just fine and starts right up.
I'm now using JB Weld epoxy to fix one of the mirrors. It was flopping around. Judging by the scratches next to the mirror, it looks like the previous owner may have laid it down at some point.
I think I will tackle the exterior rust on the tank this fall. Any idea how much a body shop will charge to repaint a tank?
