Another 6 Cylinder Kawasaki

[desertrefugee]

And I blame Lucien for this one.

1983 Voyager offered locally. For some reason, I couldn’t pass it up. Way too cheap. I have a vision. Nothing elaborate (or expensive), but a whole lot lighter than it is now!

Owned by an older gent for 15 years (older than me!). Starts, runs and revs instantly. Fuel tank off. Everything but the fairing was prepped for repaint, but then went nowhere.

That’s where I come in.

So, with a third 6 cylinder in the house, I’ll be busy when (if) the weather cools...

Thanks Lucien.

[wingrider]

Oh boy! Will be watching!

[Lucien Harpress]

Heh heh heh........

So, just as an example/starting point, here's what a stripped-down Voyager looks like:

voyager.jpg

If she starts are revs no problem, the hard part is essentially done. Slap on some universal lights and whatnot, and you've got the potential for a REALLY hot ride.

[desertrefugee]

It runs really well. Fuel injected. In fact, the perfect running is what sold me. The biggest chore will be removing all the fluff, but keeping it operable. The computer controller alone is huge. Kinda important for the injection.

Anyway, I needed another project, right? And I do like the sound of a six cylinder howl.

Stay tuned, but be patient. We're still waaaayyy over 100F here. My shop AC developed a problem but I spent the repair funds on another motorcycle...

[Lucien Harpress]

Anything outside of the engine is essentially up to you. If you feel like keeping the "square" theme, some of the GPZ paraphanalia should get you close to a naked look- the headlight and bucket are essentially identical to the earlier KZ1300. DON'T look for stock KZ1300 lights or turn signals- they are WAY too expensive to do anything with other than a KZ restoration.

The motor is bulletproof, but I'd be obligated to mention the cam chain tensioner. It's automatic, but also infinitely adjustable- rather than a bar with a ratchet, a collar with a number of ball bearings prevents the tensioner from kicking back. I haven't had any problem with mine (so far), but a lot of guys don't trust it and prefer something with a bit more of a positive lock. Your choices are either a manual tensioner, or a ratcheting tensioner from another Kawasaki model (ZX, mabye? DON'T quote me), but you have to cut the spring down because otherwise the spring pressure is so high it wears out the nylon gears and rollers too fast. It's a whole thing.

Apart from that, though, the motor's built like a brick. If you've got no problems now, you shouldn't have any for a long time.

[desertrefugee]

Yeah, I installed a manual tensioner on my last ZL900. Seems to be a Kawi weak point.

I'll be putting this big girl on a diet soon. The darn thing makes my Valkyrie seem small if you can believe it...

[desertrefugee]

Surprisingly, there's actually a motorcycle under all the Tupperware. At the risk of over-simplifying, I just need a seat, coupla fenders, handlebars, headlight and a bunch of wiring tidied up. Oh, and paint. Fun stuff. It will be a looker and a runner.

Found out today that an '83 CB900 Custom front fender is a perfect fit. Comes out of my stash. Saves a few bucks and looks great.

To be honest, there will be a fair amount of wiring work to do - although I would bet that I’ve already shaved 100 pounds off the old girl. Maybe a little more.

DC8C5551-BE97-4918-9D9A-E2C9A7158D77.jpeg

D1240CE5-424C-4AC5-9308-707E4CC35E02.jpeg

D14B06DD-3B93-466E-BD3B-F0510BE3775B.jpeg

1B110E2A-4AAA-418F-A485-41D1C5C08965.jpeg

[Lucien Harpress]

You know.... you find the right tank and assorted cosmetic bits, turns out there's a super-sexy bike under all that touring.... stuff.

I will say, from these photos it seems like the Voyager had a much better battery setup than the KZ1300 did. For example, take your standard Goldwing. Battery tray + strap. Easy. Effective.

KZ1300 had the tray. But the battery wasn't held in place by that. So, to stop it moving, Kawasaki installed a rubber-coated top plate. BUT the plate was bolted to the TOP of the frame, which pulled it up and away from the battery. To fix this, they installed a bolt that does NOTHING but push this plate down. It's, to be frank, a mess.

But this project definitely has potential. (FYI, if you're in need of gauges, I MAY (I stress the "may") have an additional square gauge pod from the KZ1300, with speedo, tach, temperature and fuel gauge. You'd be getting a 0-80mph speedometer and no guarantees it won't need cleaning, but I don't need it and doubt I'm going to sell it. Let me know.)

[Rednaxs60]

Retirement projects appear to be out there in abundance. Great project bikes you are finding. Will be following. Good luck. Cheers

[desertrefugee]

Well, it's time to start accumulating parts. First I detail this puppy (dirty as heck) do just a little more electrical work and then mock it up. Then paint. Cheap paint.

But, after pulling lots of stuff off and having (no joke) probably 10 to 15 connectors hanging open, it fired right up! Needed just a little work in the power distribution area - as there were a few "enhancements" made by PO's.

Encouraging. Very encouraging.

https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=4A3 ... ullscreen>

[wingrider]

Link won’t load for me, but good job!

[Track T 2411]

Link won’t load for me, but good job!

Didn't work for me either...

[desertrefugee]

Fixed. (I think).

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21A ... 03&o=OneUp

[Track T 2411]

Yep, works now... sounds pretty good for the stage you're at!

[Lucien Harpress]

That sounds VERY pretty. Even with the way the exhaust is now it doesn't sound bad.

I did notice you still have the smog valve thingy attached on the top of the engine. That's one more thing you can trash if you're looking to slim down (just be sure to plug the openings). The idea was to inject clean air into the headers to help pass emmisions standards. With it out you get a bit more space to access the valve cover and (at least on the KZ) coils, and removing it doesn't affect performance in the slightest.

But, on the flip side, also if it ain't broke don't fix it, so YMMV.