Bleeding knuckles and recalcitrant bolts, Not enough to stop me - I have and shall continue to prevail

The Zed Diaries.

Picture from the gloom and dank cavern of the garage.



Now safetly ensconced in the garage, time to take a proper look, in the cold grey steel of a winter's day. Firstly the tank has to be removed this should reveal whether the main part of the loom has melted from some arcane self destruct-ism in a fit of pique only usually reserved for the old and failing or desperately suicidal euthansior.

Have I bought a right old dog? Thank the Gods, it would appear that I am saved severe electrical stress, loom looks wholesome, unbutchered and with a drop of GT-85 even the weathered shrinkfilm passes for a glossy black.

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I had to sever the petrol feed pipe as it was harder than Lemmy's veins and the fuel tap was not in a playful mood, so it got a damn good squirt of the ubiquitous GT-85,the underside of the tank is clean and I have the misssing tank decal in proper 3D faux plastic, in fact in those days they were bold plaques of chrome and black as if stating their intent of heavy metal and speed, not like today's computer generated micro gsm vinyl laquered, to pare down weight and to remain understated, not like their proud Nastilini forbears who sought the sunlight to blink and bedazzle onlookers rapt and amazed at the day's musclebike. (which if you consider the lumpy old brit thumpers and spindly two strokes of the day, they were in deed heavy metal heroes in the making.

Seat next, The pan is in one piece and clean but stuffing is worse than a beggars palliase and will need restuffing with something better than Japanese straw. No airbox on this baby as the previous owner obviously got carried away with the latest go faster fad of K&N's (debatable whether they are the quality US items, probably the cheaper S&B variety. The battery was dead so that's gone in the bin, but all the connections seemed perfectly servicable.

A quick rummage through some bits and pieces I have stashed about the garage revealed a Z1000A1 rear light unit which matches exactly the R, so on went the lens, a perfect fit.

Whilst waiting for a battery to check the Zeds vital signs, I must have a plan.
Battery to check all is well, and then to see if the motor turns over. If it does then drain the black custard out of it's guts, replace the filter, bung some clean but cheap oil back in for the time being and turn over to circulate the clean stuff around the lump. If all this goes to plan then I might try just feeding some juice straight into the carbs to see if it will actually run or whether the carbs will need stripping and cleaning (most likely)but you never know, under the suface crust of filth and neglegt their does actually lie a few clean surfaces. I'd like to be suprised.

Anyway haven't got all that yert, so in the meantime, I thought I'd disconnect the drive chain (horseshoe clip thankfully) and take the wheel out. The adjusters need some rubbing down and coating once clean with ACF and I need to check the wheel bearings and cush drive as well as freeing up the rear caliper for a probable strip, and rebuild, (had to get the heavy mallet out to knock it off the disc).



Remarkably the spindle showed evidence of fresh grease, the bearings were fine, the cush drive looked like new and despite the rear sprocket looking crudful and shitty it was square toothed and would only need a scrub up and would be entirely re-usable.



The Rear wheel is blooming with ally canker and bubbling non standard gold paint which means that whoever sprayed them several millenia ago didn't etch prime them, so easy job to scrape the old paint off, ready for possible bead blasting (depends how bored and wealthy I feel)etch priming and spraying a lustrous satin black with picked out edges to the spokes and rims in shiny ally.


Well that's the plan anyway, next post should be fitting a shiny new Yuasa YB14LA-2(handy as thats exactly what the A1 needs to get it running again, so they'll have to share) and seeing if the thing spins up, assuming the leccy boot hasn't rotted away at the controls, the switchgear look a bit rank and needs investigating and there is no sign of the spare (make that redundant - in '78 kickstart arm under the seat - missing, the march of technology eh, what a wonderful, awe inspiring thing to behold the revolutions played out before us in metals and alloys mostly unnoticed every day, only truly realised with hindsight and affection).

Well that's it 'till the battery is strapped in and ready to jolt the Frankenstein into life once again.

Z1R

The last two months have been hideous, jaded, disconsolate and isolated, morose, desperate and full of shite. However once you have hit the bottom there is only one way and that is up.

Just purchased a Z1R '77 in desperate need of some TLC, by repute it featured in the first Mad Max film and despite the lack of provenance it is a very early frame number and registered in the UK in November '77, which lends credence to the story as the Z1R D model didn't appear over here until '78. Was going to turn it around quickly but now I think I'll take it apart and clean it up , see if I can get the old girl running and looking like she should.
Could take a little while and a few quid needs to be bunged in it's general direction, but been ages since I had a project to work on, boring stuff seems to have got in the way over the years, so time to polish the spanners, dig out the ancient Zed manual and get fettling, might even post a few pics soon. I like them cheap and dirty, allows me to stamp my own authority and care on them. Last one I did properly was a KH250 and a Z650. Looking forward to taking it apart and wielding the spanners and oily rags.

Thanks to the raving punkster (former owner) for letting me in on it. Come on you splodges, make that two pints of lager and a packet of crisps please, the circle has turned and the three Oaks boys have all owned the same piece of history now.

First things first, get the old thing belching some flame and smoke before polishing up and replacing the other vitals. I reckon, the wheels need re-spraying, the block needs respraying, the front fairing needs repairing, new handlebars, rear fender, front fender, control cables and a few hundred litres of GT85 should do the trick, plus an exhaust system and a new forkleg, hey presto, a pretty mint Z1R, registered '77 and with an interesting history and a very early frame number.

Condalini where are you now? Where are you when I need you? Bubba ring up Zed power and get me the vitals, this baby is not dead yet!

Talking about people or things that are not dead yet, went to see Motorhead last week, is Lemmy still breathing or has his record company filled his veins full of mercury and propped him up with some robotic fingers and glaring warts? Motorhead England? I think not, Lemmy is Welsh as far as I'm aware, and the other two are septics. Thank fuck for Wurzel making an appearance for The Ace of Spades, the coke and alcohol abuse hasn't killed him yet.
New album Motorizer, not bad, bit formulaic, no suprises really, but 'Rock out' has some amusing lyrical passages.

I digress, the glass is empty and a wild keening is in the air, more wine required from the Devils cellar.............