XS2 two years in the making

[cra-z1]

Project was started two years ago. Picked up two XS2's on Christmas Eve during a snow storm.

 

[geezer]

Beautifull restoration... Thanks for sharing Im starting down the resto path on a XS1b hope mine turns out half as nice.....Were you able to crack Yamaha's paint codes for your paint?

 

[gantzcb]

wow! How long were the bolts that were used to go through the wook to the engine?
Thanks,
Clyde

 

[cra-z1]

I had a pair of NOS fork ears which my painter matched. The white is a little brighter than the original but looks great.

 

[cra-z1]

I just used threaded rod. I used to two top head mounts and the front and rear mounts. attached the rods cut them all to the proper length at the base so the motor sits level. Drilled 2x6 to match rod position. Then used those threaded insterts and pounded them into the bottom of the 2x6 then mounted those to a 2x2x3/4 sheet of plywood. held the motor great as I lowered the frame in place. Not a scratch on the frame.

 

[xsjohn]

That's a beaut...................xsjohn

 

[inxs]

- did your painter write down the recipe for the red?

 

[cra-z1]

You could check with him. His name is Ralph. I know he spent alot of time on it. Check out his site at Paintworkz.com. He specializes in Kawasaki Z1900 paint scheme's

 

[Kyd727]

what a gorgeous bike!
really outstanding!
now the big question..... what did it cost?? lol

great job.

 

[cra-z1]

Thanks for the compliment. We won't talk about the cost. I go into these rebuilds aiming to bring it back to it's original glory. I do the most of the work myself so I can keep the cost down. I tend to upgrade things a little for reliability because I do ride them and plan on keeping them. As you know NOS parts 35 years old can be costly. Here is a picture of my last restoration, a 1973 Z1900

 

[twinsarehot]

holy shit, that Z1 made me a poop a bit. also, you can't leave us all hanging with 2 pictures of your completed XS. also while I'm at it, you should post all your Z1 pictures too. lol.

 

[xsjohn]

Dang ..........nice work...........had a Z1R ..........but Jimmy Carter with his 55mph made it seem insane..............xsjohn

 

[Travis]

That is gorgeous!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[cra-z1]

Thats enough of the Z1. After all this is a 650 site

 

[cheftay]

Wow man! I am thoroughly inspired by your XS2... wheeewww!
What did you do to get your engine so clean?

 

[cra-z1]

I used med glass beads on the outer cases, barrels and head. I kept the pressure low, about 80-100 psi. At the lower pressure it tends to burnish/peen the surface. Keep the beads clean. Start with a very clean case. Use some Dawn dish soap in hot water and scrub the cases before you start If you do bead blast make sure you do not do the inside cases or any part which is internal to the engine. I used aluminium tape and covered the mating surfaces. This will hold up to the blasting. I also covered any small holes with alum tape. To keep the beads from going into any drilled passages I used plummers putty and inserted it into the opening and then taped over this. You need to think about all the openings. You do not want to get anything in the oil or any other passages. Remember the two little holes that are drilled into the oil passage on the (I think) lower case. Can't remember for sure. After your done remove all tape and putty. Do the Dawn thing again. Make sure you rinse the passages several times. I also scrub the cases with either 0000 or 000 steel wool on the outside while using Dawn. The last thing I do is spray brake cleaner into all the passages and let them drain out. Use compressed air and blow to the large openings. The results are great. Sorry for the long answer

 

[dlabkeeg]

Not a huge fan of anything stock, but that is an awesome bike!
Just beautiful.

 

[xsjohn]

Show some more.........Why does some one like you come around and bring up all the ole juces........what a ball we had back then till Jimmy made the 55mph........did my youth with Yamaha and Kaw (and others).....but at 55mph I went this way geared up and smoothed them out............the red one probably has 80 thou on it.....blue is like new....all the dunes in Fla on the beach and ocala forest and general transportation all in one....and it got my scrawny ass aorund for 10 years after the ZRI............still have both of these ole relics...........wish I had the Z1R........too old to try to kill myself now......that's coming soon enough on the XS.....

xsjohn

 

[gentlemanjim]

Well done. Thaks for the info on bead blasting. Have you ever tried soda blasting? I'm getting ready to clean the engine cases and want good results and not cause any damage.

 

[cra-z1]

I may try sods on my next set of carbs