Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Project (52X)

Got a customizing or restoration project? Post your progress pictures and updates here

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rd84
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#61 Post by rd84 » Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:32 am

What a fantastic garage !!!

Cheers
Paul

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jackson.40
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#62 Post by jackson.40 » Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:54 am

+1

Very nice :smt007 :smt007

Steve

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TwoStrokeNut
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#63 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Fri Sep 26, 2014 11:20 pm

2smoke/rd84/jackson.40 - Thank you very much. I didn't mean to sidetrack this thread with my shop, but I needed SOME reason for being absent so long. :smile:

I think at least subconsciously, the shop has been inspired by the RZ color scheme (the smaller 350 anyway) as yellow is not the typical cabinet color you see in a workshop.

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Earlier in the build process, I bought an anniversary R1 banner and tried to convert it to RZ lineage (the smaller 350 anyway) with a little black and white decal material. Well, that was a pretty feeble attempt, but I liked the classic Yamaha racing stripe anyway.

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The entire shop saga is here if you are interested:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/show ... php?t=3148

Okay, back to the bike…
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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TwoStrokeNut
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#64 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Fri Sep 26, 2014 11:29 pm

Service C09 - Replace Handlebar Grips...

I actually did this over a year ago, but forgot to report on it. When I was working on the throttle, I decided it was the right time to replace those nasty handlebar grips.

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I wasn’t real choosy when I bought the new ones and just picked some that were reasonably priced.

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And here they are installed. I think the throttle grip will need a bit of glue since the tube takes a hefty twist.

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C09 Total Cost: US$11.00 (Grips)
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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two-stroke-brit
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#65 Post by two-stroke-brit » Sat Sep 27, 2014 8:05 pm

I read this thread from start to present and i must say i like the way you show all the fixes you have done in great detail inc costs.
mark
She might not be pretty but always a fun ride !!

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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#66 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Sat Sep 27, 2014 11:04 pm

two-stroke-brit wrote:I read this thread from start to present and i must say i like the way you show all the fixes you have done in great detail inc costs.
mark
Thanks TSB and glad to hear you like what I'm sharing here. I thought it would be interesting to see exactly how much I sink into this bike. Sorry it's in US$ - you will have to math for your exchange rate :)

Unlike most of my projects, I'm trying to keep this one at a reasonable monetary value. For now, I really just want to hear that V4 stroke singing under me occasionally. I consider this one a learning experience. Someday I may step up the game and own a show bike I can really be proud of.
Last edited by TwoStrokeNut on Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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TwoStrokeNut
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#67 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Sat Sep 27, 2014 11:10 pm

Oops, I just saw you are located in Houston - disregard the exchange rate comment. The "brit" in the forum name kind of threw me off :) We are actually not that far away (my FJR eats up the highway miles) - perhaps we will meet someday.
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#68 Post by 2smoke » Sun Sep 28, 2014 12:42 pm

One more thing on the garage....
The checkered flag ceiling looks great.
Must be great to live in Florida weather.
Colin

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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#69 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:14 pm

2smoke – Thanks for your comment on the ceiling. As the place was being built, I thought some monster checkered flag would be a good way to cover up the raw unfinished ceiling. So I went to Walmart, found some white and black fabric on clearance for a $1/linear yard, and sewed alternating 5 foot squares together making four long 5 foot wide strips. I then draped it over a cable running lengthwise at the peak and pulled the lower ends tight. This picture with two of the strips hanging down may explain it better.

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Unfortunately, I needed to take it down about 3 years ago when I insulated and finished the ceiling and never ended up re-installing it. I really liked the way it looked in there, but it seemed to be a magnet for spider webs and dust. If I was to do it again, I would use some type of vinyl sheet.

And regarding Florida… It’s a decent place to live you don’t mind hot/humid summers.
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#70 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:26 pm

Service C14, E11 - Side Stand, Spring, and Switch...

When I bought the bike, the side stand switch was unbolted from its proper location and was cable tied to the frame engine hoop. I believe the switch in its deactivated state completes a circuit and allows the bike to run.

(EDIT: The side stand spring baffled me at first and I started this thread about:
http://www.rzrd500.com/500phpBB3/viewto ... =4&t=11539)

Side Stand down shows an open circuit on the meter. Also note the side stand looks rather nasty.

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With the side stand up, there is still a small resistance in the switch and this bothers me. It varied quite a bit and wasn't consistent.

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Here are all the parts removed from the bike.

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I decided to buy another switch and found one on ebay from a V-Max that looked identical right down to the matching connector. It cost me a mere US$5.00 from Pinwall Cycle, and that including shipping!

While waiting for the new switch to arrive, I gave the parts a quick prep and spray with silver and black paint. I didn't bother matching the old black oxide finish of the spring and link - this is no show bike, but I do want it to look decent when finished. BTW, forum member ixe13 was kind enough to sell me the spring and link, the black parts shown in the pictures (Thanks buddy, they look and work great!)

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My switch arrived and it was a good match for the original. It was for an old Yamaha VMax and the two differences I see are a different style mushroom head on the switch plunger and a longer cable (~3"). The correct length screws were included, which was a bonus, but the rubber boot was torn, so it was scavenged from the original switch. The finish was acceptable as is and all it needed was a little wipe down to clean it up.

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Here are all the parts before and after assembly.

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Another quick continuity check was performed on the new switch. This time, results were consistent and I suspect I just found the reason why the original was cable tied up and out of the way in the first place.

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And lastly, some finished shots.

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And you will notice the foot pad of the Side Stand has already been ground down for a greater leaning angle :) I suppose it's a little lighter too! (The chamber shows evidence of when this "procedure" took place.)

C14 Total Cost: US$25.00 (Side Stand Switch and Spring/Link)
Last edited by TwoStrokeNut on Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:27 am, edited 4 times in total.
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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two-stroke-brit
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#71 Post by two-stroke-brit » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:59 pm

another nice post TSN , feel free to give me a call if your heading through Houston any time,
there are two 500 owners in Houston and i am looking for one.

cheers mark
She might not be pretty but always a fun ride !!

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Kalim
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#72 Post by Kalim » Wed Oct 01, 2014 3:37 am

Nice one !
I like the way you detail each step, very instructive for me, being a newcomer on the RD/RZ.
Keep on posting !

By the way it has brought to me that my 47X bike doesn't have that side stand switch system.
No switch, no bracket that pivot to hit the switch, neither the thin bracket welded on the big "3 holes bracket", that holds the switch itself. My spring looks longer too.
It must be a difference between 47X and 1GE.

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TwoStrokeNut
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#73 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Wed Oct 01, 2014 9:59 pm

two-stroke-brit - Thanks. Will do - would love to some meet fellow 500 owners. Much to learn and many stories to share, I'm sure.

Kalim - Thanks. I suspect my posts are most useful to the 500 novices around here... Since I am one too! My repairs are probably pretty rudimentary lessons for the experts around here, but I figure there are many different levels of owner on this board so I will try to help some of them.

The side stand spring baffled me at first and I started this thread about: Thread Link. It appears there may have been at least three variants along the way.
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#74 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:51 pm

Service C01/C12/C13/C19/C29 - Rear Brakes...

Long post coming so get ready :)

This turned out to be a bigger job that I originally thought. When I bought the bike, the rear brake seemed to be working fine. But now (maybe because is sat for awhile?), the pedal goes all the way down without actuating the brake. I guess it could be a sticky piston or leaky seals in the master cylinder, but either way it's something that needs attention. I also pulled the rear caliper off and the pistons were extremely hard to move so I figured I might as well rebuild the rear caliper too while I have everything apart. Luckily, parts are pretty easy to find.

So it goes in vehicle restoration - one thing often times leads to another. You can't get mad; you just have to roll with it. If I didn't like tinkering with bikes, I would have just bought something new instead. But it's really hard not to love this old iron (or aluminum, as the case may be).

This is what I started with.

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A previous owner had used safety wire in place of a cotter pin, so that will be replaced during re-assembly.

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Here's all the parts laid out after disassembly, along with some close-ups.

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It was a good time to clean up the surrounding area on the frame.

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I bought an RZ350 master cylinder rebuild kit to steal what I could (US$27). Here is a comparison of what they contain. The pushrod had to be reused from the 500

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A good cleaning on the master cylinder yielded this.

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Master cylinder ready to go back together.

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And now together.

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The caliper was in need of some work and it would get it.

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I used light touch from a brass rotary tool to clean out the grooves.

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I bought some new seals for the caliper and this is what you get in the kit (US$41).

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I decided I would paint the caliper and am trying this paint for the first time (US$6).

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I found these little price tag dots do a great job of keeping paint off of the areas where you don't want it (like under a torqued flange bolt head!)

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I wanted to paint the screws at the same time so I used a couple of O-rings to stand the screw off the caliper, letting he paint get the entire bolt surface that will be seen. In this picture you can also see some pipe insulation was used to mask the piston bores from overspray.

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The caliper paint came out just about right - not too glossy, not to dull. Goldilocks would be happy :).

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I don't plan on racing this bike, so these EBC brake pads were fine for me (US$18). They are easy enough to change later if needed.

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It was time to put the caliper back together. Here are all the parts before assembly.

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Caliper is together and now for some pads.

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And now for the really fun part - putting it all back on the bike.

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I like adding little caps to the bleed screws to keep crude out even though fluid flow is always out of the caliper (hopefully!).

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On the pit stands it feels great. Of course, until I get this bike out on the road, I will never know if I was truly successful.

C01/C12/C13/C29 Total Cost: US$92.00 (Master cylinder and rear caliper rebuild kits, pads, and paint)
Last edited by TwoStrokeNut on Tue Nov 06, 2018 2:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Project bike links: NS400R - TRIPLE THREAT // RZ500 - MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE // RZ350 - REVIVAL
'72 H1-500/'75 H1-500/'85 RZ350/'85 NS400R/'01 DR650/'07 FJR1300/'18 Tiger 1200

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Andrew
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Projec

#75 Post by Andrew » Tue Nov 04, 2014 6:57 am

Great details :-)
Andy (UK)
RZV500R
FRC
Faster Faster !!!

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