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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Mike Cichetti
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Project

#151 Post by Mike Cichetti » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:45 am

Really nice work. Enjoy!

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

#152 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Wed Jan 02, 2019 2:30 pm

.
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!

JonW - Thanks and glad you enjoyed it.

silverstrom - Thanks. It’s nice having the story to look back on… especially when I take a one or two year break from it!

podman - Thanks. I’m am very pleased with the bike at the moment and will strive to keep her running good.

lost1750GTV - Thanks. The blue will stick around for a while yet for sure. There are so many other vehicles begging for attention right now, including my RZ350.

Mike Cichetti – Thanks. I will… every time I fire her up!!
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 Project

#153 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:50 am

With the 2019 New Year, it’s time for a little clean up...

Forum thread cleanup, that is!

I figured it was time to close out Phase 1 of this project now that the bike is back on the road. I’ve already started on some of the Phase 2 items and I didn’t want to mix them. Plus, I thought it would be cool to see a grand total for Phase 1 costs. If I did my math correctly, I have US$923 invested in getting this far. I originally estimated about $500, keeping the total investment in this bike around $5,000, so I missed it a bit. But I won’t be too hard on myself because a few of the upgrades were required due to the bike sitting so long (extra battery, fuel valve repair, etc.). And honestly, can you really put a price on the smiles these RZ’s give you? LOL

If you go back to the Service List on page 2, you will see I moved the remaining Phase 1 items into either a newly created “Remaining Maintenance Items” group or placed them in the Phase 2 group.

Here is a link to the Service List on page 2 for your convenience: Updated Service List on page 2
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 Project

#154 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:00 am

Service M50 – Add coolant overflow recovery bottle... (Part 1 of 2)

Among the several things I know about cooling systems, I know coolant expands when it’s heated and the system needs extra volume to take care of the expansion. Looking at the RZ500 system, it has a down-flow radiator and this means the top radiator tank can serve as the expansion space while possibly keeping the finned core (the main heat exchange area) fully wetted. Modernish systems use an overflow bottle to temporarily hold the coolant pushed out while hot, and then this coolant gets drawn back in when the engine cools off again.

In theory, the overflow bottle allows the pressurized system to remain completely full, hot or cold, maintaining peak performance. Therefore, I figured it couldn’t hurt adding one to this bike, especially considering Florida has a rather warm climate most of the time.

I couldn’t find an overflow bottle shown in the early RZ500 parts list I have (edit: oops, I found it in the list after a closer look), but yet, I found this bottle on ebay. Perhaps some of the later or overseas models had them, I don’t know. Regardless though, it is about 500% over my budget for this upgrade.

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Looking again at ebay, overflow bottles off of late model bikes can be picked up for a song (inexpensive!). The trouble is finding one that will fit in the space I have.

The first one I purchased was from a Honda CBR250R and it was $6.00 delivered. Two minutes after opening the parcel, I figured out it was not the right shape and would not work. Money wasted, but hey, it was only 6 bucks. I’ll call that R&D money!

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Since not much money was lost, I decided to try ONE more. Success! I found a Suzuki GSXR-600 or 750 (years 2011 to 2016) overflow bottle to fit into this bodywork perfectly. It was even cheaper at $4.00, delivered. I have no idea how the salvage yards can make any money selling these parts sometimes.

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I had two readily accessible mount points on the bike and the arrows point to them. One was up on the coolant fill neck plate. For the other one, I put a longer screw in the control unit front mount to create a stud inboard towards the radiator. In the picture, a nut has been added.

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This picture shows the overflow mount bracket I fabricated from two pieces of aluminum angle.

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Here it shows it split apart from the bottle. A second hole was added to the bottle for rigidity and grommets were installed in the holes.

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Here are a couple shots showing the bottle mounted in the front fairing. The angle of the bottle nearly matches the fairing perfectly. Even the hoses that came with it can be recycled on this bike.

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I plan to paint the bottle and bracket semi-gloss black paint to match the oil tank on the left side. I’ll tape off the area in the inside face where the High and low marks are molded in so the coolant level can be checked easily.

(continued in next reply)
Last edited by TwoStrokeNut on Thu Jan 10, 2019 1:20 pm, edited 2 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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TwoStrokeNut
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Project

#155 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:05 am

Service M50 – Add coolant overflow recovery bottle... (Part 2 of 2)

Here is the painted tank. I used some tape to mask off an area to view the coolant level inside it. The paint I used was Valspar for plastic applications, but I can’t really recommend it for this job as it doesn’t seem to be adhering very well. I used it on other types of plastics with good success, however.

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Picture 442 Image

Here is the bracket mounted on its two points.

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And bottle added with two screws to secure it. Seeing the level is possible from above or from below.

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Removing the radiator cap, the coolant level was where it was expected to be without an overflow bottle… low. It was somewhere below the fill neck hose leading to the top radiator tank.

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The little valve built into the center of the cap is what allows fluid to siphon back into the system as it cools down. Washers are holding it open against spring pressure in the second picture.

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Picture 449
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I added a bit of coolant in the filler neck, but not enough to fill it up to the cap. The next time I run the bike long enough to heat it up, I will see if the overflow bottle system works. It should push the remaining air out of the coolant fill neck, and possibly some coolant too as it heats up. And then after the bike has cooled down, I should see the level in the overflow tank drop from the warm level. After its cooled down, I should be able to remove the pressure cap and see a completely filled system.

M50 Total Cost: US$10.00 (Trial bottle and second bottle used, bracket from aluminum scraps)
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 Project

#156 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Mon Jan 07, 2019 2:21 pm

Service C55 – Add rear reflectors...

Again, adding reflectors on a bike like this might be questionable to some of you, but I think they give it a finished look and will, at some small level, add to the riding safety.

I found a reasonably priced set on ebay that included brackets and screws for US$10. In red color, of course, for the rear of the bike.

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They ended up somewhat hidden when I mounted them on the tail light assembly, so I bent a dogleg into each of them to bring them out closer to flush with the bodywork.

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Here they are, mounted.

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And more of a rear shot.

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They were in pretty good shape when purchased, but bending them sharply made some of the paint flake off. So they were treated to a fresh coat of black.

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C55 Total Cost: US$10.00 (Reflectors, Paint from inventory)
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

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

#157 Post by rd84 » Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:44 am

Nice work - thanks for sharing - interesting to see your explanation of the radiator expansion bottle - it gave me a much better understanding of how they work.

Thanks.

Cheers
Paul

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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Project

#158 Post by yallow and black rz » Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:19 pm

Good looking project. I think you're right about the black and blue.
rz5blk.jpg
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Smoker
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Re: Operation: MOSQUITO CONTROL BIKE - Florida RZ500 Project

#159 Post by Smoker » Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:15 pm

Since you have out the plastic paint...

Might you consider painting those turn indicator housings black?

That's about the worst fake carbon fiber pattern I've seen.

Seems out of place with your other quality work.

Still loving this thread!!

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

#160 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:19 pm

rd84 wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:44 am Nice work - thanks for sharing - interesting to see your explanation of the radiator expansion bottle - it gave me a much better understanding of how they work.

Thanks.

Cheers
Paul
Thanks for your comments. The way I feel about it is this... if I help even one person in some way (whether for entertainment, Information, etc), then to me, it was worth the time writing it.
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 Project

#161 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:21 pm

yallow and black rz wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:19 pm Good looking project. I think you're right about the black and blue.

rz5blk.jpg
From your forum name, I’m guessing you are a bit bias to a yellow and black paint scheme. LOL. I’ve been trying to picture in my head exactly what it would look in black… You nailed it!!! Whatever software you used is much more sophisticated than mine, the way the reflections carried through. Awesome! This is great food for thought as I ponder the switch. If I could snap my fingers and have it done without it costing a dime, I would do it. But Time and Money always come into the decision making process. I’m sure I will be looking at this picture every day until a decision is made. Thanks so much for your time!!!

Armed with your new picture as a basis, I will need to consider updating the white to a Yamaha competition stripe along with a black update:

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BTW, I just ordered the “RZ500”, “YPVS”, and “V4” decals, so I am psyched to play around with those when they show up. I also ordered a Kenny Roberts decal for the tail, as a special little touch.
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 Project

#162 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:23 pm

Smoker wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:15 pm Since you have out the plastic paint...

Might you consider painting those turn indicator housings black?

That's about the worst fake carbon fiber pattern I've seen.

Seems out of place with your other quality work.

Still loving this thread!!
Such a coincidence! I was looking back at the reflector pictures and I was estimating how long it might take to remove the indicators and give them a quick shot of black paint. I figured 2 or 3 hours max. I agree, they are horrible on this bike and need to change. But at least they are functional now!

Thanks for speaking up… I just added it to my Phase 2 work list so it won’t be forgotten. I appreciate your continued support and comments. This bike is getting better because of it!
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 Project

#163 Post by Smoker » Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:19 pm

I usually don't speak up on matters of personal taste because everyone has their own idea of what looks good.
I figured I was safe with those turn signal housings.
I don't mind at all, giving my opinion, when asked.

Regarding the 2 pics just posted. I prefer the first, because the speedblocks look too small, and too many- making the overall appearance look "busy".

Nothing wrong with doing it the way you like. :smt023

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

#164 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:45 pm

Smoker wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:19 pm I usually don't speak up on matters of personal taste because everyone has their own idea of what looks good.
I figured I was safe with those turn signal housings.
I don't mind at all, giving my opinion, when asked.

Regarding the 2 pics just posted. I prefer the first, because the speedblocks look too small, and too many- making the overall appearance look "busy".

Nothing wrong with doing it the way you like. :smt023
Very good point about it being "busy". Plus its a lot more work!
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 Project

#165 Post by TwoStrokeNut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:02 pm

.
Taking forum member yellow and black rz’s black version of the bike, I added some extra black stripes for contrast between the white and yellow.

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As a bonus, the color scheme WOULD go nicely with the shop cabinets. LOL

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This is a distinct possibility!
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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