kobra's 1985 RZ350NC2 basket case restoration

[kobra]

Oh nice. Thanks.

And dumb ? of the day. Do you need oxy acetylene for the brazing or can it be done with mapp gas?

You're smart and will know the answer

I used mapp gas, and I think you can even do it with propane. It does need to get fricken hot.

So - first ride is done. It's stiff. Very stiff. Damping feels good - never harsh and feels controlled. I would use straight 15W if I did it again (Maxima) because the rebound is a touch fast. I can still bottom it out under hard braking and sag looks good, but it has now exposed that my shock spring is too soft in comparison.

I think once I bump the shock spring up 10% it'll be more balanced and better overall. The shock spring is currently only about 5% stiffer than stock and we know the stock setup is very soft. Shooting for a 650lb/in rear spring now. (I'm about 195-200 geared up)

[kobra]

Update on the suspension:
I had to order a new shock spring because the one I had on there was too soft in comparison to the front. I went with an Eibach 700lb/in spring. It's dialed now - static sag sits around 5mm and rider sag is around 30-35mm.

The fork also feels good now that there is more weight on it due to the rear not squashing down. It was chilly out today and felt perfect, so I am guessing rebound will be a touch fast on a hot day. So my recommendation for the mikesxs gold valves is a 50/50 mixture of maxima 10W and 15W fork oil, 0.80kg/mm fork springs with 15mm preload, "blue" racetech damper spring (40lb/in) with 2 turns of preload. I can't say how the stock spring that comes with the valves would have done, but it is significantly stiffer. If you use that spring I would not exceed 1 or 1.5 turns of preload.

The front and rear feel balanced now so it's a good feeling.

The brakes are a bit strong now that they're bedding in and I managed to lock up the front. Gotta be careful. I might switch to a street pad instead.

[engineerdrm]

I see that you have replaced the front master cylinder with a new sight window from amazon. Can you give me the part number or a link to the part you bought?

Thanks!

[kobra]

I see that you have replaced the front master cylinder with a new sight window from amazon. Can you give me the part number or a link to the part you bought?

Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072F ... UTF8&psc=1

It looks like there are some negative reviews, but mine went in smoothly with no leaks or degradation over a year later.

[engineerdrm]

Thanks for the link. It was out of stock, but I found some on Amazon. Thanks for the help.