Desert_max's 6 cyl Kawasaki bobber-what came of it?

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Fire-medic

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I request an update on this bike, please. How-far did you get? I think it looked pretty-good when posted. Ever finish it? I think that would be a good bike to embarrass the 'built' H-D's. Your 'Metisse' (mongrel bastard) Junkyard Dog. I christen it the "Gila Metisse." Go bite a Harley!

It reminds me of the Munch Mammoth (Mammut in German) which was about the most powerful bike of its day. The Munch Mammoth - A Rare 140mph 1200cc Superbike (silodrome.com)

(49) How about something different? Z1 6 cylinder | Yamaha Star V-Max VMAX Motorcycle Discussion Forum (vmaxforum.net)

Kawasaki 1300 6-cyl bobber desert_max.01.jpeg
Kawasaki 1300 6-cyl bobber desert_max.02.jpeg
Münch-Mammoth 1200cc.01.jpg

"The Motor's The Thing."
 
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I request an update on this bike, please. How-far did you get? I think it looked pretty-good when posted. Ever finish it? I think that would be a good bike to embarrass the 'built' H-D's. Your 'Metisse' (mongrel bastard) Junkyard Dog. I christen it the "Gila Metisse." Go bite a Harley!

It reminds me of the Munch Mammoth (Mammut in German) which was about the most powerful bike of its day. The Munch Mammoth - A Rare 140mph 1200cc Superbike (silodrome.com)

(49) How about something different? Z1 6 cylinder | Yamaha Star V-Max VMAX Motorcycle Discussion Forum (vmaxforum.net)

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"The Motor's The Thing."
Love it! How did this bike compare to the Honda CBX?
 
Hoo boy. You had to ask.

Well, here's the deal. One of the main reasons I jumped on this beast even though it had been off the road for years was that it ran so darn well. The guy had kept fresh fuel in it and had habitually fired it up periodically. It ran well when I got it home, too. It even ran well after I stripped all the fluff off and gave it a personality make-over.

Then I took it for a couple of spins on the road. I have probably put 10 miles on the thing. First couple of runs went great. Bike moves right along. I don't have enough seat time to make a decent comparison to the CBX except for one thing - it is heavy, even after the diet.

But... what is going on with it now? It seems that there's an issue with the "computer" controller. Apparently, it only manifests itself while underway, i.e. in the presence of vibration. There's an intermittent in there somewhere such that the fire and fuel start going away. It first starts misfiring like crazy and almost immediately, the fuel pressure starts to fluctuate wildly. It could be somewhere in the harness, but I don't think so. I have gone over the connections that remain and spotlessly cleaned them all. Also, the bike still needs some suspension love. Other than those "minor" issues, she's ready to rumble!

So, I spent quite a bit of time (coupla weekends) looking for the culprit and then a few other distractions preempted further work at the time. That time has now stretched over a year! Sheesh. But, it is on my agenda to address once my "season" cranks back up. I'm tired of looking at it. Sitting there. Mocking me.

I still maintain that this machine will make somebody (maybe even me) very, very happy once it's sorted out.

Thanks for rattling my cage Fire-Medic!
 
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This is where it's currently parked (you can barely see the Kawi for all the dang Yamahas). This is the backup table. Lighting is much better on the other side. Precise work is best done over there...exactly what this thing needs.shop2.jpg
 
Interesting that you'd post a link to KZ1300.com. I spent a little time over there while I was working on the thing. Maybe I'll drop in again. It might provide some motivation.

I did a small thread on this bike over there:

Naked Voyager in the Desert
 
I really had to re-post this link. This was the just as the first street test was beginning. Sounds healthy and will get there. In due time. I usually measure my projects in months, not years. This one has been an exception.

First Street Test (Yes, a year and a half ago)

It wouldn't be so bad if a certain gentleman from South Florida didn't keep bringing it up. Now he's got me Jonesing to get back after it!

Stay tuned...
 
Every time I click on that link, I get a screen which is what, I dunno. I certainly am not going to do anything that link asks me to-do. Looking for more info, I see that it's some sort of Microsoft account request. I'm still not gonna try to do what it asks. Can you make it a youtube video or something?
 
Every time I click on that link, I get a screen which is what, I dunno. I certainly am not going to do anything that link asks me to-do. Looking for more info, I see that it's some sort of Microsoft account request. I'm still not gonna try to do what it asks. Can you make it a youtube video or something?

Geez, sorry about that. I didn't know. It has the "auth" tag in the address and I thought it would work. Here's a youtube link. I'm afraid the video will now be a bit anticlimactic...

 

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