KWAK DIGGER
AFTER THE MARATHON BUILD OF MY LAST CHOP (FEATURED IN BSH 430), I TOOK A BREAK FROM BUILDING FOR A FEW MONTHS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE – YOU GET THAT ITCH AGAIN…
– JUST LIKE THEY USED TO BUILD ‘EM IN THE EIGHTIES
Iwas on the lookout for something different – I didn’t want anything off eBay, nor did I want a huge project; just something to rescue and get on the road again, not a full build. I saw this hardtailed
’83 Kawasaki GPz750 digger over at Crawley Custom Classic Motorcycle Engineers in Witney (who’d made me a new frame for another chop as the one it’d come with was so bad). It belonged to Bob, one of the mechanics, who’d decided to get rid of some of his bikes. It fired up, didn’t run too badly, and had a V5, but best of all the original builder’d done a good job – it looked just right, and wasn’t a clone of anything else.
A deal was done, and the bike was mine. It’d been off the road for at least ten years so everything rubber’d perished (rubber parts decay badly after about ten years so they need to be replaced), a lot of the electrics were frayed, and there were shorts everywhere, so it needed a complete rewire. I replaced all the rubbers, the hoses and the tyres, and it also didn’t have a tacho (rev-counter) or any idiot lights (not even an oil light!) so they were added too. The left grip was modded with Velcro to make sure my left glove stays on it by Richard at Snob & Lock in Wantage, and the clutch was moved to the right side of the ’bars so that I could ride (my left hand was damaged in an accident years ago).
There’s a lot of polished ally on the bike, and I’m not much of a bike cleaner (I’d rather ride than clean) so gave them a quick spray of clear-coat, and that now means I don’t have to keep polishing the thing! I stripped and rebuilt the brakes, gave the engine a full service, added a few new bits and pieces (like risers, handlebars, rear light, clutch, etc.) and, suddenly after a few months, it was ready for a test ride.
The first run threw up a couple of issues: a circlip missing on the rear brake master-cylinder meant fluid was falling out of it (50p to fix), and as the
balance pipe from the exhaust system’d been cut out (for better access to the oil filter), it was running a bit roughly.
I had a word with Grant at GP Performance (he sets all my bikes up on his dyno, and makes them run perfectly) about that, and was told ‘politely’ to get one in there. After getting that sorted with a friend, Mike, it ran a lot better in the midrange, but still had an odd issue when it got hot, and the idle was all over the place. ‘Oh well, I’ll let Grant sort that out,’ I thought, and off it went to the dyno. A few days later I got a phone call – Grant’d discovered what was wrong with the idle… I’d put new inlet rubbers on (because the old ones were so badly cracked), but the new ones’d come from China, and when they got hot, combined with the ethanol in the fuel, they were, to quote Grant, ‘as tightfitting as a c**k in a sock!’. We put some genuine Kawasaki ones on, anditwas,and still is, fine.
What’s it like to ride? Huge fun – it’s loud, quick enough, and there’s very little out there like it so it’s unique. I look at it, and see a chop from that period in the mid ’80s when the style was changing from trad’ ’70s to the streetfighters of the late ’80s – it’s got a digger/ streetfighter look to it. It’s also completely different to my other chop, even though they’re both Kawasaki 750s!
Things that need doing? Well, the gearing needs sorting as it’s under-geared (great for overtaking, but a bit frantic for normal riding), and the seats need re-covering so that they match. It’s not perfect paint-wise either (could be better), and the engine could do with new valve stem oil seals, etc., but that’s not really the point – to me it’s something rescued from an era when they were built to ride every day, and that’s what it is again. The last few rides (this was written towards the end of last year. N) may’ve been in the wet, but I still always get off with a smile on my face, and that’s what matters the most, isn’t it?