KZ1300 USA Club / KZ1300 International Club

'Bookmark Page' or 'Entry Page'

Last Update 6/19/09

Good example of a semi-restored 7000 mile 1979 KZ1300.

Why do I bring you to this page first?  

So you'll read the warning on the Z1300 Cam Chain Tensioner or 'CCT' problem at the link that's posted at the bottom of this page, if you're not already aware of the issue with the tensioner on the 1300's.  There's a good Tech Article on the CCT as well.

Then BOOKMARK THIS PAGE or (add to your Favorites) in your browser, so you can come directly to this page each time you visit our site.

This way you can retain a link on your computer which will bring you directly to this page.  This page will have 'text' links, instead of the new graphical links that will eventually be on all the other pages on the site.  This is the only page that will remain with text links, instead of the 'Star Trek' link bar that you see on most all of the other pages now.  It will have the most important links, and it will have the most updated links, even if some of the other links on other pages are wrong.

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What is a KZ1300?

The Kawasaki 1300's are very unique high performance 6-cylinder motorcycles that were manufactured between 1979 to 1989.  There were 4 different models made over the years referred to as a Z1300, KZ1300, ZG1300 and ZN1300.  The one thing they have in common, is that they all share basically the same water-cooled inline 6cyl motor.  You can see the differences in the models by reading this site and looking at the various pictures I have posted.  Personally, I currently ride a ZN1300 6cyl Voyager because I like the full dress bike with a lower seat height, air suspension, fuel injection, digital dash, AM/FM radio/Cassette/CB/Intercom combo, full fairing, large detachable bags and trunk, and other state of the art features that this model had for its day and time.  

I might also like riding the newer ZG1300 model with fuel injection, but ZG1300's were never imported to the USA.  However, as parts are available, I am making custom fuel injection conversion kits to retrofit to the Z1300 / KZ1300 carb models.  These conversions are very similar to what you would have in a ZG1300 if you could buy one.  Check the tech articles below to learn how I developed this DFI kit.

I ride this 84' Voyager 1300 shown below.  My wife likes the color purple, so for some reason we ended up with a Voyager painted in 'House Of Colors - Passion Pearl'.  Not quite the color purple either one of us had in mind, but you don't get lost in a crowd that's for sure, and it's a real conversation piece!  Some love it, some hate it.  But everybody's got an opinion!

If you need to make a donation or payment please go to:

Contact Us or Parts Payment Info

Mailing Address:

David Ewing

136 Hidden Meadows

Kissee Mills, Missouri, USA  65680

 

417.546.2090 (9am - 9pm Central Standard Time)

david@kz1300.com

 

(I'm in the Branson, MO area)  UPS, FEDX, USPS, or probably any other package delivery service you can think of will all deliver to my address.

I bought one of these bikes, how do I make it run correctly?

I want to cover this up front because it's the most asked question I get.  Seems most people assume they can get parts for these bikes no problem, even though they're 30 years old now, and that's rarely the case.  There are still quite a few parts available from a number of sources new and used.  Ebay is a good source of used parts, and I have all other parts resources I know of listed on my links page.  But be prepared to spend time looking for them, and keep in mind, some online sites will sell you OEM parts they already know they can't obtain from Kawasaki, but they'll sell them to you anyway.

Think about it.  Your money is tied up in THEIR bank account for a couple of weeks maybe more while they're 'processing' your order.  They earn interest on other peoples money that's just sitting there (the float), and you're just one of 100's or maybe 1000's of bikers whose money they have tied up.  Good day job if you can get it.  They must of learned that from Wall Street!  They know that some or all of the parts you're ordering are not available, and aren't going to be available... ever.  So why do they take your money for the same part that 100's of other people before you have tried to buy from them, only to find out maybe weeks later, it wasn't available from Kawasaki anymore?  Is it because they make interest off the 100's of 1000's of $$$ of unsuspecting bikers money floating in their account on a daily basis?  You tell me.

And just because it's shown on my site somewhere doesn't mean it's available.  But it probably was the day I listed it.  Barring the parts situation, the first thing people need to know is how to get their bike running, and make it as reliable as possible.  And what common problems there are with these bikes that they need to look at first before they make a big mistake.  This is a question I get asked daily, so I feel it's pertinent to cover this right up front.

One thing you shouldn't do is buy a 30 year old bike like this thinking you're going to take it to Kawasaki for repairs!  They usually won't touch it, or much anything else over 10 - 15 years old because of the lack of parts availability, and sometimes it's from the lack of experience their mechanics have on older bikes.  Many independent shops don't want to work on it either, or if they will, they may want to charge a premium fee.  Nobody wants to spend a lot of time learning the mechanical systems on a bike they've never seen, and probably never will see again.  And they don't want to spend much time searching for parts for it either!  I have a few 1300 friendly shops listed on the links page, but it's a short list!

If you buy an old bike, be sure you can repair it yourself or at least be willing to work on it, or have a friend that can work on it for you.  Otherwise, it can be very expensive to keep in working order.  And expect to pay high prices for 1300 parts compared to a KZ900 for example.  They probably made more than 100 times as many KZ900's, KZ1000's, and KZ1100's as they did 1300's.  There's a lot of aftermarket parts still around for those bikes, but pretty much nothing at all for ours in comparison.  There are some good deals on used parts many times if you buy off of ebay.com.

So, there's only a few things generally that you have to do to these bikes to make them run right when you get one.  If you'll look at these mod's as preventive medicine, then we can concentrate on answering the more unusual problems.  It should go without saying that the info on this site is relevant for the Z1300, ZG1300, KZ1300 or ZN1300 though there are some major differences between the bikes.  In general on this site when I refer to KZ1300 parts, this is more similar to Z1300 parts not ZG1300 parts or ZN1300 parts which are totally different bikes in most aspects.  

The Z1300 and ZG1300 were never imported into the US.  So even though they are very similar in most respects to our KZ1300 or ZN1300, they are not identical and we don't specialize in technical help or parts specifically for those 2 models.  The ZG1300 is most like our KZ1300 in appearance but it has a fuel injection system similar, but not identical to our ZN1300.  What parts interchange with either bike I can only speculate, since I've never actually seen either one of those models first hand.  I know that most parts interchange with some differences in parts from year to year.  

If I bought a Kawasaki 1300 to ride, here's what I would do first -

#1 - Get a new or used manual.  Used are available on ebay.com or new from repairmanual.net

#2 - See #1.  (New manuals are still available, and used manuals are on ebay pretty much any time you'd care to look)

#3 - Read the manual and familiarize yourself with the bike and its various parts so you know the terminology we use for various parts of the bike.  The manuals are OK, but they don't tell you everything you should know it some cases.

#4 - Replace or modify the Cam Chain Tensioner 'CCT' as shown before you even try to start the motor.  This is so it can't back off and throw slack in your cam chain and bend your valves.  This will most likely happen, THE FIRST TIME YOU START THE MOTOR!  Especially if it's been sitting a long time.  Check the 'Tech Articles' page for detailed info.

#5 - Replace the stock 30 year old ignition coils with new 'Nology', 'Dyna' or other high performance ignition coil of the correct 2.7 - 3.0 ohm rating.  Huge issue on this bike if you want it to run as good as it should!  Check the 'Tech Articles' page for detailed info.

#6 - While you've got the tank off doing the coils, I'd check a number of things like all the electrical connections for corrosion - especially the electrical junction box on a ZN which needs to be pulled off the bike and inspected.  Check all the rubber hoses for cracks, (especially brake hoses if you still have the 30 year old originals), vacuum lines, and fuel lines for leaks, etc.

#7 - Throw the fuel solenoid away and send me the wiring harness from it.  Replace stock fuel valve petcock with a new 'Pingel' petcock.  Reroute the fuel line as shown on the carb pictures page, clean the tank vent, clean the carbs, and add an inline fuel filter.  I've put an insulation called "radiant barrier" over the fuel line to keep the heat off it when I felt it was necessary.  It should be available at your local hardware; looks like bubble pack with tin foil on both sides and it's sold for insulating water heaters.  There's a better type that's very thin and perforated that I prefer for fuel lines.  It may be harder to find though.  You can also use that black accordion material you see under the hood of your car that they run your electrical wiring through.  It comes in different sizes.  (elective).

#8 - Personally, I take some radiant barrier type insulation as mentioned above, and insulate the bottom of the gas tank if it doesn't have factory insulation because of the possible vapor lock or fuel boiling problems Paul mentions elsewhere.  You can cut it and glue it to the bottom of the gas tank with some automotive weather-strip adhesive. (elective).

#9 - Insulate the lower radiator hose by wrapping it with the thin radiant barrier and tie wraps to keep the radiant heat off of it.  This isn't important with the stock double-wall exhaust, but it's a must do if you put an aftermarket single-wall exhaust on like the DG pipe, because those pipes can (read that - will) radiate a lot more heat than the stock double-wall pipes.  The added radiant heat from the pipe can weaken and burst the lower hose because of it's close proximity.  Think of anti-freeze kind of like gas when it spews out on the exhaust and catches on fire.  Trust me, I experienced this first hand.

#10 - Add a manual radiator fan switch or better yet, change to an 84' and up ZN1300 temperature sensor as mentioned on the FAQ so the radiator cooling fan cuts on at a lower temperature (sooner). 

#11 - Solder all the wires to and from the voltage regulator and that goes for all models, even the Voyagers (or 82'/83' KZ1300's which have 2 regulators) to prevent the stator and/or voltage regulator from being overloaded due to a inadequate connection at the plug.  We're not always talking about a corroded connection here, but more like the connection at the plug appears that it's not able to carry the current.  Known issue from day one.

#12 - Service the steering stem and check the swing-arm and all the wheel bearings.  If you wait until you have play in the steering stem to service it, it's too late.  You'll get the play out of it, but the repair probably won't last very long.  Same thing goes with the rear spline on the driveshaft.  You should grease it every time, or every other time you change rear tires, but most people don't.  Instead they let it go until it destroys the coupling and then cry about the fact that you can't get that part from Kawasaki anymore, and you can't find a good used one either.  It only takes a few extra minutes to service it when you're changing tires!

#13 - Replace air filter with K&N or similar washable unit like my custom air filter PODS to save money and get better airflow.  (elective).

#14 - Open up the front and rear master cylinders, clean the old fluid out, and pump new fluid through the brake system.  Check for leaks.  Change suspect brake lines.  These are OLD and do blow out occasionally or give a soft feel on your brake, or suddenly the brake will almost not work at all!  I think the issue is the rubber peels off on the inside and blocks the pressure.  Steel braided lines are available from Klasmo or HEL among others if you like the way those feel.  You can have these made up locally at an Aeroquip dealer (makes custom hydraulic hoses) if you have one in your city.

#15 - Coat you gas tank with POR-15 sealer.  Our gas tanks are old and usually have some surface rust in them that can get into the carb's.  Sometimes the tanks have been coated with an inferior product and it's pealing off.  You can put the POR-15 coating on yourself and it will last the life of your bike and then some.  They also make paint that is very good for painting everything from small motorcycle parts to bike frames or what have you.  They claim it's more durable than powder-coating though it's not necessarily cheaper since the paint is quite pricey.  On the positive side it cures at room temperature so you can paint everything yourself including aluminum parts if you follow the instructions.

#16 - Centrifugal Timing Advancer will stick on the 79'/80' models at some point, and needs to be properly serviced.

DON'T break the nylon timing gear on the backside of the advancer!

Continued on the Tech Tips page...

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-- International Members!!  Please send me your pictures and I'll add them to the paid members DVD, and given time, to your international page.  The size of the file is not important, give me the highest quality image you can make.  Please indicate if you would like me to include your email address or other info on your international page along with your images.  If your country doesn't have a page I may start one for you!  If you have pictures posted already on my site and would like to add more info about the bike, a picture of yourself, your email address,  location, or other contact info, please email david@kz1300.com

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Disclaimer:  Keep in mind that what's posted on this site is questions and answers or input from various members of the club over a long period of time and the information is not necessarily always going to be 100% accurate, or the ONLY solution to someone's problem.  In fact, sometimes the information you get could be wrong, so use your own discernment.  I've read through all of the site, and some info might be based solely on the basis of one members opinion, or experience.  I make no claims as to the accuracy of the info, rather I ask that if any member notices something that doesn't appear to be stated correctly, they email me so I can add their changes or concerns to that page when I update it.  Some posts are conflicting.  Everyone has an opinion it seems.

Keep in mind that on a site this big with around 20,000 URL's and some similar information spread across 3 or 4 or more different pages at times, it's almost impossible to keep every page up to date with the correct information.  Some pages will conflict, but if you'll make an effort to email me and be very specific about what doesn't jive with what, then I'll make an effort to correct the affected pages.  After all, I don't have anything better to do with my life than to maintain this huge website all by myself.  Right!  Well anyway, I intended for it to be as accurate as possible, even if you find obvious flaws.

KZ1300.COM - KZ1300 USA CLUB OR KZ1300 INTERNATIONAL CLUB ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGES OR INJURY RELATED TO THE USE OF THE INFORMATION POSTED ON THIS SITE, OR OFFERED BY MEMBERS TO OTHER MEMBERS OR NON-MEMBERS.  In other words, you are responsible for your own actions and whatever decisions you make.  If you bought hot coffee from us, or even if we just offered it to you and you dropped hot coffee on yourself and burnt your leg, these things happen, but please take responsibility for your own life.  Even if the cup we gave you had a leak and we didn't notice, be a man about it.  After all, you knew when you asked for the coffee that we were giving you a 30 year old antique cup to drink out of, right!

It is strictly against our member rules to use any email addresses contained on this site to mass market information to.  All text, pictures, email addresses, technical information, or other material contained within this site remains the property of the KZ1300 USA Club.  Express permission must be granted by David Ewing at david@kz1300.com for it's use outside of this domain.  Thank you!

If you need parts for your bike, the links page has the most up to date info available I have for what's available for our bikes on the internet.  I also have a page dedicated to parts I have for sale, you can buy things off ebay.com, and there's a free for sale/wanted ads bulletin board with available parts or bikes from members, if there's something you need.  Spend some time checking the relevant pages first, then contact me if you haven't found what you're looking for - david@kz1300.com

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Reverse Trike Club

Also check out my Reverse Trike Club if you're into these new style 2F1R trikes (2 wheels in front, 1 wheel in the rear) at my 'other' motorcycle club - reversetrike.com

Official Reverse Trike Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio (started 3/28/08 - weekly shows for the Reverse Trike Club are tentatively scheduled for 9:30AM every Friday.  So, my plan is to choose a different day and time to do a show for the KZ1300 Club if there's enough interest.  Then I can use the BTR show for the trike club, to schedule weekly shows for our club, and just use the same site for both.  That's much easier than starting up a whole other Blog Talk Radio show for the KZ site).

 

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	Web www.kz1300.com zn1300.com

Read our warning on the Z1300 Cam Chain Tensioner

problem on the Tech Tips page:

CLICK ON THIS LINK 

Before you start your engine again!