Done

Last updated 12/3/09

Over the past few weeks I've managed to fit in enough nights and weekends on the RZ to complete it. First was to top off all the liquids and fire it up before mounting all the body work. After adding a fresh batch of Motul to the crankcase I had only one small weep on the bottom of the clutch cover to take care of, then came time add a tank full of pre-mix. Since I'd had the motor apart I needed to run oil in the gas until the autolube lines had a chance to fill again. It had been about 10-12 weeks since I'd rebuilt the carbs, so of course, a couple of them piddled a little, but that was quickly fixed. With these items fixed, the bike started easily and ran crisply and cleanly.

Next was to fit the body work, which was a little of a challenge since front four pieces forming the nose, sides and belly pan were all new fiber-glass replacements. Much stronger (and thicker), and freshly painted, I took my time sizing everything up. The stock captive bolts that slide onto the side fairings were not wide enough to slide over the thicker fiber-glass, so I used Chicago screws instead. The idea came to me while I was browsing the shelves at Ace Hardware, and it really worked out nicely. I was too anxious to get done to take any pictures of the Chicago screw application, but I'll get some next time I take the belly pan off.

After a final cleaning and wax job, the sun appeared long enough this morning to allow for these pictures.