Factory ring compressor question. .

Hey everyone, I just picked up these old ring compressors for the 650, 900 and 1000 , having never used this type I'm just wondering if anyone knows what you do with the strange square wire frames that came with them? I'm not sure why there's so many too! Many thanks

you insert those from the left and right side under the piston skirts to hold them straight. Once the liner gets close and the piston is well started into the bore you pull them out. Those are very nice tools to have!

Mike

Thanks Mike I thought they probably had something to do with keeping the Pistons in line if you like those you might like my other kawasaki tools, I also have a 70s kawasaki oil press gauge that hangs on a little hook but I don't have a pic of that!

And....

All those look familiar! We actually ditched the vacuum gauges for Carb Stix (mercury tubes). The Electro Tester was fun to play with, but never found it very useful. My favorite was the coil test seeing how far the spark would arc, even though just grabbing another coil to try off the line was quicker if one on a bike was suspect. I think when they set up the Engine Repair Dept. at the Plant in 1974 they probably went through the Special Tool Catalog and bought every tool available. Cool stuff to have now!

Mike

Ha ha yes the electro tester is fun to mess around with even though as you say there are faster and easier ways to diagnose, I've heard good things about those mercury tubes and I'm not sure if the old vacuum gauges need calibrating every so often? I don't know if mine have ever had any kind of service!! I love finding and saving the old kawasaki tools because to me they're all part of the old Z story and each passing year anything 70s zed becomes rarer and more valuable, I'd like to end up with my own little pile of kawasaki history!

I have a 900 cc ring compressor but it came without the wires so I made a couple out of coathangers. I have some thoughts about how to make it convertible to 1000 cc by making the round parts removable but I haven't had a need for 1000 cc size yet. Maybe someday if my KZ1000 ever needs bottom end work.

Yeah I suppose if they made one these days they would probably use a fully adjustable system even if it was simply sliding clamps with wing nuts so one set could do 3 engines I also picked up some old car badges and bumper badges recently, check them out in the non bike related chat and let me know your thoughts!