GPz550 Bassani exhaust on a Stage 3 big-bore Zephyr 550

[goldeneagle501]

That smoke is a problem

[azraphale]

@goldeneagle501 : That's condensation. It was cold out.

[Spencerian]

Nice Job. :)

[ibilun73]

what's wit da smoke... are the rings loose?

[technicolorhighway]

another question

can a 550 /1100 zephyr exhaust be fit to a 750?

[azraphale]

Nope. Bore spacing and header diameter are both entirely different on all three displacements, AFAIK.

[technicolorhighway]

are the header center to center spacing same as the gpz?

[azraphale]

Yep. All engine, intake and exhaust parts can be interchanged (except that the late GPz cams and gears can't be used with any pistons but late GPz pistons).

[whiteout438]

hey, you seem to know a lot about that bike... i was thinking about looking at one this weekend to buy for a first bike.. there is 59,000 kilometers on it... You think they normally run longer then that... i want it for this year at least... thanks.. P.S if i get it i want to get exhaust for it.. just a slip on i guess.. what would fit.. thanks

[azraphale]

For some reason my comment never showed up here... I think I may have answered you in email. No slip-ons available, you have to get a complete exhaust. 60k km is about when you want to lap the valves and check stem lenght and guide wear, so you'll need to replace all the top end gaskets in the process of checking everything out.

[tomassi998]

check my gpz 550 :D vance and hines without db killer

[bradh29]

hey man i have a guy wanting to trade me his 84 kz550 with less than 10,000 miles on it for my truck.. what is a bike like that worth? he says its still like new. minus some chew marks on the pegs and seat from his dog....

[azraphale]

They can do maybe 30k miles before they really need some top end attention, mainly in terms of valve seats needing lapping and de-gunking the valve heads. They can sometimes show valve guide wear by that point, but not too often. Rings can go as much as 50k miles if the bike was broken in properly and well taken care of.

What it is worth depends on the time of year, your location, condition of the bike, and how much you gotta have it. :)

[azraphale]

If this example is really clean and has a lot of receipts and records for its service and so forth, it might be woirth as much as $1k to the right buyer, but unless it was something really special like a bike with particular race history or a limited edition or hard-to-find model (like the rare gold-painted GPz550s from Canada), it'll never be worth more than that, IMHO, at least not in US dollars. :D

[azraphale]

If it is not a really perfect example, then you can probably fall back on the old "$1 per cc" rule for runnable, reasonably healthy old UJMs. And don't be afraid to knock off from the price for things the bike will need... There are always more UJMs out there. :)

[legend4me]

The Bassani pipes were always my favorite. I had '82 Gpz 750 I bought used - it had the same pipe. I am not sure Bassani makes these type headers anymore for the Japanese bikes. I've seen pipes for cars and Harleys in their catalogue. Nothing sounded better than one of these headers on a Kawi!

[azraphale]

Yep, it is a wonderful pipe, and yep, Bassani stopped making pipes for anything but Harleys years ago now. I guess they won't be upset then if I duplicate and sell copies of their design! ;)

And it sounds absolutely incredible, but you knew that from the video. :D

If you see any more Bassanis for Kawasaki inline-4 550cc bikes, please let me know!

[dirtdiver4ever]

where did u get that pipe? I've got a zephyr 550 also and am looking for a pipe from a gpz(only choice) besides supercrap!

[azraphale]

Actually, on eBay, believe it or not. I intend to replicate the pipe if I can find one in better shape to use as a template, and of course once I get the spigots ironed out for good.

[azraphale]

Mostly it's general bottom end, cam chain, proimary chain, from the balance issue. Kawasaki 550s are famed for making these noises, no matter the clearance between piston and cylinder wall. The gaps are all well within spec (which, granted, is on the wide side as it is, since the bike is air-cooled and made a lot of power for its displacement back in the day).

[azraphale]

Yeah, I just have not wanted to part with how much cash even the cheapest gauges tend to go for. :( It's ridiculous! >:( I finally found some good individual gauges for not too much money, so once I put the bike on the road again I'll be syncing it a pair of carbs at a time with the two gauges I bought. As the British would say, I'm skint! :)

[azraphale]

tunings of the various combinations of tuned lengths and volumes)...  I do expect great things from the pipe once I get some time on a Factory Pro dyno again. :D

[azraphale]

carport)... Finalize it with the fact that it's jetted for a Supertrapp with 13 discs, and I know I am going to have to change the idle settings to some degree (not sure if an idle mix adjust will cut it, may have to alter float height or even pilot jet)... I'm glad it started and ran with such a vastly different pipe on it (this one has a tiny fraction of the restriction found with the Supertrapp, plus different resonant

[azraphale]

Well, it needed a carb sync before I put the pipe on, and the cam chains on these bikes rattle like a Briggs & Stratton unless the valve adjust & carb sync are spot-on. Add to that that yes, it is cold here, and I hadn't warmed the bike up fully (I need to have longer spigots machined up for the header, as one of the header tubes kisses one of the oil cooler hard lines, and that won't do for more than a quick idle in the