The ultimate union of 1970s Japanese power and British chassis tech
Small LED indicators were originally spaced out with multiple washers
The switchgear looked clean inside initially – until I took them to bits. This was the left side wiper switch for the indicators
Here’s the same thing on the right hand switch – rewired, cleaned up and lubed with silicone grease
I repaired the stator cables and fitted a new sleeve, then hooked up a new neutral wire. But the integral starter cable had to stay. I trimmed the stray strands which you can just see here
I repaired both handlebar switches to preserve the patina but it would probably be just as cost effective to get new ones from Z Power
Rob’s Rickman Kawasaki Z900
Rob had owned this Rickman for a while but hardly ridden it because it was unreliable. Every time he set off, he wasn’t sure if he would arrive where he was going.
Once the bodywork was off the reasons were easy to see. The whole bike was electrically ancient: wiring, switchgear, coils and clocks were ravaged by the enthusiasms of multiple owners, and the passage of time. Even the starter motor cable was starting to break a strand or two.
In all honesty there was a case for replacing every single electrical component. But Rob didn’t want to pour endless money into the bike, so we settled on a new set of coils from Z Power, and lots of repairing. And the old 1970s Martek ignition from the States still looked pretty good.
Early Zeds had starter motors with an integral battery cable, so if the cable packs up it’s a case of a new motor. You can’t get them, but the later Kawasaki motor fits just as well. In this case we decided it was OK to leave as is.
As with any old bike using a single warning light with modern LED indicators, the Zed needed a diode pack to make the warning light flash correctly. I also modified the way the fuses work. For some reason, on most Z900s and 1000s, Kawasaki combined ignition and headlight on one circuit. Much more logical to keep them separate.
While the bike was here, Rob decided to get a few other details attended to via Rupe Farnsworth at La Contenta Motorcycles: new throttle cables and a fork rebuild. The forks are 38mm. The seals Rupe found inside were 35mm!
(La Contenta is a reference to Easy Rider. Farnsworth does engine, chassis and fabrication work on quite a few of my customers’ bikes but can’t be arsed to finish his website, so his only contact is his mobile: 07950 234497)
I really enjoyed sorting the Rickman out. It fired up willingly, and rumbled around for ten minutes without any issues. Another happy motorbike.
The new loom is a lot smaller than the original (which by this stage was in the recycling bin, in several bits)
Flasher unit and solenoid, plus connections to the reg rec which lives under the battery box
Original Z900 clocks and warning lights, repositioned by Rickman
Nickel-plated frame is long, low and stable. Paint is a pale shade of Kawasaki green
According to my phone the Japanese characters translate as: a hybrid
