Topend Rebuild in progress

Can anyone point me in the right direction to buying parts for my 82 kz440d1. I need a intake valve, head and base gasket, and piston rings. Ive been looking at bike bandit, etc... but they want an arm and a leg for parts and i just wasnt sure if there was anywhere else i could order them from at a much cheaper price..???Thanks

look in the vendor section, but z1 would be my first stop, call them they can help

You also need the O rings and valve seals to do the job. A vesrah top end gasket set is the lowest cost way to go. I got mine at Old Bike barn if I recall.

As for piston rings? I know where to get very cheap OEM piston and ring sets for the 750 twin and 400 twin, but not the 440. Z1 is always the first stop, but if they can't get them, try babittsonline.com as they have the lowest prices ordering OEM parts from kawi.... but, no guarantees that Kawi still sells the rings.

Spring the extra money and put OEM Kawasaki valve seals in it.

What about valve springs?

larrycavan wrote:

Spring the extra money and put OEM Kawasaki valve seals in it.

I didn't know Kawi still made them. They certainly don't make them for the 750 twins, maybe the 440's?

Old Man Rock wrote:

What about valve springs?

They usually don't need replacing, but the machine shop that does the head will test them.

bountyhunter wrote:

larrycavan wrote:

Spring the extra money and put OEM Kawasaki valve seals in it.

I didn't know Kawi still made them. They certainly don't make them for the 750 twins, maybe the 440's?

If the 440 has 7 mm valve stems, then KZ1000 seals should work,

Well it a little funny because we tore it all apart and I checked the rings by pouring oil over them inside the cylinders and leaving them over night and they didnt hardly leak a drop if any through them over an 8hr period. So we took the valves out and i figure we could look at the valve and see it bent so we cleaned them up and switched the 2 intake valves and there was no leaking by them like before.

So my question is what could it have been???? Maybe just too much carbon build up or what? Its very strange because before we pulled the valves out and cleaned up we retested them and nothing would leak through them at all....Very strange if u ask me.....Any input....

RingB21 wrote:

Well it a little funny because we tore it all apart and I checked the rings by pouring oil over them inside the cylinders and leaving them over night and they didnt hardly leak a drop if any through them over an 8hr period. So we took the valves out and i figure we could look at the valve and see it bent so we cleaned them up and switched the 2 intake valves and there was no leaking by them like before.

So my question is what could it have been???? Maybe just too much carbon build up or what? Its very strange because before we pulled the valves out and cleaned up we retested them and nothing would leak through them at all....Very strange if u ask me.....Any input....

Both times I had to do a head job on my twin, it was because oil seeping past the seals would accumulate and burn on in the seats and the valve faces. Eventually, there was enough crud built up to hold the valve slightly open.

APE Jay wrote:

bountyhunter wrote:

larrycavan wrote:

Spring the extra money and put OEM Kawasaki valve seals in it.

I didn't know Kawi still made them. They certainly don't make them for the 750 twins, maybe the 440's?

If the 440 has 7 mm valve stems, then KZ1000 seals should work,

Good call, the cross reference shows the same PN:

92049-016

For the KZ 650, KZ 900, and KZ 1000.

Ok guys so i got this thing up and running again but am having a couple problems. When u give it any gas what so ever it seems to stay up in the idle for a few seconds and then fall back off. I am not sure why it is doing this but it is really annoying. Can anyone give me any ideas. It runs alot better since the rebuild but i still need to do some tinkering and adjusting. If any one can help me out on this i would really appreciate it. Thanks