HerNameIsSway

Hey guys,

I have a 1970 Kawasaki G3SS that I'm currently restoring. I was wondering if anyone on here might have some tech info on these old bikes, for example, if different (bigger) motors can fit in the same frame. The G3SS has a 90cc, which is fine for city driving, but I think a country/interstate drive would be too much for the 2-stroke 1 cylinder motor that pushes 10hp.

Does anyone know how to make the oil feed reliable/trustworthy? I was told by old school neighbors to just mix gas/oil in the tank and clamp the oil feed shut, but I'd like to make it all function just like a brand new bike.

I'll be posting up pics of the resto process. I have never tried shining stainless steel, and I have 40 year old parts I want to try to restore, the bike is a complete bike, with bent handlebars I hope to find a replacement for. Does anyone have suggestions on how to restore stainless steel on the semi-cheap?

Thanks!

skr00zloose

that's a cool little bike!

As far as cleaning the shiny bits, try a can of never-dull and/or turtle wax chrome polish. Both do a pretty good job of taking off corrosion, as long as it's not real deep.

Btw, that's probably chromed steel on that bike, not stainless. Rarely do you ever see stainless steel on japanese motorcycles, especially older ones like that.


I'd have to agree with your friends about the oil injection. Even if you could rebuild it all with new parts, they're still sketchy, and if they, for whatever reason, stop pumping, or don't pump enough, you WILL seize that motor REAL quick. If you pre-mix, you never have to worry about that.

HerNameIsSway

Alright, I'll stick with gas mix then and try some good ol' turtle wax, thanks!

No one knows if the bike frames are the same witha different model, so I can bolt on a bigger motor?

4BangerCivic

keep us updated, take lots of pics! that looks like a fun rebuild. i'm balls deep in a '87 honda 250 myself (thread is in here)

j4k3

Just weld new mounts and put whatever you want in it.

Smindustries

Whoa! Put the angle grinder away. That bike is awfully cool in its unrestored condition. You should only clean it thoroughly and make sure it's mechanically sound rather than tearing it apart. There are very few original dirt bikes out there and the pre-'74 stuff is more sought after than those bikes made afterward.

If you cleaned it up and replaced any broken parts or fasteners with good unrestored parts, you'll have a very desirable bike on your hands. Refinishing or modifying it is not a wise move until it's no longer able to be operated safely.

HerNameIsSway

I thought it would be super cool to make this bike streetable, since it has never seen the street, and that's what this bike was made for. Only problem is, the title was lost 30+ years ago, heh. Gotta figure a way around that...

The bike hadn't run in 10 years and all the wiring look horrible, and I cleaned the carb out twice in the past 3 years, and still barely got it running, so I want to check the rest of the engine internally to see if there are any bugs living in there or something, there was a hive in the carb bowl and the gas turned gummy inside, had to scrape it all out.

4BangerCivic, I read your thread! You're going balls out for someone with little experience! My hat's off to you!

SMindustries, no worries, I really dont want to modify the bike at all, I want to restore it. I just thought if I can up the engine size (bore it or get a bigger block) but keep it within the family, kind of like switching a car from SOHC to DOHC, you know?

The angle grinder was out to grind down the Phillips head screws that held the fenders and other parts in place, and I had to punch out the bolts once I got the heads ground down. The Philips head was stripping, and even a twist punch couldnt get most of them out, but the ones I did get out, all the threads were seemingly perfect, it's just the contact between the head against the brackets and the fenders that was extremely tight.

I have already sandblasted the bike, I see no rust, which is very nice, but it has been under a roof for at least the last 20 years. It'll at least be a good pit bike, take it to car shows in the back of a pickup.

I keep forgetting to upload the latest pics, so stay tuned!

HerNameIsSway

A few pics for now...

Dark-SRT4

If you have the VIN take it to DMV and ask what you need to do to become the owner of the bike.

Take the frame to a bead blaster and have them strip it for you, it's safer and much faster.

HerNameIsSway

I have access to an enclosed sandblaster, I have already finished the blasting. I will go over it again before paint.