93 Kawi 750sx barn build

[CHRISRACERX]

Hey guys, in the middle of helping out a buddy who got a 93 Kawi 750sx from a barn. Supposedly the ski ran before being put away 6-8 years ago. Well it’s not now, so that’s where I came into play.
First we tried jump starting it to check for spark n compression but she didn’t want to turn over. The starter was slow n I could hear the bendix not engaging. So I decided to just get into it. Within an hour everything was pulled out.
First thing I noticed was the pump seized and there was some fiberglass damage that was in the front that was intruding into the inside. So more work.
Pump was pull. It had a Solas impeller with a jet dynamics ride plate and intake grate that was a little modded with some bars welded to it so I guess debri couldn’t get through. After getting the prop out, I checked the bearing and seals. They still looked good so we are running them. I was able to pick out some dried salt from the liner edge then heat up n bang into place so the impeller could spin. This helped a lot, but still hung up. Got the grinder out n went to town. Eventually it’s spins freely with very little gap.
Up it the engine area, I noticed some debri that was either mice or squirrels. They had a hay day. I got the ski outside so I could spray her out. After the bath it started to look good.
Engine mounts were very tight still. I pulled the center bearing and the rubber looked good but I did replace the bearing and seals for that. Got the tank all cleaned out n ready for new fuel lines. The originals weren’t even connected to the carbs anymore. Yes I said carbs. It has a marriner dual Mikuni setup that replace the single.
I got started on the hull stuff first for the rebuild. First was addressing the hole up front. Grinded out some glass and put a few good layers down. Going to put some stranded glass on the outside but I haven’t gotten there yet.
Next was cleaning up the metal parts. Wire brushing the waterbox, ebox, mounts n eng plate. Engine plate got a fresh black paint job with some epoxy paint. Hoses n wires were all wiped and cleaned up.
Before I started on some assembly I put some white epoxy paint on the inside of the hull. Nothing fancy, just something to make it look fresher.
It’s late and I have to go so tomorrow I’ll put up more content and pics.

 

[Sanoman]

Sub’d

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Ok here’s some pics as of date today
Dirty hull:

 

[CHRISRACERX]

This was the little guy who lost his way

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Clean hull:
Just used a small coat of epoxy white paint. Didn’t go crazy. The new battery in the pic was actually exchanged out for a maintenance free. Went with that bc the ski no longer had the tube for the vent anymore.
U

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Here’s a pic of the primer installed, bilge pump and new ODI grips & new/used purple anodized throttle. The original throttle was a purple plastic one, but it had cracked and broke at the clamp. I believe these originally came with thumb throttles. I might be wrong. Can’t remember when the started to convert over.

The bilge outlet area wasn’t my ideal spot but there was already a hole there that was blocked off by a big galvanized fender washer and bolt. Stuff you put together fences with

The ODI grips took a little longer than I thought. The OEM grips were vulcanized to the bars like the usually are but there was a big washer welded to the bar that was acting like a stop. So after I cut n scraped off the grips, I had to pull off the washer from the weld then file off the remaining weld for the grips to slide over.

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Next is the engine stuff. Pulled the engine all apart to go through and reseal n gasket. Ended up needing a few more parts though.

I pulled apart the starter and the inside was spotless except for the bearing on the end cap. After some wire brushing and soaking in wd40 it is spinning a lot better. Does anyone know how to get the bearings in the starters?

When I pulled the head the top of the pistons n head domes were in great shape. Pulled the cylinders off and the cylinder walls looked great still as well. There was actually still some oil in the cylinders that probably helped this.

Houston we have an issue:
When I took off the cover I found out why the bendix wasn’t engaging. There was a broken bolt up top and there was some red rvt used as a gasket. Water had found its way in and messed things up.

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Next part is cleaning up the engine parts:
Got all the parts except the carbs cleaned up yet. To many small parts to loose plus I want to get the engine together first and get some parts off the floor of my garage. Can’t wait to get a real shop one day n work like a pro again. But you do what you have to do. Since I’ve done this stuff on my own I’ve worked out of a 12x12 shed, 12x24 garage shed n now this 2 car attached garage. Getting better. This space would be actually ideal but we live in a HOA area so I can’t have anything outside. Plus we are tight on storage on the inside so stuff makes it way to the garage.

Only pic so far of the engine parts getting clean is the engine plate all painted up. So that’s next on the list.

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Found the original pics that my buddy had sent when he first picked up the ski: Ski still had the original certificate of origin and booklet. That alone is worth the time to fix this thing up.

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Sub’d

What does that mean?

 

[CHRISRACERX]

So I have almost all the parts to get this thing going. Only thing I’m waiting for is 1 Mikuni brand carb kit. (Only way to go when rebuilding carbs). I had 1 in stock already. And I’m waiting for the new start stop switch face that allows you to use a lanyard. Idk what’s going on with that bc the company I ordered it from off of eBay said it was delivered or the tracking number did and now I’m waiting for another but it’s been 2 weeks so I think I’ll be contacting eBay again shortly.
But the ski has boyesen rad valves n one of the dual stage reeds is hanging up just a little bit.
Does anyone know what reeds do I need. I put in a email to boyesen but they are closed for the covid-19 stuff. Only thing I could find was it was the same as the SJ’s. Is this correct? Want to get them on order bc I’ll be ready for them around the corner.

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Sorry for the sideways pics. I am rushing a little bit to post this. Wasn’t going to at first but I enjoy it. It was fun putting up my SJ build for the world or ski community to see. But I have a new edition that slows me up a little. He is number 1 on the priority list so time is tight. Most of this work is done between 7-8am when I get home from work. I get a little bit done in the garage before I head inside a make noise to potentially wake everybody up.

And the ski in the background is my 2006 Yamaha fxho cruiser that I just redone. Hopefully get some time this summer with the wifey on the water as the little guy will be at g-mom’s n g-pa’s house.

 

[Sanoman]

Subscribed! sir! Just a quick post so l can follow your thread.Great job so far

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Subscribed! sir! Just a quick post so l can follow your thread.Great job so far

Thanks, lol. Trying to keep up with the lingos, lol

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Got home this morning and put in some time on the engine:

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Got some more stuff in the past couple of weeks. Got the cylinders on and exhaust all mounted. Redid all the fuel lines and cleaned up the water lines. Had to put in new lines for the temp sensor.
Started tearing into the stator area. Got the crust out of the cover and stator. Installed the cover. Oh forgot I had to drill out a bolt & install a helicoil where a bolt broke that probably let the crud in.
Never got any info on the boyesen rad valves. My buddy decided just to order a new set of carbon fiber v-force reeds. Still would like to know about a replacement reed for the rad valve though.
Only thing left is the cleaning of the carbs.
Carb cleaning update coming soon

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Ok, so today I got the carbs all cleaned up and installed with the new Mikuni carb kits. I checked for spark first to verify I was good there. I did a compression check and had 175 in both cylinders. So all I need is the 3rd side of the triangle which is fuel. Once the fuel lines filled up, the ski fired up. I only got that far though. Once it fired and was trying to get some of the fogging oil burned out, I blipped the throttle real quick n the engine started to run away from me. Luckily I’ve had this happen to me before so I knew what to do. First I pulled the plug wires off n that didn’t do anything, then I covered the top of the carbs with my palms to choke it out hoping the engine wouldn’t backfire. It stopped real quick after that. So that’s where I stopped today. Tomorrow I’ll try to figure it out.
First I didn’t have zip ties on any of the lines except the crankcase pulse lines. (It was just supposed to be a test to see if it would fire). So I’ll secure those. If that doesn’t work I’ll have to remove the exhaust and go back to the crankcase drain delete block n check the orings. I didn’t pull that plate off figuring that the orings were probably going to be fine. Probably bit myself in the but bc they were right there when rebuilding the engine. But those 2 could be fine. It might have been bc the fuel system wasn’t completely filled and when I revved it, it just sucked up air. Who knows, I’ll figure it out. Have too bc my buddies new hitch receiver comes in tomorrow and he’s anxious to get on the water. And I’m anxious to free up some room in my garage n fix n build my own stuff, lol.
Just kidding I’ve enjoyed doing this project. It’s really cool getting machines from the point where it was and bringing them back to life.

with what is going on in the world today n with what is going on in the U.S of A, i can’t fix none of it. I can contribute with wearing my mask, staying socially apart, being RESPECTFUL to each other, white,black,Hispanic, asain, BLUE or whoever. But what I can fix is engines. And it’s a good feeling of accomplishment when it’s over. That’s what I like about mechanics.

 

[Random?]

Nice job! Ski looks to have an aftermarket crankshaft. Lookin great!!

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Nice job! Ski looks to have an aftermarket crankshaft. Lookin great!!

Thanks, Yeah I noticed that. I didn’t see any branding on it. The purple bearing is something I’ve never seen before. The pins were welded on it as well.

 

[CHRISRACERX]

Got the exhaust off Wednesday morning along with drain plate. Found new orings at tractor supply. We’re a perfect match. So everything went back on and got the lines all zip tied up n started the ski. Everything seemed to be good. Had to mess with the idle n throttle cable adjustment a little before it went on the hose.
My buddy (owner) came over and we got it on the hose. No leaks, ski seemed good. Next was the water test.
We went to a spot on a river for a spin. Felt good to be on the water for the first time this year. I went for the first spin. It fired n idled good in the water. Ski took off fine and seemed to have good throttle response in all the ranges. Only thing was it very hard to keep the nose down, so we are going to play with the ride plate a little to see if we can fix that. Maybe put some washers in the back to bring more drag. It is already an extended ride plate n the handpole is AM but I don’t know how much shorter if any it is. Plus I got this new dad bod thing going on so there’s an extra 20lbs on the rear, lol.
I checked the plugs and they were a little rich but not sopping wet. My buddy mixed in 2 gallons of gas closer to the 32:1 range so after that it will go to 40:1 n the plugs should look better.
funny story was we’re tied it to his new ez lift carrier thing n we were a little skeptical of it since neither of us never used one before. Got going down the road n we heard a little noise but still could see the ski still there so we kept going. Well when we got to the water we found out the gas lid had flung off. Luckily he did find it today but it was pretty messed up. Looked like it got ran over and the lock had some road rash. So probably going to have to search eBay for a new lid and maybe get the lock to work hopefully bc they seem to be on the pricey side.