Chanda's Z50

I had been keeping an eye out for a bike for my neighbors daughter Chanda for some time now. Knew of a z50(76 I think) with custom paint for some time, but never could get ahold of the guy at the right time. I eventually got my friend Kevin to sell his 05 CRF70 and I presented it to her last Friday. She, of course, liked it but.......it was WAY to fast for her right now. So it went back. Sunday by chance, I finally get a call from the guy with the Z50(whew!!! Saved my butt). Chanda was VERY happy to get a bike again and everyone's nerves feel better about her riding.

The bike has a custom paint job. Purple with gold swirl underneath and the white is supposed to be lightning. IMO, the lightning sucks, but the purple/gold swirl is nice. This little girl has basicly become a part of my family now and we love her very much. She is very sweet and well mannered.

Good job on your part!! That is one happy little girl.
Nothing better than making a kid smile!!

Lucky girl. When i was a kid my neighbor would even give me my ball back when it went over the fence. Then again i was an obnoxious little $#!+

At this rate, you'll soon be known as the "mini sugar daddy"...:8:

racerx said:

At this rate, you'll soon be known as the "mini sugar daddy"...:8:

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LOL. Your probably not too far off. When I had asked her parents sometime back about getting her a bike, they said "....sure" and didn't think I was serious. Lets say they were a little surprised/shocked to see their little girl ride around the house with a bike of her own.lol. The bad part is I'm now getting asked by some of the other neighbors is if they can ride my other bikes. It's hard for me to say no and tell them to get their own, but that's the way it is. You'd be lucky if they even replaced the gas they used, much less any repairs if needed. They usually ask to ride the HK1.....and then I laugh to scorn.

Anyway,
1. Discovered the oil drain bolt was loose and it barely had any oil in it. Easy fix and changed the oil.
2. The seller had ordered an airfilter and is still waiting on it, so I put a used K&N on it for now.
3. Timing chain is loose. Tried to adjust it, but it's all the way in. Needs a new one pronto. Will check the valve lash once it's replaced.
4. Exhaust is in very good shape, but the end pipe needed tightened. Easy fix.
5. Cleaned off the paint from the VIN tag to find out it's actually a 77model.

6. Briefly looked for evidence of a battery or if it ever had one. Didn't find anything, except this strange grommet on the frame.

7. I don't think this jug is the original. The 49cc lettering looks strange to me.

8. Would like to find a headlight to replace this homemade ear stabilizer.

9. I don't think this is stock, but appears someone painted the rest of the engine with a bright silver paint at one time. Doesn't look bad.

10. The bike seems to take a little bit to warm up, but once warm, it wants half choke to putt putt around. When you open the throttle up, it wants the choke all the way off. Needs a little A/F adjusting IMO.
11. Need to check the stator condition and go ahead and replace the points while I'm in there.
12. Discovered someone put a crappy aftermarket kicker on it that didn't fit properly and I'm the surprised the shaft wasn't damaged(WHEW!!!). Must have been recently put there. Put an original kicker from a 71CT70 on and that cured that problem.
13. There seems to be a part missing from the front brake cable and it wont function at all.

Very nice! A little bit of work and it should be a great bike for her. For the choke being needed, I would clean the pilot jet and emulsion tube/carb. Looks like it's time for a new front cable and check the brakes.

I agree with Pat, your carb is likely dirty & partially clogged; the aftermarket air filter is exacerbating the lean mixture. No doubt, this combination is the source of the preternaturally cold-blooded temperament. Strongly suggest replacing the packings/O-rings; 38-year-old rubber is...shall we say...sub-optimal. When the main jet well packing doesn't seal properly, the main circuit will go pig-rich.

I'd fill the crankcase with clean oil, get the engine up to full operating temp, then dump it, clean the oil spinner and give the bottom of the crankcase a good hosing-out with Brakleen. That'd be the ideal time to replace the timing chain, roller, idler & tensioner piston cap. You'll also have access to the flywheel side of the crankcase. If you find sludge & dirt in there, it can be easily sprayed-through while the clutch cover is off. A fair bit of scrubbing, half a can of solvent and you've given the lower end a fighting chance at a normal service life.

Here's what your mystery grommet does:
That's obviously an aftermarket cylinder jug. If the rings are sealing properly (no smoke, decent compression), nothing to worry about, imho; it's just a dumb hunk of cast iron, that's been machined with tolerances that truly are good enough.

Headlight shells are still available from Honda, so check with your preferred vendor. I've sourced them through NEVC and DRatv within the last year, shell & reflector assembly. I believe that hondatrailbikes & chp have them, too.

I'd check the condition of the fork legs, tires, brake shoes & wheel bearings (along with the seals). Z50 forks are like CT70K0 pogo sticks...without piston slides...and highly prone to a lot of unwanted slop. You don't want evil steering on any bike but especially one piloted by youngsters. New glides can make a big improvement; cleaning, lubing & new rubber parts couldn't hurt, either. Adding CT70 upper piston slides really eliminates the monkey-motion & tightens-up the steering.

FWIW, these mid-70s soft tails are better machines than their elder, and more popular, hardtail siblings.

Way to pay it forward! Something she will remember forever.

Thanks kirrbby. She really likes that little bike. I've ridden it myself and it definitely rides ALOT smoother than Sharons hardtail Z50K2. Bob was right about it being a mechanically better bike.

BTW, that helmet is vintage. It came from my grandfather's house and I remember it when I was a kid. Took me awhile to find the visor for it.

Ya I spose they don't call em hard tails for nothin. lol
Good to see Chanda enjoying her bike. Bet she'll have a blast with it this summer.

Poor Chanda had to learn a hard lesson about letting other people ride her bike. A few months ago she let her cousin Wyatt ride her bike. Apparently he was riding all the time at WOT and burned it up(I think). Anyway, today I let her ride Sharons Z50K2 and she was all smiles again.

Kirrbby, could you post that vid I sent you?

Thanks kirrbby

cjpayne said:

BTW, that helmet is vintage. It came from my grandfather's house and I remember it when I was a kid. Took me awhile to find the visor for it.

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I would replace that vintage helmet with a fresher, safer one. Would not want her to hurt her noggin now!!

Considering the headstart you've gotten, maybe the offseason will be a good time for another lesson...how to go through an engine. No joke, CJ. If she's as into that little bike as I think, you've got a nice father-daughter project and lots of bonding time, with a big payoff at the end

ctrider said:

I would replace that vintage helmet with a fresher, safer one. Would not want her to hurt her noggin now!!

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For some reason, she keeps wanting to wear her black helmet.

racerx said:

Considering the headstart you've gotten, maybe the offseason will be a good time for another lesson...how to go through an engine. No joke, CJ. If she's as into that little bike as I think, you've got a nice father-daughter project and lots of bonding time, with a big payoff at the end

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I wish Chanda was my daughter, but she isn't. I do try to treat her as she were my own. She is very sweet. She lives with her father and uncle. I've met her mother a few times and ...well...let's say her priorities don't match my own. Her father and uncle are very hedonistic single guys. I told them once, " You guys are like Motley Crue without the millions.".lol. No doubt they would die to protect her, but I do wish some things wouldn't go on around her. She does seem perfectly normal though. Anyway, I did try to get her dad to cough up a hundred bucks for parts/ect., and he agreed, but he never did. I'm pretty strapped for cash right now and it will be awhile before I can really go through that bike on my own dime. That's why I let her ride Sharon's bike every now and then.

Hey RACERX, how about setting up a paypal account for a type of fundraiser for CJ and Chandra,s rebuild.
If everyone donated 10.00, just a thought.

Yo kirrbby!!!! Chanda's uncle finally gave me some money to fix this bike. I'm pretty sure the head is probably toast and was wondering if you had one for a '77 Z50. Don't know if they are different from the earlier models. I'll be getting someone to bring the bike over and put in my little shop. It's been sitting under a tarp for quite awhile and I'm sure the carb probably needs cleaned. I'm first going to try and get it started, but I think it will be futile.lol

BTW, Its aircleaner is missing.