1994 Kawasaki KE100 question

[AMink]

I have the chance to pick up a KE100 with less than 200 (claimed) miles on it. The bike itself is in really good condition, with the exception of a missing side panel. HOWEVER--the engine is seized. I don't know if it seized from sitting too long in the desert southwest and then it was moved to the CA coast, or if it was running when it happened. I'm thinking it wasn't running, but can't be sure. Bottom line, the guy is asking $250 for it. I'm pretty good with a wrench and am not afraid to dig into the engine. However, I have very little experience with 2-strokes. If the engine is seized because it was sitting, will penetrating oil break it free? If it does, can I use the same parts if the cylinder wall just needs to be touched with some super fine steel wool to knock any crud off? Or will something like this be a money pit? Thanks for the help!

 

[BigPapa]

Hey Mink,



That is a good bike for what it is but unless somebodies going to give it to you and you're going to be able to do the work yourself it's not going to be worth it.



The cylinder on it is a chrome bore, no cast iron sleeve. This means no boring, time for a new cylinder. You can go to Nashville, Madison, Dickson, TN - ATVs, Motorcycles, Utility Vehicles, Can-Am, Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, Suzuki, Tomberlin, Yamaha and look up the parts.



Scott

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Actually you can have it bored and rechromed. US Chrome can do the job - Cylinder Plating | Cylinder Honing | Cylinder Repair | Cylinder Re-Plating| US Chrome Inc Cylinder Repair Company - sometimes the price is pretty close to what you can get a new cylinder for though. You can get a new cylinder through ronayers.com for $282. Cleaning up your cylinder and rechroming it will cost between $179-239 depending on the level of work necessary. A rebuild kit which would include the piston, ring, and all gaskets needed will cost you around $120. If it's completely seized you'll want to check the crank while you have it apart as well. If it's seized your almost guaranteed to have cylinder scoring and aluminum on the walls. To get the jug off you can try removing the head and then spray some penetrating oil down around the piston and put the bike up in top gear and rock it back and forth - it will probably free up going backwards. If that doesn't work you can take the head off, then unbolt the jug and put a couple pieces of wood under the jug and use a piece of wood and a mallet to try to drive the piston down. The wood underneath will help protect the bottom end from getting damaged from side loads.

Once you get it back together you'll want to be sure that the jetting is ok. It could have seized from too lean jetting or because someone ran it without oil mixed in (not sure if the KE had to be premixed or not).

 

[AMink]

Thanks for the suggestions. The KE is an oil-injection machine. It is definately a "don't need it but it looks like fun" project. It would be mainly for kicking around on the drylake bed when we go camping.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I'd suggest pulling the oil injection system and just premixing it yourself. You never really know how reliable those oil injection systems are. If you premix it yourself you'll know for sure the oil's getting in there.

 

[KYOUNG]

Pull the pipe off and look in at the piston skirt. If it is not galled it probably is just lockedup from sitting for a long time. pull the plug out and squirt a bunch of knockrloose in the hole and let sit for a few days. than put transmission in high gear and start rolling back and forth til motor breaks loose.

The oil injection usually works fine on these, might need drained and refilled and primed.

 

[PSU-CE]

I'm by no means a bike expert but I had one when I was younger and had nothing but problems with, specifically it locked up twice on me. I don't know if it's common on them but it seems strange that ours locked the same as yours. I fixed it the first time ($$$) but now it sits in the shed.