TOPIC:

Hey there, ladies(?) and gentlemen... I present to you my new project bike. My co-worker decided he was tired of storing it and was going to donate it, but decided to offer it to me because he knows I like to tinker with things of the mechanical sort (I've worked on my car at the company yard). It's in pretty good shape for the age. It's got about 33k miles on it. The seat will need a little attention from an upholsterer, but my co-worker knows somebody that can work on it. The tires seem pretty close to new and are Michelin Macadams. The paint is in ok shape, though it seems to have some kind of over-spray on it. I'll try to polish it up some and see if it helps. If not, the painted parts are easy enough to remove, so I might just repaint the whole thing. I only consider a different color because these bikes don't bring a ton of money, even when restored to original condition, so, why not?

My co-worker thought the bike was stock, but it's not. Here are the mods I saw at first glance:

Vance & Hines 4-1 exhaust (this was on my ZX-11 and I loved it)
Individual pod air filters
Rear fender delete (cheaply done, will need some work to better support the rear section and mount the plate more securely)

There are a few things that will need immediate attention before it's road worthy. My co-worker bought it in '06 and rode it for a little while, but then it just sat. When he tried to start it again after a long sit, one of the carbs leaked fuel. I'm guessing a clean-up of the carbs finished with a little SeaFoam through the tank should solve that. The brakes need to be looked at. The brake lever does nothing. It just flops around. The little window on the bar shows brake fluid, but obviously, something is not connected. The rear brake didn't seem to work either. I would imagine that the carbs have been re-jetted considering the air pods and the exhaust, but I guess I'll find out once I take them apart. If they are re-jetted and I use a rebuild kit, I should be able to use everything sans jets, correct? I've done tons of work on cars/trucks (mostly my Mustangs), but I'm rather green when it comes to bikes. This is my 4th bike, but I haven't had to do more than change oil, lube the chain, and remove wheels to change tires. I'm guessing that with a service manual and enough blood, sweat, & tears, I should be able to handle whatever this bike throws at me.

On to the pics:

Have fun! Some serous cleaning and it will look pretty good me thinks. Welcome.
Wayne

Thanks, Wayne. I think it'll be a ton of fun once it's running. If a pass with a random orbital and some polishing compound doesn't clean up the paint, it'll get a new color.

Hello, SonicVenum, and WELCOME to KZr!

If needed, a free service manual download is available at
kz.bike-night.com/

Scroll down to and click on "The Bible."

Good Fortune!

Very nice find. As you might notice, the GPz750 is my favorite Kaw.
You have Mikuni BS34SS carbs on your bike. The Mikunis really need to be thoroughly cleaned and rebuilt, as in dipped in carb dip and all the o-rings replaced. They have a lot of tiny passages that carb cleaner or SeaFoam just won't reach. And they work best with a pipe and pods if you install a DynoJet kit in them. Been there, done that.
I suspect that the rebuild procedure is stored in the archives here.
Best of luck, and be sure and check the dates on the tires. Even the best looking tires can be too old and therefore dangerous.

Patton, thanks for the welcome. Yes, I already downloaded the pdf of the service manual. I think I might go ahead and get a used hard copy as well though.

Koolaid, thanks for the tips and the well wishes. I'm happy with the shape the bike is in, especially for the price. I'll do a search and see if I can find the rebuild procedure. Once the carbs are apart, I'll check the jets to see if they are stock or an aftermarket upgrade. I'll also check the tires. I think they were purchased right around the time of the last sale in 2006.

Here is the one I use: Mikuni carb rebuild tutorial
The only issue you will have is the o-rings. The ones for a GS are not the same. If you decide to do it, I can try and locate the ones I used. I got them a McMasterCarr, btw.

Cool looking bike.

I'd like pods and 4-1 for my CSR.

I also like the 1982 GPz model...some parts are hard to source (like the grab bar) but do pop up on eBay.

Nice find!! Great bike. I have the '83. I also rock the vance&hines 4 into 1 on mine. I love the way they sound ...Neighbors prolly not so much haha. Look forward to see how she comes out.

Good score on a rare one year only bike.

Good catch! I had one and wish I'd never sold it!