82 kz750 ltd cafe project

hello,

1st time posting here and i need some advise. a local guy has a 82 kz750 ltd for sale for 500. it is a little beat up and the carbs flood, but it runs!!

My question is i really want to build i cafe racer, nothing to crazy, just clubmans and a few odd and ends, but do the LTDs make good for cafe conversions?

It has a nice king/queen seat that i'll be removing...so if there is some interest let me know, if anybody has a stock seat, i'd be willing to trade.

thanks
Slob

I don't have your definitive answer, but I did see someone posting on another thread who "de-LTD'd" his LTD to what looked like a stock, 'standard' model...

(I very recently picked up the '81 version, myself!)

great I'll check that post right now....

Not that this is a cafe, but this was a cool project with a 550 ltd. I can't imagine yours would be too much different.

www.teammomba.com/

The big thing is deciding how much you want to put in it if you buy it.

Post edited by: Sixgun, at: 2007/04/09 12:21

Yeah, that is kinda what i want to do....clubman bars, strip the unneeded junk off of it....maybe a low profile seat. that is about it

I just came across this thread and figured I'd add my two cents. I'm working on an 81 750 (not LTD) and the outright biggest hurdle has been the stepped frame behind the tank. Most other cafe-worthy bikes, i.e. the Honda CB350, have straight tubes from the tank back, making it very easy to fit the typical cafe seat. Mine has a mild step down, then step up after the battery box, making it hard to work out seat mounting - it's what I'll be doing this weekend, actually.

I'm not positive, but I think the LTD has an even bigger step down. If you're serious, think about having someone who knows their stuff weld you up some new frame tubes that run straight out the back into a loop above the rear wheel. It may cost some money, but it will save aton of headaches.

actually I think this one is waaaaaaay cooler than any standard cafe out there. I just aquired a frame and some more parts and am planning on going this route.
kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_ponygal...6&func=detail&id=432

I wish I could that pluck and paste a pic thing. This is the sharpest looking bike of that genre I have ever seen.

Bobtheslob wrote:

hello,

1st time posting here and i need some advise. a local guy has a 82 kz750 ltd for sale for 500. it is a little beat up and the carbs flood, but it runs!!

My question is i really want to build i cafe racer, nothing to crazy, just clubmans and a few odd and ends, but do the LTDs make good for cafe conversions?

It has a nice king/queen seat that i'll be removing...so if there is some interest let me know, if anybody has a stock seat, i'd be willing to trade.

thanks
Slob

First of all welcome to KZR . In answer to your first question, no the LTD's do not make a good platform for a cafe racer. Besides the frame being all wrong the front forks are of the leading axle design and are not correct for a cafe type look.

It might take a little longer to find but if I were serious about putting together a cafe racer I'd look for either a 750 E model or an early Gpz or a 77 to 80 KZ650 B or C model.

Another good choice would be to look for a 550 Std or a 550 GPZ. They both handle very well, are fast and really their only weak point is the lousy TK carbs they come with.

While the MOMBA bike proved it was possible to make an LTD into a racer if you read the entire history about what they originally set out to do you will find they only opted for the LTD because they could not find anything else for sale at the swap meet. They initially were looking to buy a GPZ 550 for their platform.

Here is a nice example of a 750 E model that recently sold on Ebay for only $850.00.

The Gringo wrote:

Bobtheslob wrote:

hello,

Slob

First of all welcome to KZR . In answer to your first question, no the LTD's do not make a good platform for a cafe racer. Besides the frame being all wrong the front forks are of the leading axle design and are not correct for a cafe type look.

It might take a little longer to find but if I were serious about putting together a cafe racer I'd look for either a 750 E model or an early Gpz or a 77 to 80 KZ650 B or C model.

Another good choice would be to look for a 550 Std or a 550 GPZ. They both handle very well, are fast and really their only weak point is the lousy TK carbs they come with.

While the MOMBA bike proved it was possible to make an LTD into a racer if you read the entire history about what they originally set out to do you will find they only opted for the LTD because they could not find anything else for sale at the swap meet. They initially were looking to buy a GPZ 550 for their platform.

Gotta agree with this statement. The LTD's are the bling bling bikes of the KZ universe. There are too few of them left in their shiny glory as is. If your gonna strip and rip on one you would be better off with one of the other non LTDs.

I gotta disagree with some points here. The ltd are not the bling bling bikes of the kz universe. Granted a ltd would not make a good cafe conversion but its not the prettiest KZ either. Standars are much nicer looking in the sense that they are leaner and have cleaner lines.


Disclaimer: these are just my opinions.

Well according to the research I've done the LTD branch of the KZ line was done to take some market share away from the custom Harleys. The rest of the line was Kawasaki's streetrods, rough tough and fast. The LTDs were iven more chrome, more shiney bling than a standard KZ. That is the reason for the chopped down frame and swoopier lines than a standard CSR. If he wants to hack up a cafe racer he is going to be happier with a CSR project than with a LTD. Since he doesn't have the bike and is looking he will find that for the same money he can get a 4 cylinder that will be way more go without destroying factory show.
Again, same disclaimer as above.
These are merely my opinions.

Post edited by: Wildh2oskier, at: 2007/08/17 17:16