82 kz305 project (sort of)

Here's my project. Just bought her 3 days ago for $300.00. I have only added another $20.00 so far for a 6 month old, but perfectly good battery. I have the tank, and covers off for maintenance in the photo. The forks are pitted somewhat, and were really crappy looking, but I hit all the chrome with steel wool and WD-40 and except for the pitting on the forks, she shined right up.

I got real lucky and all the signals, lights, and the horn work. The clutch will need an adjustment and the only goofy thing so far is the rear brake light stays on when you put the key to the 'lock' position. Oh well, I can live with that - I'll just park her in the 'off' position.

The tank wasn't too bad. I just rinsed her with some fresh gasoline and what's coming out is pretty clean. The petcock will need some attention because it still drips slowly in the 'off' position.

The upper portion of the carbs look great, but the float bowls were coated with murky varnish. I had to scoop the gunk out. Apparently I didn't get the jets clean enough because she still won't start with gasoline. She will run if you keep a constant spray of starter fluid, so I'm pretty sure that I just need to clean the jets better.

I'll keep everyone updated on progress.

- Tom

Post edited by: Thorman944, at: 2007/04/10 20:44

Another pic with the rest of the parts. The only thing that I didn't get with the bike are the airbox and the two little boots from the airbox to the carbs.

Gonna hook up some pods instead then?

Looks like a fun bike to ride around town on!

Heres some pics of my 305 project.

pic of bike


Post edited by: kzrider, at: 2007/04/16 18:29

Bought this thing 6 years ago for $100, just now got it running this year. Decided that I either needed to get it runnig or sell it. It was a mess to start with, but after lots or work, it runs great. Just got it licensed last week.

I had a hard time finding coils (had one bad one)for this thing without spending a lot of $$$, so I found some car coils that luckily have the same primary resistance as the stock ones (lucky find). Fabricated a bracket, made some new plug wires, and they seem to work like a charm. Sorry about the crappy pics. Glad to see another 305 guy.

Post edited by: wrecktec, at: 2007/04/12 21:42

Post edited by: wrecktec, at: 2007/04/12 21:43

Nice looking bike. What brand/type of coil did you use?

Tim is correct, on the 305 there is both a lock position as well as a park position which serves no real purpose other than to kill your battery. When locking the fork don't turn it quite so far or turn it all the way and then come back one click until the tailight turns off.

The 305 is a pretty nice little bike, it makes a decent commuter bike but it is still fast enough to do short stints on the highway. The low seat height and light weight also makes it a terrific bike for anyone just learning how to ride a motorcycle.

I've got one currently residing in my basement that will be my stepson's first bike as soon as he arrives from Colombia. It's kind of a low priority project right now, it runs but I don't plan to finish it until he arrives. I want him to be able to take part in the resurection so he can learn what it takes to bring an old bike back to life. Besides that I have enough other bikes to keep up after.:pinch:

Post edited by: The Gringo, at: 2007/04/16 08:43

1960 vw, The brand of coils are GP Sorensen from Advance Auto. I can't remember the part# off the top of my head, but if u are intrested I can find out. I can't believe that they had the same primary resistance as the stock ones (3.8 ohms).

well, upon a more thorough cleaning of the carbs, i wasn't getting any fuel into the bowls. it seems that the inlet valves (i guess that's what they are called) were varnished stuck shut. as soon as the weather gets a little better and i get a spare moment, i'm going to try to fire her up.

i also noticed a small issue with the petcock. one of the screws that hold the assembly together was stripped and a prior owner simply used some teflon tape to try and solve the issue. that explains the slow drip when in the 'off' position. today, i drilled it out (reamed it to 1/8" and bored it straight through the housing. and since the metal is so soft, i self-tapped a couple of 1/8" X 1/2" long stovebolts right through the housing. it seems to work o.k. i would like to replace the 'O' ring, though. is there anything other than an official kawasaki replacement part that will fit? i cannot stand the idea of spending $8.00+ to special order a piece of rubber that can't cost more than 1 stinking cent to manufacture.
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thanks everyone for the pics and input. i really like the idea of the auto coil. it's always good to be able to use automotive parts on a motorcycle. there's much more competition between manufacturers and it helps keep the price low.