1977 KZ1000 Street/Strip Project

Little more progress.

Got it all back together with the new DIY rearsets and drag bar.

It needs some bar risers so I can rotate the brake MC down a little more, besides that I'm pretty happy with it.

The bar is completely straight, no pullback or rise. Just a piece of chrome pipe. Doesn't hit the tank at full lock at all, which I was worried about.

My girls where helping me out, making sure I did everything right.







Unfortunately, by the time everything was cleaned up it was dark out.







The shifter is now reversed, so I will have to get used the the upside down shift pattern. I don't think it will be an issue though. I find it much more comfortable to sit on and the bike feels a lot smaller with the bars and rearsets.
It doesn't feel any lighter though. :laugh:

Next project is to ditch the stock gauges and mount up the Autometer tach and shift light. :silly:

Nice "pit crew" you have there. Start them young! I'm sure they are making sure you know what you are doing and doing it right!!! Kids are cool!

Polished it up and took it around the block this weekend.

Took a second or two to get used to shifting it in reverse, as well as the pegs being in a different spot.

The riding position felt much more natural though once I got situated.

Shifts are a lot less clunky with the short shifter.

If I fold up the peg I can still kick start it. Started the 3rd kick cold, half a kick warm (don't even have to fold up the peg!).

Idles a little rough and spits back through the carbs every once in a while, I need to get that sorted. Idle might be too low, where does everyone else run their idle at?

Rear view mirror is useless and only there in case they want it for inspection. I guess I need a bar end mirror.

All in all, I am happy with it so far, insurance, registration, and tags are next.

What do you pay your pit crew?

I always have to work on the bike!

Can't remember whose daughter it was that took the ride on lawn mower to his KZ. Just a warning to hide the bike when they're doing yard chores :laugh:

kzz1p wrote:

What do you pay your pit crew?

Cheerios.:woohoo:

Plus room and board...

KZ250LTD wrote:

Can't remember whose daughter it was that took the ride on lawn mower to his KZ. Just a warning to hide the bike when they're doing yard chores

Their mom says they are too you to mow the grass yet. Something about not being able to reach the handle on the push mower.

I tried, but I guess I still have to do it.

Well, ran it through inspection here in DE today...and FAILED!

To loud(even with the baffle in).

107dB at 4000rpm, 20" from the muffler.

Need to put some packing in the baffle I guess, as there is none. :S

They also failed me for no chain guard. I never put it back on after I had the swingarm off to measure for the new one.

It was also popping out the exhaust while I was holding it at 4K rpm for the sound test. Still need's a few adjustments I guess. Ran pretty good besides that.

Got my electronic Autometer automotive tach installed yesterday.

First I made an adapter so the automotive tach would work with the KZ dual coil ignition.

Here's the circuit I used:



I used 005 diodes(600PIV) instead of 007's(1000PIV)...it has worked fine up to 10K rpm so far.

The diodes keep the fire signals for the coils from backfeeding between the coils, but the tach can get the signals from both coils.
They are like electrical one way valves.

I removed all the stock gauges and brackets, and the speedo and tach cables.

I unplugged the dash harness inside the headlight bucket, and wired the tach in the bucket as well.

This tach has signal, key on power(for setting the shift light), dash light, and ground.

Here's how it looks:




I need to contour the ignition switch portion a little more, that's the only part I'm not entirely happy with. I may paint the bracket black as well.

The tach is AWESOME. It responds so much more quickly and crisply to the engine. Shift light works great too. Probably weighs less than half of the old setup, and cleans up the front end quite a bit.


Weighed the bike as well. 500lb's with a half tank of gas and all fluids, before the gauge swap.
I thought that was pretty good!

i like it!

Thanks!

Question for those running cams on a 1015cc engine:

How's the idle? Where did you have to set yours and what cams are you running.

I was told this motor had cams and high compression pistons, but I have been assuming it was stock as I was not the one checking things when the engine was apart.

I did a cold compression test and got 130psi...sounds stockish to me.

Everything checks out(timing, clearances, sync, pilot adjustments done, new carb boots, floats checked, ect.), but the motor runs quite choppy at 1100RPM. Sounds like some cammed drag cars I've had.

Smooths right out at around 1500RPM.

Feels mushy on power delivery below 6K RPM. Takes off like someone hit a switch after that.

VM26's, 4 into 1 no baffle, and pods. I only weight 145 without gear.

Will pull right to 9500rpm on stock tach no problem in 4th/5th, verified stock gearing(15/33) and 130/90/18 tire.

Bike would not even pull past 6K with 115 mains before. Bigger jets fixed that.

Does this sound like a stock motor bike?

This is my first KZ and it feels like a rocketship compared to my previous bike(82 Yamaha Vision 550), so I really have nothing to compare it to.

Let me know what you all think.

it sounds like it might have a bit of a cam one question for you tho why did you buy the tach that only goes to to 10,000 rpm both my street and drag bike regularly get run past 10,000 in fact the little drag bike shift rpm is 10,000 and my big motor is set to shift at 10,500. just curious that's all you will see those kinds of rpm if you are racing. yes depending on cam's you may need to get the idle up that high. it does sound like you have more than stock cams you can't go by compression numbers to look for after market cam's or pistons ,that changes alot with cam timing changes.