Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build

Im diggin this project. Nice work man.

The indicator cover can be had off ebay for about $20 generally. I still have to decide if I can make these gauges work before I fix that.

Have fun on the dirt bikes. I would do the same. The KZ will always be waiting for you when you get home.

How did you blow your ACL?

Thanks halo, wait until I get her painted. Coming soon to a theater near you.

hmmmmm

testarossa wrote:

A small update since I actually got a little time to work on the bike today. I got the shifter actually connected to the DIY rearsets this evening. Kinda tricky to route the connecting rod without hitting the side stand.

Well I found the idiot light cover that fell off when I was lapping the subdivision. Unfortunately I found it on top of the head.

After I experimented a little with the 17.5 pilots, I have discovered that the 20s were right in the first place. I can't even get the bike to idle without being on the choke with the 17.5s in place. I tried everything from 1 to 3 turns out on the pilot screws. Mark was right, as usual. Maybe, I'll have time to correct it on Friday.

Don't like my DIY rearsets Tri? Well, just give me some time, I'll pretty 'em up for ya. I was just concerned with making them work. I put in a lot of time on those turds. They are not anywhere close to done. I'll just put a little lipstick on the pig. :pinch:

you caught me...i was editing while you were typing...


i mean they are what they are right.....


you will tighten the project up as you go i'm sure....

the important thing is getting it to where you can gas on into and outta twisties and ride it to the store and back ect......it'll be fine...



they looked rough and kinda white trash imo....but hey ...i dont like hardly any of the rearset convert from new bike stuff really so home made is no worse imo...my clean tight looking tarozzis are leaving a nice black shift spot on my newer redwings too...over time a few sets of scuffed size 16's add up too a set of italian rearsets pretty quick


the best is just flipping the pegs...reversing the pins and welding a stubby rear brake and shifter lever and shifter....the position is pure rearset...the peg and mount is stock kawi...and the shifter and pegs feel right and dont mark up your air jordans.....

here is a pic showing my flipped and reversed rearset peg set up...you really have to see a stock bike set up side by side to see the 3"x3" up and back difference..


the peg is up and back by the header can ,above the rear brake pivot bolt....it was by the clutch cover before..it is up and back the perfect amount...one day i'll cut and shorten the levers...for now my flippers can alomost reach em so i just do a little dance before the corners..lol.....best pic i could find at the moment
i am just ball busting because i know it took some time to make those things...paint will cover it and make look tight....try flipping the sock mount bbracketss on a kz sometime...
it is the best rearset next to buying some and more comfortable than the tarozzi on the MKII by a lot....

Kinda rough and white trash. Just like me. :laugh:

My stock footpegs were torched, and I didn't know about flipping them until recently. Also, when I started building those rearsets, I had a different idea for the final apperance of this bike. My exposure to you guys has influenced me to keep the bike looking more like a KZ1000 and less like a euro streetfighter hack job. I wasn't planning on having any chrome or shiny paint, but I started feeling the soul of this bike, and it needs to be more 1978 muscle, and less roadwarrior if that makes sense.

So with all that said, I will work on cleaning them up. Trust me that the rearsets won't stick out when I get finished with them. I don't really want one element of the bike to draw your attention away from the total bike.

Thanks for being honest. I feel like alot of times people just pat you on the back because they think it's what you want to hear. I do value your real opinion whether it's positive or not. I'm a big boy, I can take it.

i have Amy pretty schooled on that eras race bikes and legends...heck She has even met Lawson,Rainey,Roberts,Russell,ect..ect...and been forced to view thousands of pics and clips and project goals pics......and i use her to bounce style/buying questions off, keeps me from buying some items... a nice new gold rear sprocket for the green 900 was the last one she did not like...i still like em...but it has me pausing to think...not clicking buy it now.....ect

but i really was just saying those looked hack a tad and i knew you'd be cool with any opinions..i am nobody to talk and my bikes are not super trick...i know you are working your ass off on that bike and are a super cool dude and great KZR member...yeah i agree folks here will pat you on the back and tell you the dog shit on your shoes honey and smells good......

the bike is way cool and the pegs stuck out to me was all....peace...

by the way...what's that on my shoe ...is it honey?

T_Dub wrote:

Thats kick-ass Josh! I really like the back indicators too.

x2 Just saw this video... a little late.

Bike is coming along nicely

I don't know TESTA I think that that shift linkage rod will bend or flex when you start riding it more and more.

rslingshot wrote:

I don't know TESTA I think that that shift linkage rod will bend or flex when you start riding it more and more.

It might. Like I said, the rearsets are only just functional right now. If we weren't hammered at work right now, I would have a cnc machined rearsets with shift linkage to match. I might in the future dependent on how the work flow to the mills goes. Unfortunately my little machine is specialized for small parts. I haven't been on a regular sized mill in a while, so I have to ask a lot of favors to get "government work" done.

If those rearsets stay on, and that's a big if at this point, then they will get alot of work. I know they are ghetto, but they will get me around the subdivision. That's all I need right now.

you didn't miss much by not flipping the pegs in my opinion. I tried it and was not happy with the setup at all. Shortening the brake and shifter were just NOT going to work at all - for me anyway.

:laugh:

I like the fact that you hang it out there, and show 'All" the work!!!

The bike is great, and you can't make a great bike al at once.

Keep pinging away at it!!

If you do CNC a set of reasets, I might be interested in a pair of the plates. I built my linkage from old CBR parts, it's the plates I don't care for as I sawed them out and sanded the edges. Then I fixed the rest up real nice. It looks like the bike came stock that way except for the hole in one of my plates.

The thing was supposed to be a "rough draft" then I just moved on.