Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build

What can I say Josh......you give me far more credit than I deserve. I am happy to have been able to contribute in any way to your accomplishment. I am very happy for you and I cannot say how gratifying it is to see another mans project finished, after watching it unfold over the last year. A toast - to Josh and his new bike

Josh - it looks awesome! I love the seat, the paint, all of it. Congrats on an amazing bike! I can't wait for the O2 tuning thread!

She's your baby. You sound just like a new daddy too!
Don't let her keep you up all night.:laugh:

Congratulations Josh, you deserve it. Enjoy!

Thats a really classy job you have done there my friend . The colour scheme is spot on and it looks the business . Enjoy the ride when all is sorted .

Great job

C3

Beautiful Bike. Followed and enjoyed your progress from the very beginning, finally it is done. Enjoy your ride and thanks for your help.

testarossa wrote:

I didn't quite get to that little Michelin Man, did I?

It takes a good sharp corner or some serious speed to get to the edge.this is my kz's Dunlop roadsmart tire after a trackday. its amazing how sticky the new sport touring compounds are, and they last longer too.
Keep in mind that u are riding on the street, and there are a lot of unexpected obsticals that can pop up and spoil your day, or life.
Please remember that beautiful family needs u.
There is a lot of safer fun to be had at a track day.
Thanks for the kind words . I as others hear, am allways happy to help a brother out.
Well done.

dont expect to get the front tire to the edge. the cases get in the way, and then the tires try to reach for the sky. Not really what u want, but very exiting. :woohoo:
Dont ask me how i know that.

Great build Testarossa. I have really enjoyed the thread over the past year. You are man of talent and really did a great job. Congrats! By the way, did you ever go with the Acewell speedo in the KZ housing? I am looking at the same setup.
Jim

Don't worry about me Mark. I just wanted to show that you can turn a corner with the hybrid KZ's. I'm not really planning on trying to get a knee down on this bike, and I'm definitely careful on the street. As you know, even a well known stretch of road can throw you a curveball when a dumptruck drops some gravel or any number of other possibilities.

Jim, I haven't got a speedo connected yet. I decided to put the completion of the project before upgrades like electronic speedometers. I still wish that I could get the original speedo to work. I'll try and get to that in the near future.

testarossa wrote:

BTW I did get the bike inspected today. No problemo. The inspection kid got a smile when he was checking the rear lights. I know he was looking around for blinkers when he noticed the integrated taillight. Got a little grin and nod on that one. He says, that bike looks pretty good for a 1978. If only he knew.

Oustanding Congratulations testarossa....

You have modified the bike and yet it looks like it came from the factory that way. Fabulas work my friend!!

The paint scheme is perfect!!

testarossa wrote:

Thanks fellas. I have to thank all of you for suggestions, inspiration, ass kickings, technical support, and whatever else that I am forgetting. This bike is really a collaboration of your collective assistance with this build.

Mark1122 was especially helpful with a lot of early decisions that have added up to being a good handling bike in my early estimation. Mark also has the uncanny ability to know just when to suggest the solution to the next hurdle. It's like he's done this before or something. Also, he has a certain red bike that I was lusting over, long before I was even a member on this site.

531blackbanshee, what can I say. Killer Z1-R inspiration, and excellent fabricating/machining ideas. Not to mention, an all around good guy to bs with on the computer.

Tony, thanks a million, billion, bazillon for the exhaust. I ran it with the stock baffle, and it seems so quite at idle, but when you hit the other side of 4500rpm and pour the coal to her, BAAWAAAAA! It does sound pretty cool. Oh yeah, you do have the coolest blue MKII ever. My paint isn't quite as dark, but I tried to emulate that luminous blue.

Patton, who hasn't Patton helped? Always delivers technical expertise with no condescension.

Old Man Rock, I had an orange crush for you bike before I ever became a member. I spent considerable time studying your info posted to this site before I ever turned a wrench on my bike. This was a big reason that my build worked out as well as it did. Anybody considering this type of project should spend at least six months studying before you start. I spent two years, mostly due to finances, but well worth it in any case.

To be continued...

Josh, You are way more than welcome for the exhaust. It's awesome to see it on such a great bike.

I didn't read all 76 pages of your build but I would say I read at least 75% of it, probably more. It's very inspiring.

THANK YOU for taking the time to do such a great job documenting your work.

Great build Josh, I have to say one of the best build threads on the fourm. Job well done the bike looks great, anyway congrats and enjoy.