kz550 ltd bobber project

so ive always loved bobbers, and my buddy got a kz440 ltd and started makin a bobber, then i realized how cheap you could pick these up for and build them for cheap, so i found a 1981 kz550 and bought it, wasnt getting spark when i got it but i wasnt too worried about, so i started the tear down anyways. im buying the tcbros hardtail conversion this week and going to start on the frame this weekend, also will be getting drag bars and some other stuff as well, im also going to be lowering the bike. this is my first bike ever and first bike buld ever, so this should be fun, here are some pics of the bike as it sits right now

finally made some progress, got my drag bars and bar risers in and hardtail kit, started to cut the frame and mocking some things up, tomorrow i will be extending my top tube a couple inches because the top bars in the hardtail kit are not long enough and only gives me like a 1/2 of tube to play with on the axle plates, id rather have a minimum of 1inch just to be safe, also im streatching the frame 6 inches. heres some pics, more progress should be made tomorrow, thanks for looking

Looking good so far!

my buddy took this pic, my frame and his bobber he just built, his is a 81 kz440 ltd. hes the reason why i bought my bike lol, he only has a bout 700 bucks into his bike including the price of it.

made some progress today, extended the main top tub of the frame and got the top tubes where i want them on the hardtail, tomorrow ill have the bottom bars where i want them and the frame should be close to being done. heres some pics.

that is very cool I;m gonna follow this. very interesting.

hells yeah, same bike and same kinda thing i wanna do to mine!!! gl and will be watching

I love watching people build bikes! Very cool mate, looking good so far. And your buddies bike is pretty nice too. I can see why it inspired you. The only thing that's hard for me to get, is how you can ride with the pegs in the stock position? My bike was stock when I got it, and the pegs were driving me crazy there... Are you going to keep yours stock too, or shift them forward?

Looking good! Makes me want to get a third bike to hardtail...then I will have a kz cafe, a restoration project and a hardtail project...though I'm sure it's much easier if you can weld and have the proper equipment...

Looking forward to see how it turns out.

One thing I always noticed with the 550 LTD's, and even on your friend's 440, was the forks look a little too upright. I think their geometry is basically the same as the standard bikes.

I realize it's probably a monsterous can of worms, but have you considered tilting the head back a couple degrees?

this is my first real motorcycle, ive rode dirtbikes and pitbikes but nothing like this so idk if the stock pegs will be uncomfortable for me so im probably just going to leave them there, i also have crash bars with little pegs on them and i might use them idk yet. and loudhvx, i like how the forks look, i dont have any problem with how they look. thanks for looking guys

got most of the frame done today, need to mount the engine and make some new rear mounts and get the seat so i can mock that up and get all that welded in then i can powdercoat the frame.



my buddy welding the frame up, since hes a welder for a living i trust his welds over mine lol





some more pics of my buddies kz440
he streatched his frame 10 inches and mine was 6 inches and there only a 1/2 inch difference from axle to axle on our bikes







me sitting on the bike to get a feel for it