Upgrading my 79 KZ1000 st

I have a 79 KZ 1000 st(shaft) that I bought about 3 years ago with the original intention of creating a mad max replica. Even though my outlook for the bike has changed, I now have begun the fun-filled task of just getting the bike road worthy, and making it a reliable, daily driver, that I can be proud of. I'm not looking to make it a speed demon, I won't be at the 1/4 mile track dialing my times in, or heating up the massive slicks on the back. Nope. What I can tell you is that it will be one CLEAN, RELIABLE, WORK OF ART that turns heads everywhere it goes. Now, before all this happens I need to get it running like a champ! This is where this thread begins. Let me also start out by letting you know I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I'm a school teacher, I'm old, and really have no business on a motorcycle to begin with. My wife has upped my insurance, and I foolishly signed on the dotted line. I don't care. I love KZ's (and Z1's). All my friends ride brand new rice rockets, and have the payment books to show for it. I don't want a new bike. I like my old Kaw's. As a constant reminder, at a local garage that we all rent together, and store our rides; my KZ gets the most questions asked, and all the attention. Now, let's get it out the garage and on the road! my first stab at upgrading my baby. Let me bring you up to speed first. My bike is actually pretty clean. It's not beat up at all. No cut wires, can't tell but I'm pretty sure it's never been laid down. When I bought it, it had a sissy bar, side bags, and a crazy wind screen with enormous handlebars. Maybe cool for others, but not cool for me. I brought the bike home and immediately got dirty looks from my wife. I ordered drag bars, drag footpegs, and immediately took off the side bags, rear bag, and windscreen. I quickly installed my drag bars, but
didn't like the way the accessories where fitting.



.... So I ordered a sport bar, and a front fairing from Ebay for a better look. I then ordered some cool hand grips, and worked on getting the bike started....

Yes, I said I had never tried starting the bike before. Of course I could'nt get it running. I called up a buddy of mine named Dominick who is one of those guys that can get anything running. He has no fear, and just seems to know what to do, and when to do it. I owe my motorcycle career to him. He actually got the bike started, but not after taking the carbs. apart, installing a stage 1 jet kit in them, and cleaning them up really well. He also pointed out the coils had cracks in them and needed to be replaced. He also recommended I get my carbs. professionally cleaned to insure they are not part of the problem of the bike being so hard to start.

Just hearing the KZ fire up was enough to get me motivated. I bought a used 28mm carb that has been cleaned, and polished. Dyna coils, wires, and ignition. A petcock rebuild kit (mine leaks gas), a accelerator pump rebuild kit (just in-case), 3" front lowering blocks (just to look cool), assortment of clear fuel lines, Tee's, and clamps. And a case of miller lite.

I will be installing these items, with the help of Dominick tomorrow, and Sunday. Wish me luck. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. :woohoo:

I'll post plenty of pictures and video, so stay tuned!

cant wait to see the progress everyone needs a Dominick in their corner until you get your sea legs

if nothing else to give moral support and call you a dumba@@ when you screw something up.
I would like to see some before and after pics with the 3" lowering blocks.
Good luck and keep us posted

Sounds like you're off to a good start! Definitely looking forward to seeing how things turn out.

.

LOL, Dominick is a really good friend helping me out, unfortinately he also loves to party hard on Fri. nights... We will start it today in a few hours. I'll take some before and after pics of everything! Forgot to mention, I did install HD sportster rear shocks which are about 2, to 2 1/2 inches lower (eyelid, to eyelid) in the rear, so the bike is already lowered in the back. cant remember the specs of the rear shocks, but I'll measure and compare to the originals I pulled off. I still have them somewhere at my house.

Pic of the cleaned and polished carbs from Ebay


The goodies!



A current pic of the bike!

Please to report everything went very well! Bike is missing on one cylinder due to Pepboys did not have the right plugs, so we fired it up on the old plus knowing it wouldn't run right. We had one small hick-up installing the Dyna S ignition. The directions called for a green, white, and black wire. The wire color on my bike was (pinkish/tan, green, and black). Hooked the pinkish/tan wire where the directions called for white and everything worked just fine. I was shocked to learn my bike had electronic ignition already on it! I still used the Dyna stuff, and saved my OEM EI stuff. I did not get a chance to put a timing light, new plugs, or set the carbs much. I'll try and do that tomorrow when I get off work. None of this would have happened, or been successful without my friend Dominick!!! He pretty much put it all together. I helped with some screw driver turning, but he did 90% of the work easy...

So here are the pics. Any questions, and I'll try to answer them as best I can:

Pic of the old Carbs removed:



Pic of the new carbs on, while fitting the new fuel lines:





About to start the coils (beer break):





Coil rigging:



Left side mounted:



Starting the Dyna S ignition:



Not as complicated as it looks:



Rebuilding the leaky petcock:



Firing it up for the first time, with all the new parts:



All back together, safe and sound:



Again, I don't know much about motorcycles, but i'm learning and Dominick is a great teacher. Anything you wanna know just ask. The spark on the bike now is REALLY NICE! The Dyna stuff works really nice. Worth the almost $400 I spent for all the parts. I'm hoping Dominick can sync the carbs, install new sparkplugs, and set the timing tomorrow. Sometime this week we will be installing the 3" lowering blocks:

Should be doing the lowering blocks this weekend?!? (wife permitting). I'll take before, and after pics, and try to snap pics of the actual install. Still need to upload pics of the wiring of the coils, and Dyna S ignition. To me anyways it looks more complicated than it actually was. Dominick seemed to simplify everything.

cool project.

keep us posted,

leon

hi nice bike i guess im a domenick bad thing sometimes, good most of time .but who do i turn to ?having carb issues with my kz but think i got a grip on it . would however like to see more as you go and have fun riding and be careful.

nobody wrote: hi nice bike i guess im a domenick bad thing sometimes, good most of time .but who do i turn to ?having carb issues with my kz but think i got a grip on it . would however like to see more as you go and have fun riding and be careful.

Funny you should say that about the carbs... I'm having carb issues too... The coils, and ignition made huge differences. I swapped out my original 28mm carbs,for 28mm (what looks like an older set of 28's) carbs that had been cleaned and polished. the throttle springs are completely different and I had to bend the throttle plate that the throttle cables connect to to make it work. Bike runs, but still seems to fire on only 3 cylinders. mind you we used my old sparkplugs and didnt re-gap them with the new dyna settings yet, nor have we timmed the ignition, or synch the carbs with a vacum line tester. The bike does run much better, and is much, much, much easier to start now. Choke seems to actually make a difference when it is on, or off, or at half. Before, with original cracked up coils only Dominick could get the bike started after crazy amounts of tries, and choke adjustments seemed to make minimal differences until the bike was started. Hopefully later on today the wife is cool with me going to the garage and Dominick and swing by and give me a hand, and bring his timing light, and vacum gauge testers. The wife wanted to watch Twilight at midnight last night, and I told her let's just go to bed now, and that she can watch it tomorrow in the theater room! That gives me at least 2 hours... Sometimes you gotta get creative!

If Dominick doesent get the carbs 100% (which he has done, and gone above and beyond on this one) I'll have to take it to a local shop. I pretty much got 3 choices on that one. Clinton cycles is a local shop that can do just about anything, but they have "just about anything prices" and I don't know anyone that works there, so I'd be at there mercy $$$$$. Haynes Racing is a guy that most of us know from growing up together that works on a lot of local motorcycles, but he works on a lot of newer bikes. He use to have a guy that worked for him lets call him Martin that was a old school bike master, and good friend that dosen't work for Haynes racing anymore, however Martin (love him to death) is a CRAZY and depending on his mood, or setting can impact communication, or trustworthyness. Long story, good guy, but you get the picture. Another buddy of mine recently opened up a brand new shop in B'more, MD. Cant remember the name of it, but I shot him and email the other day and he said they can handle the job. Baltimore MD. is not very close 45 min. to and hour away without traffic and I have no pick-up truck. I could always rent one, or barrow, but again more, and more issues, and some unknowns. So, if things work out today, then great. If not, I'm gonna have to make my mind up and go with it. Spring is not that far away!

Ok, so as you know I installed all my parts accept the lowering blocks. The bike ran much better but still was not 100%. So before lowering it I wanted to get it running well. I'm pleased to report I found the problem... I pulled the old spark plugs and they where all black. Wichita means , I gapped the new plugs to 30. Started it up and it ran pretty well. I'd start a and stop it , and every time I dd it ran better. I guess everything was sealing up. Took it around the block and cracked into it! Front end actually came up!!! Dyna stuff is the best!!!

no feeling like it :lol: :evil: !


leon