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1981 KZ750-E2 Project

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28 Feb 2012 15:42 - 28 Feb 2012 15:45 #506846 by rhb629
1981 KZ750-E2 Project was created by rhb629
I decided to put together a project log for a bike I recently picked up. It's my 3rd bike and I bought it with the intent on fixing it up over the winter. It's also my first Kawasaki - other 2 were Hondas.

Here's a picture of her on the way home from Rhode Island, February 2nd, 2012:



It's a 1981 KZ750-E2 with around 18k. From afar it looks OK, but there are some blemishes and issues that need work. There was also a small discrepancy where the PO thought it was a 1980, but after checking the serial it confirmed '81. Maybe of interest, Kawasaki started painting the KZ750 front fenders in '81; before that they were chrome.

As of now, this is my to-do list in no particular order:
  1. Clean the inside of the fuel tank
  2. Replace the cracked rear cowl and paint the bike black
  3. Replace the starter motor
  4. Needs new tires
  5. Replace the fork seals
  6. Address some electrical issues: headlight, horn, pedal activated brake light
  7. Put on some superbike bars
  8. Rejet the carbs
  9. Repair the tachometer
  10. Probably more little things as I go

Before I put new tires on it, I was curious if spoked wheels could be fitted with a dual disc in the front and single disc in the back. I believe my front axle is 15mm, 17mm for the rear. Would have to check again for the disc size and bolt pattern.

Seems like I could just change the swing arm and put a rear wheel from a KZ750 twin on the back... is the disc the same size or would I need the caliper too? I don't have a welder, so relocating the caliper isn't a possibility.

Not sure what I could do for the front. I'd like to keep dual disc breaks, but I might change the master cylinder anyways and could do with a single disc if it's as simple as bolting in the same axle size and the same disc size. Interested in hearing any thoughts or experience with this.

More updates and pictures to come!


1978 Kawasaki KZ650B
1981 Kawasaki KZ750-E2 ( kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/506846-1981-kz750-e2-project )
1973 Honda CB350G
1981 Honda CM400C (sold)
1986 Honda CMX250 (sold)
Last edit: 28 Feb 2012 15:45 by rhb629.

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28 Feb 2012 15:55 #506850 by Mcdroid
Replied by Mcdroid on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
Nice find...thanks for posting the photos.

Michael
Victoria, Texas

1982 GPz750
1977 KZ1000A
1978 KZ1000A
1982 GPz1100
1975 Z2A

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28 Feb 2012 16:25 #506854 by Medicontheloose
Replied by Medicontheloose on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
Good looking ride. ;)

"That others may live."

1980 KZ750E

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28 Feb 2012 18:06 - 28 Feb 2012 18:09 #506874 by rhb629
Replied by rhb629 on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
By the way, here's a picture of my Honda:

[img size=400x300] lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0a6XsMJJCLg/T...0/20110818090909.jpg [/img]

One of the first things I did for the KZ was repair the tachometer. $50+ for a used replacement was the second option. The tach itself worked fine, but the 2 faceplate screws had come loose and fell out, resulting in the faceplate moving around freely when accelerating.

[img size=400x300] lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0TzCw1eMdZg/T...0/20120222202631.jpg [/img]

Removal was easy and simply required unscrewing two nuts and the tachometer cable at the back of the housing. I then removed the 3 light bulb harnesses going into the housing and labeled them with tape for reassembly.

Taking the cover off the tach was a bit more work. I posted about it here and used a combination of the techniques martin_csr recommended.

[img size=400x300] lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0QXT5ttCEYY/T...0/20120223212530.jpg [/img]

After doubling over a long strip of duck tape around the metal ring, I secured it in place with a hose clamp. I then filed down a paint can opener to a sharp edge and gently began to work the lower edge of the ring up, starting from the bottom, non-visible side. When the edge was pried up enough I used a very small screwdriver to get more leverage and the cover slid off.

Oddly, only 1 of the 2 faceplate screws was still inside of the cover, and I'm 100% sure I didn't lose one... Thankfully I had an old broken instrument cluster from a BMW in the garage. After taking that apart, the screws from the BMW fit perfectly in the tachometer. A quick cleaning inside and the tach was ready to be put back together (which was also the most time consuming part of this).

I pried the ring up a little more to allow the tach to slide into the cover easier. Once in place I used pliers to carefully roll the ring back over. The duck tape helped prevent any scratching.

Reassembled on the bike and the tach works fine. I didn't keep track of how long it took, but the whole process took about 2 scotches.

1978 Kawasaki KZ650B
1981 Kawasaki KZ750-E2 ( kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/506846-1981-kz750-e2-project )
1973 Honda CB350G
1981 Honda CM400C (sold)
1986 Honda CMX250 (sold)
Last edit: 28 Feb 2012 18:09 by rhb629.

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28 Feb 2012 18:15 #506876 by rhb629
Replied by rhb629 on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
Over the weekend I replaced the starter motor. This required removing the starter motor and sprocket covers. After unscrewing the starter motor and its electrical connection, reassembly with the replacement part was just the same in reverse.

I also noticed some of the philips head bolts on the engine covers were in bad shape. To prevent further stripping I'm going to replace the rusty ones with some new ones.

1978 Kawasaki KZ650B
1981 Kawasaki KZ750-E2 ( kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/506846-1981-kz750-e2-project )
1973 Honda CB350G
1981 Honda CM400C (sold)
1986 Honda CMX250 (sold)

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28 Feb 2012 18:21 #506877 by 650ed
Replied by 650ed on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
Welcome aboard! Well, it's your bike, but paint it black?? There are a million black KZs out there but darn few bikes with a nice original paint job. The paint scheme looks great to me as is, but if you want just another black bike; well obviously, it's up to you. If you really must have black, why not consider getting another set of bodywork that needs a paint job and keeping your original set or selling it to make a few $$$. Parts on eBay with original paint jobs bring better $$ than those with non-original paint, so you should easily come out ahead if you decide to make the swap. Ed

1977 KZ650-C1 Original Owner - Stock (with additional invisible FIAMM horn)

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28 Feb 2012 18:35 #506882 by rhb629
Replied by rhb629 on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project

650ed wrote: Welcome aboard! Well, it's your bike, but paint it black?? There are a million black KZs out there but darn few bikes with a nice original paint job. The paint scheme looks great to me as is, but if you want just another black bike; well obviously, it's up to you. If you really must have black, why not consider getting another set of bodywork that needs a paint job and keeping your original set or selling it to make a few $$$. Parts on eBay with original paint jobs bring better $$ than those with non-original paint, so you should easily come out ahead if you decide to make the swap. Ed


The paint looks OK in the pictures, but in person it's pretty faded and scratched up. The rear cowl is cracked too, so I need to replace that regardless. I've been debating about colors and have also been thinking about using stock Kawasaki colors like the navy on the '80's KZ750 LTD's, dark red and green from the '70's KZ750 twins, or possibly silver from my bike's era.

Do you happen to know if a stripe set from a '70's KZ750 twin would fit on my bike? I can't find any specifically for my year...

1978 Kawasaki KZ650B
1981 Kawasaki KZ750-E2 ( kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/506846-1981-kz750-e2-project )
1973 Honda CB350G
1981 Honda CM400C (sold)
1986 Honda CMX250 (sold)

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28 Feb 2012 19:00 #506887 by 650ed
Replied by 650ed on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project

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16 Apr 2012 11:13 #516140 by rhb629
Replied by rhb629 on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project


Making some progress on the bike lately. Things completed:
  1. Gas tank is completely clean with new Kawasaki emblems. I used a gallon of vinegar with water to clean it out. Let it sit for about 2 weeks and it's now spotless. After draining the vinegar and giving it a good wash, I washed it out again with baking soda to neutralize, repeated wash, and filled it up with a gallon of WD-40 to prevent flash rust. I've been sloshing the WD-40 around every couple of days until it's ready to be drained and put back on the bike. If I were to do this again I would probably just use a few gallons of vinegar instead of mixing it with water to expedite the process.
  2. New superbike bars and grips. The grips went on pretty easy with some hairspray, and once everything was on the bars I removed the mirrors. I'll be putting on bar-end mirrors this weekend. Adjusted and lubricated the clutch and brake cables.
  3. New light bulb for the headlamp, although I still seem to be having issues with the headlamp and horn. The horn doesn't work, and the headlamp worked when I bought it but started flickering and is now completely dead. I don't have the gas tank installed yet so I can't run it, but I imagine the headlamp should light up when the keys are switched to accessory (it doesn't). All fuses were replaced.
  4. Replaced a some of the bolts on the engine covers which were in danger of becoming stripped.

Next on the list are the carbs.

1978 Kawasaki KZ650B
1981 Kawasaki KZ750-E2 ( kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/506846-1981-kz750-e2-project )
1973 Honda CB350G
1981 Honda CM400C (sold)
1986 Honda CMX250 (sold)

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17 May 2012 11:11 - 17 May 2012 11:13 #522900 by rhb629
Replied by rhb629 on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
Have been doing some more work on the bike and it is almost done:
  1. Bar-end mirrors have been installed.
  2. The horn that was on the bike wasn't the original. Two horns were installed by the P.O. and both were melted. Replaced with a single new one.
  3. The headlight was giving me trouble, and after cleaning all connections it now works properly.
  4. The original fender was very faded so I replaced it with a chrome one from a 1981 KZ650 CSR. It already had the holes drilled for the cable holders and was a perfect fit.
  5. Rejetting the carbs would've been easier if the jets weren't so stubborn.



    The jets were in so tight and the brass was so soft that they had to be heated up just to get them out. Once out, the carb was rejetted.



    The last thing to do was to fit the carbs back on the bike and attach the pod filters. A filter was also attached to the crank case breather.

This is how she looks as of now (the mark on the tank is actually not a scratch but a reflection):



Just purchased some new tires. Once I finish the fork seals the bike will be inspected and ready for summer. I'll probably do some smaller projects to it throughout the summer.

1978 Kawasaki KZ650B
1981 Kawasaki KZ750-E2 ( kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/506846-1981-kz750-e2-project )
1973 Honda CB350G
1981 Honda CM400C (sold)
1986 Honda CMX250 (sold)
Last edit: 17 May 2012 11:13 by rhb629.

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17 May 2012 11:46 #522905 by KZJOE900
Replied by KZJOE900 on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
Man she looks great! Even without the side covers, LOL. But I see from the first few pictures that you have them. Good luck with the forks. I hate working with old fork oil. Gets nasty. But the results are well worth the work. Hope you get her done and riding soon. Summer will fade fast.

Current project 76 KZ900 (This was a Vetter model)
76 KZ900
81 XJ550H SECA (Current Project)
82 XJ550R SECA
Past:
86 FJ1200
74 Z1900
72 CB450

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30 Jan 2020 19:10 #818274 by Gmtkiwi
Replied by Gmtkiwi on topic 1981 KZ750-E2 Project
Hi, I recently purchased a 1981 Z750 FX3 which I'm going to rebuild as a E2 , I believe only the seat and tank are different between the two models. I've been looking for original colours of the E2 and like the red on your bike. Do you know the colour code for your E2.

1981 Z750 FX3
2015 R1200GS
Project Thread: kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/612235-1981-z750-e2-restoration

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