1978 KZ1000 A, Mild Mods

Hello All,

I bought this '78 last fall and haven't had much time to work on it. I was hoping to have it together for this summer but I don't know if I'm going to make it. Anyway, I wanted to document my progress in a thread so here we go...............

KZ as purchased:

So the bike has aftermarket slip-ons installed on the stock head pipes. They pulled off very easily.....does the stock exhaust have removable mufflers or were they cut off? I'd like to have a stock system for a factory restoration one day. I've never seen just the mufflers for sale though....

Man, that is really nice. Are those Jardines? They look so stockish. I can't remember if my LTD pipes were bolted on like that. There are several pics that have those same pipes. Must have been a popular alternative I guess. www.bing.com/images/search?q=78+Kz1000+s...ED7A&selectedIndex=0

I was thinking Jardine too...I'll have to look to see if there are any brand markings on them.

I've seen a lot of these mufflers over the years. I think they were used mainly to replace rusted mufflers instead of replacing the entire exhaust system, but I'm not sure. Maybe for looks/ sound too?

That bike looks clean! And set up for comfy X-country riding..what's the plan with her?

porchev914 wrote: That bike looks clean! And set up for comfy X-country riding..what's the plan with her?

I think I'm going to go with an 08'Speed Triple SSSA and '06 GSXR1000 front end. That should be easy enough to get the project started. :ohmy: :laugh: :whistle:


Well I already pulled the fairing and the sissy bar! I'd like to get something a little smaller and sportier for it. I couldn't get used to how heavy the front end felt with the Windjammer and it really traps the heat on summer days.

I haven't posted pics yet but I've started working on a GS1100 swingarm conversion. I also rebuilt the carbs, replaced the intake and air box rubber and switched the points over to a factory KZ electronic ignition with Andrews coils and new plug wires. I also have a nice NOS Kerker racing system for it and a 3.5" rear rim with a 150 tire. I want to get new progressive front springs and a good fork brace. I also plan to do a 530 chain conversion and replace the front tire, along with a brake upgrade front and rear. For now, I'll probably just rebuild everything and go with EBC rotors and SS lines. Probably have a few other things in mind that I can't think of but that's the plan.

So in general, I'd like to do some mild, mostly period-correct mods like I originally did to my MKII in the late '80's. I really want to do a modern suspension conversion next but I'd rather start with a bike that's not so original for that project.

Oh, and it looks cleaner in the pictures than it really is....I've got a lot of cleaning and polishing to do!

I like the vision, simple and clean with no serious surgery. I was looking at my bike last night, wondering how I spent so many hundreds of hours of fabricating that went into something that looks so simple and bolted together in an evening. I don't recommend a simultaneous heart and double brain transplant like I did. It's better to do it incrementally I think. Keep on keepin on brother!

That pipe will look real nice on it. Nice looking bike!

peter1958 wrote: That pipe will look real nice on it. Nice looking bike!

Yep, that's the pipe!

I think I'll stick with the stock airbox until I find a good deal on a set of 29's.

Does anyone remember if you have to re-jet with a stock airbox and header??

That is a sweet pipe for sure :woohoo:

Here she is with the sissy bar off, Corbin GFL seat on:

Transition period before removing the fairing.