Kz440 ltd cafe project

Hi guys,

I started a cafe build on my 83 kz440 ltd in late December and am making some decent progress. I thought I'd put some pics up to share. Please don't hesitate to throw ideas at me!

So far the frame has been cut, shut and
powder coated, all other parts re sprayed and all nuts, bolts and springs cleaned and brushed.

I rebuilt the forks with race tech emulators and 20w motul fork oil. Currently in the process of respraying the tank and cleaning up the motor. I hope to have it done sometime in march this year.

Looks like youre off to a good start. are you keeping the belt drive?

Thanks! I'm undecided at this stage whether to do a chain conversion. The belt is something different and its lower maintenance. I might feel different about it in a few months time.

Hey guys, just an update on my build. I was aiming to have it finished last month but I was roped into doing a bathroom renovation that ate up some of my time. I've managed to get a fair bit done over a few recent public holidays so, here are some new pics of progress:

This is the bike all finished. I'm not a fan of the rear guard though so it wont be staying!

bike looks good. maybe try shortening the rear fender, IMHO most bikes with that type of seat need a little something back there to look complete, pus it will make mounting your plate easier.

Thanks. Maybe Ill try to find another guard. That one looks a bit out of place, and the chrome doesn't help either!

Looking great!

Balazs, well done! I love how you kept the belt! Hey, where did you get your signals, horn, etc mount on the handlebars? Did you strip the old black one and chrome yours? Inspiration is striking! Thanks for being part if it! Any vids on the sound or ride? Keep it up!

Looks great! I dig the belt drive. I agree with a short rear fender.

Balazs,

Have you felt the need to install rear sets on your bike? How is the feel for you where everything is considering a bit lower of a seat with the cafe seat, plus lowered handlebars? I"m weighing this on out in my mind right now concerning my project. Thanks for your thoughts ahead of time.

Cheers!

Jbosh wrote: Balazs, well done! I love how you kept the belt! Hey, where did you get your signals, horn, etc mount on the handlebars? Did you strip the old black one and chrome yours? Inspiration is striking! Thanks for being part if it! Any vids on the sound or ride? Keep it up!

Hey thanks for the kind words. Most of the after market parts came from dime city (blacked out indicators, gauges, horn, exhausts and seat). The handle bars are eBay clip ons. The only thing I would change next time is paying a bit more attention to the position of the clamp bolts on the clip ons because they limit steering movement if you mount them under the triple tree. They hit the tank so I had to mount them above. This was possible because the LTD model has longer forks that could be pulled through the triple clamp, lowering the front end. This changed the geometry but has made the bike quite responsive while still being stable (it has about 2"-3" of trail).

The black "hooligan" mufflers are damn loud though (about 110db). I ended up getting some baffles and pressing washers into the ends with 15mm final outlets. They are now around 100db and the back pressure helped the torque a fair bit.