1982 KZ1100A2

Hello all!

About 6 months ago I picked this old girl up for $600 from a guy up the road from me, said he was getting on in years, had a few injuries and wasn't able to ride anymore. Must have tossed around the idea of selling her for quite some time, the last time she was registered (or ridden) was 2018! In any case, she's been sitting outside ever since then, not covered or anything. The seat is torn and the cushion is damn near solid. The grips are falling apart. Who knows what's up with the tires (they seem to be holding air). She definitely looked like hell when I got her home. The wet weather here in Washington tends to grow moss on anything that sits still for more than a month, and her red paint definitely had that tell-tale fuzzy green blanket.

She turned over fine, but couldn't get running. The battery was TIRED for sure. Got a new battery and did the usual fluid refresh. Once I started digging in I found a LOT of odd splices and disconnected wiring going who-knows-where. After much deliberation and about 20 hours of YouTube videos, I decided to strip out the loom and do a full refresh. That's gonna be the bulk of this project, I'm sure. 

Rough plan, in no particular order, is this:

• full wiring refresh, removing anything deemed unnecessary
• clean, treat rust, and repaint the frame
• remove the Vetter gear, restore for resale (wink wink)
• new fuel lines, cables etc.
• new tires
• maybe a little fabrication if I wanna get creative

Anyway, here's a few pics to get the thread started! I'll be posting updates as I get the time.

Cheers!

Thanks for the intro and pics. She looks like a solid piece to start with. Please keep us in the loop of her restoration or whatever course you take to get her back on the road where she belongs. LOTS of pics please!

Thanks for the intro and pics. She looks like a solid piece to start with. Please keep us in the loop of her restoration or whatever course you take to get her back on the road where she belongs. LOTS of pics please!

Will do! She's got lots of life left in her, I can tell. It's been slow but we'll get her back on the road soon enough. More pics on the way!

Just a quick update. I had some spare time over the weekend to get more parts stripped off and set aside. I really like the whole naked look so far. Got some wire coming Wednesday along with some new connectors, so work on the loom refresh can start then. Was thinking about getting some flatter handlebars since these upright ones kinda make my wrists twist inward for some reason.

Already looks 100% better 

Looks good and cleaning up nicely!  She should be roadworthy before you know it.
Look up  "KellyE" on this site here as he lives in the Seattle, Washington State area he may be a good resource for you.

 

Wheelhop wrote:

Looks good and cleaning up nicely!  She should be roadworthy before you know it.
Look up  "KellyE" on this site here as he lives in the Seattle, Washington State area he may be a good resource for you.


 

Will do! I'm a bit of a drive away from the city, but it's nice to know there's another kz enthusiast in the area. I'm surrounded by Harleys!

I'm 50 miles north of Seattle. Always happy to meet another gearhead. You'll be safe here, we only have one Harley plus a dozen various japanese bikes.

Email me your phone number and I'll call you, it's easier than typing. My email is in my profile.

Persi
 I fixed both your posts pictures to be full size 
Next time click the insert all tab to complete the install
Dave

Not bad at all. It does look good naked. It wouldn’t be bad with a round headlight and small analog clocks.
Very nice work mat as well.

blipco wrote:

Not bad at all. It does look good naked. It wouldn’t be bad with a round headlight and small analog clocks.
Very nice work mat as well.

I was thinking the same thing. I've really been digging on those speedo/tach combo gauges, but they're pricey as hell.

Finally some love for the mat! Living in an RV park has it's perks, but having a garage is NOT one of them lol

I love seeing machines saved from being reclaimed by the earth! she's looking killer naked. I fancy saddle bags personally, I tend to carry enough tools and parts to do most road side repairs. My 77 750 twin will have a sweet rack, mostly so i can strap my lunch to it. 

keep up the progress.