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1979 KZ400H Progress

  • Dr. Frankenstein
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11 Aug 2023 09:32 - 11 Aug 2023 09:36 #888182 by Dr. Frankenstein
1979 KZ400H Progress was created by Dr. Frankenstein
I thought I'd take some pics of the 1979 H-model I'm working on, plus post a few questions...here she is so far; I took it down to the frame, repainted it with Rustoleum Satin Black and did the tank in the same, with a coating of Duplicolor Clear Effex, topped with SprayMax 2K - that stuff is great! It gives a nice hard, clear clearcoat. 
 


Here she is, still on the slab. I took the engine out and rebuilt the top end, and am happy to report I got the cam timed right when I reassembled it, so I have high hopes that it should fire up when the time comes... 
 

Question though: where does this black/yellow wire go? 
 

...and here's a problem - this spring for the brake lever used to attach to the muffler through a little hole in the muffler mount, but that muffler was toast. It was rotted through right at the joint where it attached the pipe. I still have the headers, which are in good shape right up until the joint where they attached to the mufflers, but both mufflers were rotted out. The plan is to find some slip-ons - maybe pea-shooters(?) - but I'm open to suggestions as to how to get the brake pedal functioning again. I was thinking of just drilling a small hole into the frame itself, just above where the spring is in this pic...but I'm open to ideas.
   
Last edit: 11 Aug 2023 09:36 by Dr. Frankenstein.

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11 Aug 2023 12:24 #888183 by F64
Replied by F64 on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
Usually, Black wire with a yellow stripe is a ground wire.

You have to figure out where that wire you are holding goes to. Then you can figure out what to connect it to.
 

81-KZ440-D2.
Louis Dudzik's GM HEI ignitor conversion installed 2015 s3.amazonaws.com/gpzweb/Ignition/GPZgmHEImod.html
Motogadget m-unit blue installed 2017.
LIC, NY

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11 Aug 2023 12:27 - 11 Aug 2023 13:28 #888184 by F64
Replied by F64 on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
and..... i double posted.... yay
 

81-KZ440-D2.
Louis Dudzik's GM HEI ignitor conversion installed 2015 s3.amazonaws.com/gpzweb/Ignition/GPZgmHEImod.html
Motogadget m-unit blue installed 2017.
LIC, NY
Last edit: 11 Aug 2023 13:28 by F64. Reason: because i'm dumb

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11 Aug 2023 13:24 - 11 Aug 2023 13:31 #888185 by Dr. Frankenstein
Replied by Dr. Frankenstein on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
I'm 98% sure that's what plugs into #14, the battery ground in the diagram here - even in the schematic it just shows a ground from the Neg battery post to Ground. And that Kawasaki part #14 (Part No. 26011-1022) not uncoincidentally shows a Black/Yellow striped (male) wire lead... easy enough to make, rather than spend $50 on the 'part', but I'll trace it down just to make sure.
 
Last edit: 11 Aug 2023 13:31 by Dr. Frankenstein.

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11 Aug 2023 13:34 #888186 by F64
Replied by F64 on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
If that wire you are holding has a female connector then you could be right.
You could also cut off the female end and put a ring terminal on it and fasten it to ground.
You have a few options for that wire.

81-KZ440-D2.
Louis Dudzik's GM HEI ignitor conversion installed 2015 s3.amazonaws.com/gpzweb/Ignition/GPZgmHEImod.html
Motogadget m-unit blue installed 2017.
LIC, NY

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11 Aug 2023 15:52 - 11 Aug 2023 15:58 #888190 by Dr. Frankenstein
Replied by Dr. Frankenstein on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
I'm sure it does, I just don't know where...the only thing I can think of is, in the schematic it looks like it may attach to the battery ground that comes off the Negative battery post, a part I'll have to make...I have the rear turn signals connected to their black/yellow wires and that stray wire looks like that's the only thing with a B/Y wire I don't have connected, and that does feed into the main wiring harness...
 
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Last edit: 11 Aug 2023 15:58 by Dr. Frankenstein.

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11 Aug 2023 16:37 #888193 by F64
Replied by F64 on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
You can attach it to a point on the frame if you sand some paint off to make a good connection or you can attach it to the negative terminal bolt.

81-KZ440-D2.
Louis Dudzik's GM HEI ignitor conversion installed 2015 s3.amazonaws.com/gpzweb/Ignition/GPZgmHEImod.html
Motogadget m-unit blue installed 2017.
LIC, NY

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  • sf4t7
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11 Aug 2023 20:30 #888198 by sf4t7
Replied by sf4t7 on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
On your brake pedal return spring, I hate to say it since you just painted it, but the simplest solution may be to weld a piece of bar stock to the frame with a bolt thru it to attach the spring.

Scotty


Scotty

1974 Z1A
1015
welded Z1 crank
Andrews 1X Cams
Delkevic 4 into 1
Superbike bars
530 conversion

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  • Kelly E
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11 Aug 2023 20:54 #888201 by Kelly E
Replied by Kelly E on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
I would use a 6mm bolt with the head ground into a round knob and welded into a 6mm hole in the frame then painted. It would look nearly stock. There's a few ways to do it, I like to make changes like this look like they were always that way.

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda Sabre 700
1984 Honda Interceptor 1000
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000
1994 Kawasaki ZG 1000 Concours

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The following user(s) said Thank You: sf4t7, Wookie58

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  • sf4t7
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12 Aug 2023 12:43 #888218 by sf4t7
Replied by sf4t7 on topic 1979 KZ400H Progress
yeah, that would be a more elegant solution.  


Scotty

1974 Z1A
1015
welded Z1 crank
Andrews 1X Cams
Delkevic 4 into 1
Superbike bars
530 conversion

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