KZR's Bikes of the Month for 2024

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27 Oct 2020 06:27 #837807 by Patrick
1st time builder was created by Patrick
Hello fellow kz lovers. I just picked up a 77 kz650 w 6000 miles. Sat around for 20yrs in a garage. Put a battery in it n fresh gas n it fired right up! Wanting to build a chopper n wanting to know the best hardtail to put on it. Just started tearing it down. 1st time builder n any info will be appreciated.

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  • slayer61
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27 Oct 2020 09:22 #837816 by slayer61
Replied by slayer61 on topic 1st time builder

Patrick wrote: Hello fellow kz lovers. I just picked up a 77 kz650 w 6000 miles. Sat around for 20yrs in a garage. Put a battery in it n fresh gas n it fired right up! Wanting to build a chopper n wanting to know the best hardtail to put on it. Just started tearing it down. 1st time builder n any info will be appreciated.


lmgtfy.app/?q=kawasaki+kz650+hardtail+kit

Don't be ridiculous! It's only a flesh wound!

[strike]Wife's little bike... 1984 GPZ 550 Kerker and DynaJet stage I kit[/strike]
Wife's BIG bike......[strike] 1981 GPZ 1100 Kerker and [strike]factory FI[/strike] Mikuni RS34s W/ K&N pods[/strike] SOLD
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27 Oct 2020 09:36 #837817 by 650ed
Replied by 650ed on topic 1st time builder
I don't really understand. You plan to convert a very good handling KZ650 to a poor handling hardtail bike? Why? Do you not really ride much? Ed

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

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  • Buzz Nichols
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27 Oct 2020 09:50 #837819 by Buzz Nichols
Replied by Buzz Nichols on topic 1st time builder
Not to add to the dogpile of disapproval that's about to happen, but...

It does sound like an awful lot of effort to do something that, at best, will compormise the bike's handling and, at worst, could be really, really unsafe. If you've got serious engineering and fabrication skills, it'll be a rolling sculpture. If not, it could well become a death trap.

Is this thing working? Is this thing on?

1978 KZ1000 LTD
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27 Oct 2020 11:04 #837825 by RBRKZ
Replied by RBRKZ on topic 1st time builder
Can help you with a hardtail recommendation but my experience with choppers has been a lot better that you'd expect based on what you typically hear when the topic comes up. The blue bike is my first motorcycle (only bike for 10 years). When I was building it in the early 80s choppers were out of style (as were Harleys). My friends who rode were taking bets as to whether I was going to fall on the left side or the right side first the first time out. I rode it all around Chicago land side streets and many trips to Wisconsin on the highway. The photo is at the strip in Union Grove Wisconsin. It only ran a 14.6 @ 90 but there was no drama with the chassis. The front brake was useless so stationary burnouts weren't possible but it could do nice rolling ones. It would top out about 110. I only had about one hour of seat time on motorcycles when I built so it all seemed normal to me. Now that I've go a lot of time on "normal" bikes It say it takes much more effort at low speed (It definitely has "flop") and more lean in turns but the throttle picks it back up when you want to straighten out after a turn. The black bike isn't raked and is about 6" over on the forks. I'd describe that a just a little "slowed up" as far as how it handles. Maybe I've been lucky but I found the horror stories to be over stated. I think fours can make great looking choppers. Good luck with the project.

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27 Oct 2020 14:48 #837846 by Irish Yobbo
Replied by Irish Yobbo on topic 1st time builder
I've personally never understood the attraction of hardtails - but it's your bike and you can do what you want with it. Having said this, I'm not sure that a low-mileage KZ650 is a good candidate. These bikes were made to be reasonably powerful (by 70's standards, for being a 650 especially) and have a good compromise of handling and comfort - they are a bike intended to take through the corners. Take away the handling and comfort (which will happen with a hardtail conversion), and you're left with a bike with a frame designed for highways, but an engine that's not optimal.

You could certainly do it, and I do appreciate people doing different things to their bikes. But a kz with 6000m is becoming rarer, and it seems a shame to cut up (what seems by your description) a good example of one of these bikes. By way of comparison, my KZ750 has 114,000km on it.

1981 KZ750 LTD

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27 Oct 2020 17:09 - 27 Oct 2020 17:10 #837849 by z1kzonly
Replied by z1kzonly on topic 1st time builder
I think fours can make great looking choppers. Good luck with the project.

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[/quote]
Hi, just seen the Shovelhead picture! I painted my good friends 81 Superglide with a flame job that I 1st did on a 100cc Suzuki trail bike. I hung out with older guys when I was 15-16-17 yrs old. I learned how to paint with them.
So I had this trail bike, I turned 16 after car license I got MC and drove on the road with it.
I found xtra paint used silver, gold and red to do flame job. I did not paint it 1st.
But Same damn colors and flames on this bike.
Just sharing! Build something! Anything!
I actually re-cleared this 3 yrs. ago after 20 yrs ago doing it.
Cool!

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Livin in "CheektaVegas, NY
Went thru 25 of these in 40 yrs.
I SOLD OUT! THE KAW BARN IS EMPTY.
More room for The Old Girl, Harley 75 FLH Electra Glide,
Old faithful! Points ign. Bendix Orig. carb.
Starts everytime!

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27 Oct 2020 18:13 #837850 by TexasKZ
Replied by TexasKZ on topic 1st time builder

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1982 KZ1000 LTD parts donor
1981 KZ1000 LTD awaiting resurrection
2000 ZRX1100 not ridden enough

www.kzrider.com/11-projects/620336-anoth...uild-thread?start=24
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27 Oct 2020 18:22 #837852 by RBRKZ
Replied by RBRKZ on topic 1st time builder
Like your use of classic colors! I painted both of the Harleys in 1985 using House of Color products. Candy red and candy yellow for the flames over black and candy red and purple over the candy blue rigid bike.

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27 Oct 2020 19:31 #837853 by Nerdy
Replied by Nerdy on topic 1st time builder

Patrick wrote: Hello fellow kz lovers. I just picked up a 77 kz650 w 6000 miles. Sat around for 20yrs in a garage. Put a battery in it n fresh gas n it fired right up! Wanting to build a chopper n wanting to know the best hardtail to put on it. Just started tearing it down. 1st time builder n any info will be appreciated.



"I have no idea what I'm doing and Google is a mystery. Please help me ruin this low-mileage original bike." :sick: :sick: :sick:

1979 KZ400 Gifted to a couple of nephews
1967 Yamaha YCS1 Bonanza
1980 KZ440B
1981 Yamaha XT250H
1981 KZ440 LTD project bike
1981 GPz550
2013 Yamaha FZ6R
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28 Oct 2020 05:29 #837862 by TexasKZ
Replied by TexasKZ on topic 1st time builder
The simplest way is to just fabricate some struts to replace the shocks. It may be possible to buy some struts for another model that uses the same length and style shocks.
If you really want to permanently replace the swingarm and shocks with a fully welded hard tail, I suspect you will need to custom fabricate everything.

1982 KZ1000 LTD parts donor
1981 KZ1000 LTD awaiting resurrection
2000 ZRX1100 not ridden enough

www.kzrider.com/11-projects/620336-anoth...uild-thread?start=24

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  • Buzz Nichols
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28 Oct 2020 08:09 #837872 by Buzz Nichols
Replied by Buzz Nichols on topic 1st time builder

TexasKZ wrote:

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I wood ride that.

Is this thing working? Is this thing on?

1978 KZ1000 LTD

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