1978 KZ750 twin cafe build

well after scouring the internet for a reasonably priced KZ with tax money burning a hole in my pocket and pictures of cafe builds littering my computer, workplace, and flooding my brain; finally made a purchase today! picked up a 1978 KZ750 for $400 locally. guy was only asking $300 but i had to ward off other internet vultures with an extra benji. guy claims that it ran a month ago but he just lost the key. so i already orderd a new ignition with 2 keys and a replacement right hand switch assembly since the one on it is destroyed. seems to have good compression and aside from some surface rust, the bike appears to be in fairly good shape. picture is kind of shiesty but i will post more as soon as dissambly starts on wednesday and hopefully no nasty issues will show face during the tear down





so far, the plan is as follows: (loosely based off following picture)
chop the excess off the rear of the frame
cut and relocate rear most vertical frame member further forward to open up the tail a bit
modify swingarm for a monoshock and elminate all previously afformentioned tabs
dish the tank in the grooviest kind of way so my big ole floppy knees can tuck up when i do the ton
chop and lower handlebars or use clip ons
clean and relocate stock headlight lower
disassemble errr-thang, procede to get my picasso on and paint the sh*$ out of everything shiny
wire tuck and hide
sell everything not necessary on ebay or barter for other things on this forum





that should be enough keep me busy for the next month or so and keep everyone thoroughly entertained with a constant stream of my work on this thread. second picture is the bike i am loosely basing my build off of, with my own tweaks along the way. let me know what you guys think!! or suggestions for additions to the build are always welcome!!!

Ya must've got one hell of a tax return, :woohoo: :woohoo: :laugh:

pete greek1 wrote: Ya must've got one hell of a tax return, :woohoo: :woohoo: :laugh:

the tax gods were generous. But also, starting with a cheap bike helps haha. Didn't mind since basically everything is getting re-done anyway. Gonna start tearing everything down tomorrow. Maybe even get to test out my new fancy schmancy hydraulic tubing bender :laugh:

well i spent the greater part of last night fantasizing about UPS deliveries and browsing the ninjawebs for useful tidbits. so far there are 3 boxes en route for me

new ignition and keys so i can try and get this puppy started:



2003 gsxr750 monoshock for the planned new rear setup




and lastly, new throttle controls and killswitch to fix the existing broken kill switch

my antiquated browser at work doesnt like the forum so it wouldnt let me attach a 3rd picture so here it is. as well as pictures of this sled i purchased.

QUESTION: does anyone have any idea how i can get the gas cap off without the key that goes to it? any tricks with a screw driver or some kind of macguyver-eque tools? want to try and get this thing running to see if i need to order a rebuild kit or if i can allocate that money elsewhere... BUT there is no gas in the tank, and any that was there is around 1-2 months old at this point so i need to crack that bad boy open and get some premo in there. any input is appreciated!!!!!

throttle controls and killswitch

The locks on these old fuel tanks is a "dummy"....meaning that any ignition key, even a screwdriver will open it. Just be gentle till you get the feel for it. Don't sink the screwdriver tip...ease it in, try to turn, ease in a little deeper, click! Too deep, it won't turn.

Grumpy Ole Artist wrote: The locks on these old fuel tanks is a "dummy"....meaning that any ignition key, even a screwdriver will open it. Just be gentle till you get the feel for it. Don't sink the screwdriver tip...ease it in, try to turn, ease in a little deeper, click! Too deep, it won't turn.

+1
Notice in the pic of the tank cap lock innards below there are no pins; just straight cut slots for any key to turn. Ed

650ed wrote:

Grumpy Ole Artist wrote: The locks on these old fuel tanks is a "dummy"....meaning that any ignition key, even a screwdriver will open it. Just be gentle till you get the feel for it. Don't sink the screwdriver tip...ease it in, try to turn, ease in a little deeper, click! Too deep, it won't turn.

+1
Notice in the pic of the tank cap lock innards below there are no pins; just straight cut slots for any key to turn. Ed

That is excellent news. Thanks for spreading the word to the less knowledgable. Knowing me, I would have just gone hulk on the damn thing! I'll jimmy that thing open nice and easy like this afternoon and see if I can get this kitten to purr.

Looking forward to your project.

If the gas cap is the same as on my KZs, the key hole is in two parts.
The top part will spin around and not open the lock.
You need to be able to reach the lower part, and turn it.
A screw driver may not reach the lower part, but a key that fits in should.

Bought a 77 in boxes for 280 on Saturday. I'll be doing a similar build over time. Look forward to your progress I have a lot of the same ideas in mind. I don't know if it's my iPad or what but I only see the very first picture. Good luck

UnshavenCanuck wrote: Bought a 77 in boxes for 280 on Saturday. I'll be doing a similar build over time. Look forward to your progress I have a lot of the same ideas in mind. I don't know if it's my iPad or what but I only see the very first picture. Good luck

thanks guys!!!! made alot of progress today, been taking EVERYTHING apart. and i have actually been trying to update the thread but for some reason it has crashed every time i try to post the pictures and everything.

rstnick wrote: Looking forward to your project.

If the gas cap is the same as on my KZs, the key hole is in two parts.
The top part will spin around and not open the lock.
You need to be able to reach the lower part, and turn it.
A screw driver may not reach the lower part, but a key that fits in should.

thanks rstnick! thanks to you guys's input, i didnt have to turn green and start ripping chrome pieces off and jamming crowbars under things. on another note, got started on the dis-assembly today and found some interesting things. right off the bat, found out that the kicker panels on the side were being held on by an old pair of headphones.... yes i said headphones



then continued to take the rest of the tidbits on the rear that was keeping this pretty lady dressed. make sure to label everything... seems silly sometimes but it will save you TONS of time in the endgame.



got a good look at the wiring... looks like i might be in for some fun with this rats nest... :sick: :sick: :sick:
and also got to see someone elses handywork, gotta love coming in on someone elses abandoned project. new wiring harness to make things easier perhaps?








took a break to get some errands done and buy an ample supply of beer for this night of wrenching. <--- since i have written that i have already consumed half of my supply via frustration of trying to get this thread updated for you guys so this is try 304958743895