Hello!

Hi, just thought I'd introduce myself. I found this site through the kawasakimotorcycles.org forum. Since I ride a "vintage" bike I figured this might be more appropriate.

My name is Martin, I'm 45 and live in Englewood, CO (suburb of Denver.) I've been riding for 25 years and am on bike number 8. All my bikes have been Japanese except for the Triumph Thunderbird I owned from 2005-2007 (and put about 25,000 miles on!)

My current bike is pictured below: A 1982 KZ750N1 Spectre:



I bought it in September for $800. Runs great, though it could use a bit of a tuneup (it sounds really rough when cold.) I remember when the Spectre came out (it was the same year I started riding) and I thought they were very cool with their blacked-out treatment. Unfortunately, that stuff doesn't wear well and on my bike the black exhaust pipes are showing some real deterioration.

The only mods I've made to the bike have been to change out the "mini ape" handlebars to a flatter, more sporty bar. In the photo above I hadn't yet changed out the shorty mirrors (which were useless with the new bar) but I have now. The photo below shows a better view of the new bars and new mirrors.



Anyway, I'm looking forward to asking lots of tech questions as I try to fix up my old Spectre! It's an awesome and fun bike.

Post edited by: ZappBranigan, at: 2007/12/06 15:59

Post edited by: ZappBranigan, at: 2007/12/06 16:00

Welcome Martin! The kawasaki meisters did not do well when they constructed the 'black chrome' exhaust systems for that era (also found on the same year GPz bikes, etc.). The pipes rarely age well and if you ever get tired of the exhaust looking poorly, there is not a way to 'redo' the 'black chrome' so hold on to what you have...and I think the flatter bars look far superior to the stock bars

Mcdroid wrote:

Welcome Martin! The kawasaki meisters did not do well when they constructed the 'black chrome' exhaust systems for that era (also found on the same year GPz bikes, etc.). The pipes rarely age well and if you ever get tired of the exhaust looking poorly, there is not a way to 'redo' the 'black chrome' so hold on to what you have...and I think the flatter bars look far superior to the stock bars

What about going to a flat black? I presume there are flat black paints out there that are designed to hold up in the heat generated by an exhaust, right? Might not look all that great, but it would sure look better than the speckled/semi-rusted look I've got now!

ZappBranigan wrote:

What about going to a flat black? I presume there are flat black paints out there that are designed to hold up in the heat generated by an exhaust, right? Might not look all that great, but it would sure look better than the speckled/semi-rusted look I've got now!

Correct...there are any number of hi-temp exhaust paints on the market that work well and during that long Colorado winter, you could even have the header portion of the exhaust gloss-black ceramic coated...resembles the original finish:)

Mcdroid wrote:

Correct...there are any number of hi-temp exhaust paints on the market that work well and during that long Colorado winter, you could even have the header portion of the exhaust gloss-black ceramic coated...resembles the original finish:)

Where would I have that done? My only concern is that it sounds like an expensive project. I don't think I'd want to spend $1000 getting the exhaust ceramic coated on a bike I only paid $800 for!

Post edited by: ZappBranigan, at: 2007/12/11 14:34

tinyurl.com/yvod7y


Follow the above link and associated imbedded links for a discussion of ceramic coating...there is a source listed with a price of US$300.00 for an entire 4into1 system...yours would be less:)

I've always liked the Spectre as well, nice ride. It looks good with the new bars, what did you use?

So, WG are you doing the ceramic coating now? Or, does anybody know of a place in the midwest? How much would it cost me to have a MAC 4-1 coated for my '77 1000?

NightScreams wrote:

I've always liked the Spectre as well, nice ride. It looks good with the new bars, what did you use?

It's the Bikemaster Daytona bar. $18.95 at my local bike shop.

The only drawback is that now all of the cables are too long. Not so much a problem with the electricals, but the front brake line has a sharp curve in it that I don't like. Also the clutch and throttle seem a little sticky since I went to the new bars. The smart thing to do on a bike this old would probably be to replace all of the cables and the brake line with new ones.

Nice bike. Welcome.
-KR

Hey All,

I've been on the site several times since June but never posted in the forum. Great website!

The technical tips helped my get my '76 KZ900 back into shape. Rusty Tank tip works very well by the way!

Anyone going to the Dec 28th Cycle World bike show in NYC ? Vintage bikes are to be represented. Hope to see one or two Z's.

If anyone attended earlier in another city, feel free to point out a few highlights. Thanks.

JB

ZappBranigan wrote:

NightScreams wrote:

I've always liked the Spectre as well, nice ride. It looks good with the new bars, what did you use?

It's the Bikemaster Daytona bar. $18.95 at my local bike shop.

The only drawback is that now all of the cables are too long. Not so much a problem with the electricals, but the front brake line has a sharp curve in it that I don't like. Also the clutch and throttle seem a little sticky since I went to the new bars. The smart thing to do on a bike this old would probably be to replace all of the cables and the brake line with new ones.

Cool, thanks. I've been trying to figure out what bars to use on my project and I like the way your's look.