new guy with a new (old) bike

Hey KZ riders,

So I've been lurking around a little bit on this site since I got my KZ. It's a 1983 KZ550 LTD and I got it from a buddy for real cheap. It's not road worthy yet, but I'm getting there. I'm sure you all will be hearing from me more often as run into snags.

-gintree

here's a pic:

the day I brought it home:

Welcome home, gintree...nice to see you made it.

Welcome to Z world....

What are your plans for the old girl?

And as you have already figured it out, we LOVE pictures here... KZ porn! :laugh:

OMR

Thanks guys! I really dig this forum and it's cool to see such a strong support community for the KZs. So the plans..... Overall I want a kinda of street tracker thing. I'm not really a traditionalist or anything, so I'm not gonna stick to any specific guidelines with the bike. I just want something that I like and runs!

So far, I've lowered the front a little, installed some clip-ons, new throttle assembly, new right side switch assembly (hoping to do away with the left side assembly), new brake pads, yanked the vacuum mess, installed crank breathers. After that she still runs, so I figured I didn't screw anything up too bad yet.

I'm trying to get my hands on some 12" shocks to lower the rear. The motor runs strong especially for how long the bike's was sitting. It has some electrical issues that I'm sorting out at the moment. My main priority at the moment is to get the electronics stripped down as much as I can and clean up all the wiring. I'm routing my indicator lights and hi/lo switch to the headlamp shroud and I'm gonna use a little digital bicycle speedo. Someday I might go through and pull all the unused wiring. I also need to install my new chain, brake shoes and shocks (when I get'em). Oh, and I've got pod filters, so I'll probably pull the carbs and clean and rejet them and install the filters at that time....

Damn... I have a lot on my plate! Oh well, one step at a time. Once all that is done, I want to spray bomb the tank and build a cool battery box. I guess I should wash it sometime too!