new member with '78 LTD

Hi, my name is David

I'm a new member from west of Toronto with a great interest in all things Kawasaki. I had a '75 Z1 up until summer of '85 when it was sold due to upcoming commitments(dammit) and now have been riding my first restoration for four summers. I have had a great number of experiences during this resto which may or may not be relative to others. Glad to be part of what seems to be an interesting site.

Here is my '78 LTD I restored a few years back.



This is my current project. 1974 Z1

WOW.....that 78 is sharp....nice job........welcome.....
you have probably figured i have a soft spot for 78 b2's in ebony........:laugh:

welcome nice to have another canadian on here even tho it will make greggy baby vomit really who cares nice scoot and good luck with the old girl are you doing a strict resto or going to up date things a bit.

I am hoping to do a relatively accurate restoration on the '74 but will have to get my act together as parts seem to be getting pricier by the minute. I do have my 4 into 4 ready for install but am now overhauling the head. I have had the liners honed and managed to retain stock bore as I have stock rings to replace originals. I might have to incorporate an anchor for stopping as the last NOS caliper I saw went for about 435.00!!!ouch I just have to keep telling myself its a hobby and move forward.(beats work any day):laugh:

welcome to z-jungle,ive got a soft spot for 74 z1s also!

so why the nos caliper,why not rebuild what you have?

I paid $193.00 US for a used caliper for my Z1 a couple of years ago becaue it was the only one I could find. One went for over $600 the other day on ebay, it had the mount for the right side, but still is a little pricey. I love the Z1's also. The 4 into 4 you already have will save you big big bucks for your resto.

David, Welcome ro KZR nation,nice looking 78, good luck on new project. regards Duke

i may have an extra z1 caliper and i don't think you will need to break open the kids college fund for either it is about a 1000 miles away if your not in a rush i go home at christmas if your interested.

Hey David, I am east of toronto, but go visit Kitchener every couple months. I found a guy there that I have gotten some stuff from and he's pretty cool. He seems to have a lot of stuf in his shed, but knows others that he gets his stuff from too. I can give you his contact if you like...I found him on Kijiji.

Thanks for the offers of calipers guys.I have yet to get to taking the caliper apart to see piston condition etc. but I know the bleeder is broken off which shouldn't be impossible to deal with. I'd love to make it a dual disc setup which as you know was an option back then. I have a feeling that Christmas shutdown will likely be the first time I really get down to some serious progress. I would love to get the frame stripped and painted by then so I can start assembling the stuff I already have. Seemingly only two obstacles in life lately, time and money!:S

Beautiful bike! Makes me miss my old 79 kz that I should of never sold!