New KZ1100 owner here

Hello all, I am a new(ish) owner of a 1983 KZ1100 shaft drive mean green machine. I won't tell you all how much I paid for the bike, as I don't want anyone to cry, but I got a steal of a deal and many extra parts for about two paychecks and a tune. Seriously, the guy made me sing for it.

About 20 minutes later I was hitting triple digits and screaming in delight as passed traffic started to blur and fade behind me. :woohoo: :woohoo: They say true love is dead but I'm finding new emotions here...

I just returned from a 2800+ mile trip from Albuquerque to Iowa City and back in late October on the bike, and it waited till I got back to spring a leak and piss gas all over the garage floor (turns out that ethanol-based swill back home ate right through the #3carb vacuum plug). Didn't miss a beat for the whole trip, and I let a mean green streak all up the backside of Kansas.

There are some wear-related issues and the stator plug required about half a tube of black RTV sealant to stop dumping oil all over my left boot but all told I think I got a pretty sweet deal. I still can't figure out which model, exactly, I've got, but it is shaft drive, air-adjustable shocks, and what could be a police-version based signal switch cluster (turn signal assembly has a red toggle switch and red horn button). These may not have been original parts but I'm not sure.

Anyone with some background info on where/how to track down model information via VIN numbers (all matching, btw) is encouraged to brag about their knowledge in this here thread. In the meantime, I'm going to dig around a bit because it's freaking snowing and about 25degrees outside so I can't justify going anywhere (at high-speed and in style) right now.

Looking good there, that's the A3 model Here you can get parts, including that leaking grommet at the Alternator, www.z1enterprises.com/catalog.aspx?pid=KZ1100-A3-1983
In my signature is a manual that will cover your bike.
Nice score and welcome to KZR, great you posted Pictures that's always good.
You can add stuff to your Profile Signature, like the year and model, and any mods. This helps for future posts.

gravit8 wrote: ...1983 KZ1100 shaft drive...just returned from a 2800+ mile trip from Albuquerque to Iowa City and back in late October on the bike, and it waited till I got back to spring a leak and piss gas all over the garage floor (turns out that ethanol-based swill back home ate right through the #3carb vacuum plug)....

Hello, gravit8, and WELCOME to KZr!

Lots of good info on kawasaki.com, including parts diagrams, part numbers, models sharing same part, availability, etc. Here's a link for help with navigating the site and finding information:
Click > kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...w&catid=13&id=376734

Gasoline discharge from carb overflows often results from a speck of crud in the float valve.
If not already fitted, would install an aftermarket in-line fuel filter, available from Z1E and most bike shops.
Click > www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=293

Z1E has a $7 minimum shipping fee, so would consider ordering other needed stuff at the same time.

Good Fortune!

welcome

Thanks everyone! I'll be slowly restoring/repairing some of the wear items, and replacing the non-stock, non-model correct headlight and gauge cluster at some point, and some other parts too (managed to break an exhaust mount stud somewhere outside KC MO on my return trip from Iowa) so the links will be super helpful. I've had the bike about 2 months so far with barely a trace of problems...

As for the carb/leaking gas issue, I pulled the carb assembly off, cleaned what I could without complete teardown of all 4 carbs, and checked the float on the #3 carb (the leaker). Everything looked in good shape, I'm thinking that I lost the vacuum plug somewhere in Kansas and I finished my trip in the dark, high-altitude cold of a mid-november Albuquerque night so something may have 'stuck' open causing the float to overfill. Problem hasn't returned after trouble shooting and replacing that $.15 piece of rubber plug.

It's hard to describe the emotions I've built for this bike in such a short time, it's such a release to be able to hit highway speeds in a heartbeat and get away from 'trouble'. I had been riding a 250 super sherpa around town all summer so this is def. a nice change of pace and potential...

"In my signature is a manual that will cover your bike."

Amazingly I had d/l'd this manual from a site whose sole apparent purpose was to publish this specific manual. The only problem is that pages 11-2 through 11-10 are gone from the copy, and these were supposedly 'kz1100' specific pages, so I'm wondering if it's anything important. I'm looking for the shaft drive diagrams, specifically, which doesn't appear to be in the manual. I may have missed it though.

Otherwise I'd be correct to assume that minor differences aside, the teardown and assembly specs and diagrams are very similar to what is represented in the manual, no? I'm a moderately experienced wrencher aith plenty of grease under my nails so I'm not too worried but kz1100 specific info seems to be lacking on the web. As I'm not in any particular hurry to turn my moto into hundreds of pieces laying on the garage floor, it's not a big deal. Yet.

Thanks again for the welcome. I'll be back. yep.