All-Around Newbie

Hello all,

As the title implies I’m an all-around newbie - new to the forum, new to Kawasaki KZs, hell new to riding a motorcycle. Last few weeks have been kind of a whirlwind ride with all that’s going on in the world and personal life that it’s not a surprise that something new is coming of it.

My father was the mechanic - growing up working in a garage on classic cars and bikes and taught me all of what I know about cars (enough to change my oil, brakes, and do some odd engine work here and there). My oldest brother who’s a mechanical engineer obviously got most of the mechanical inclination and has worked his way through a few project bikes. I’m more health and fitness inclined - I’m a gym rat nature and a chiropractor by profession.

My father recently passed away and the opportunity to have this project bike all but fell into my lap so I had to take it as a sign and not pass it up.

I am now the proud owner of a 1982 Kawasaki KZ750. Now sure of the sub model as there have been some body and engine modification but will be looking into some VIN coordination and research.

I will hopefully be documenting my adventures here as I get the engine cleaned up leading to my first start and and test ride. As of right now the battery is more than likely completely dead )it’s been sitting in a garage for a little over 2 years without a start). Tires were flat and not cracked from dry rot but still hold air.

My goal is to revert it closer to stock as far as the seat and rear fairing for so my wife can ride with me.

Glad to be here and I’m looking forward to everything I’m gonna learn along the way.

Cheers!

WElcome to KZRider
Nice Bike .
I fixed your pictures so all can see.
Next time hit the insert all / or insert button to finish installing the pictures
Dave

Welcome aboard. You need to correct the front fork clamps as it looks like the front fork axle clamps have been tightened wrong. There should be zero gap at the front and a gap at the back. Take a look at the Kawasaki Service Manual as it is very specific about this issue and warns about problems if the clamps are not tightened properly. Ed

Welcome aboard!

Below is a link to a PDF copy of the factory service manual for the KZ 750 four cylinder models. Scroll all the way down to the back cover. There you will see a list of the specific models covered by this manual and the vin number range for each. If your number is within the range of one of those models, you will have answered one question and will also have one of the most important tools for getting your bike back on the road.

www.kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/KZ750E1&H1.pdf

650ed wrote: Welcome aboard. You need to correct the front fork clamps as it looks like the front fork axle clamps have been tightened wrong. There should be zero gap at the front and a gap at the back. Take a look at the Kawasaki Service Manual as it is very specific about this issue and warns about problems if the clamps are not tightened properly. Ed

That’s a really good catch - thanks! I will definitely take a closer look at those clamps and adjust as I need to.

Street Fighter LTD wrote: WElcome to KZRider
Nice Bike .
I fixed your pictures so all can see.
Next time hit the insert all / or insert button to finish installing the pictures
Dave

Thanks! I was posting from mobile so I’m sure I missed something along the way.

TexasKZ wrote: Welcome aboard!

Below is a link to a PDF copy of the factory service manual for the KZ 750 four cylinder models. Scroll all the way down to the back cover. There you will see a list of the specific models covered by this manual and the vin number range for each. If your number is within the range of one of those models, you will have answered one question and will also have one of the most important tools for getting your bike back on the road.

www.kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/KZ750E1&H1.pdf

Thanks you! I had searched long and hard and found a manual file before I posted here but I appreciate the link. Will download for backup.

Another thing many KZ owners are unaware of is the fact that there are no Phillips screws on a KZ bike. Those screws that look like Phillips are not Phillips; they are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS). Using a Phillips screwdriver on them will damage them as well as making them nearly impossible to remove. See link below for details. Ed

www.kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/609...uy-signing-in#791293

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a link to the same service manual as TexasKZ posted, but this one is better quality (the other one is black and white and the bottom of the pages has been cut off):
kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/GPz750.pdf

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationWelcome to the forum, sorry about your dad.

I highly recommend this book for anyone getting into riding , it has a lot of great info that could benefit an experience rider as well

Are those... purple dirt-bike-style bars?

Nice.

And welcome aboard!

Mr_Blonde wrote: My father was the mechanic - growing up working in a garage on classic cars and bikes and taught me all of what I know about cars (enough to change my oil, brakes, and do some odd engine work here and there).
...
My father recently passed away and the opportunity to have this project bike all but fell into my lap so I had to take it as a sign and not pass it up.

I am very sorry for your loss. My dad was a good shade-tree mechanic and a mechanical engineer by profession: he taught me and my brother most of what we know about wrenching. (The other things we learned by making dumbass mistakes.) Dad passed away last year and tinkering with old bikes brings back a lot of memories.

I'm not gonna pretend to know anything about anything, but I will say that while last year sucked, this year sucks a little less. Hang in there.