KZ 750 LTD Twin daily driver

Edit. Sorry I did not realize it was a forum policy to post in new members and the topic was moved here. The following was written as a project topic, which I'll recreate later on. Anyway Hello to all!

Finnish summer was in full bloom when I got home after getting some critical maintenance done to myself. It was clear I couldn't ride my bicycle as I was used to and it popped into my mind, I could buy a motorcycle.
After hours of scrolling the local sales site I went to test ride couple of smaller 400cc bikes. Neither of those was what I was looking for. I wanted a bike that could occasionally carry a passenger and wouldn't need an instant overhaul. We were visiting my in-laws and there was this KZ 750 LTD Twin for sale nearby. Went to see it and it felt instantly much better than the smaller bikes I had test driven, so I bought it. 

I rode ~3 500 km until it was late autumn and the roads turned icy. Swapped the forward controls someone had installed to originals right away. Did some basic maintenance. One of the last rides of the season I had 4 pairs pants on and mid ride had to go buy a pair more to survive the cold. Before buying the bike I wasn't sure if I would like riding as it was 20 years since I had my last one, but there was no doubt on that anymore.

I'll be doing some maintenance and some other updates on the bike during the winter. I'll try to update the list as I go
Maintenance stuff:
-Clutch slips around 5 500 rpm. I'm thinking if replacing the springs would fix it, or do I need new plates also. Input much appreciated!
-Points cover needs to be replaced. On the last ride of the year I met some black ice. Luckily not much else got damaged

Other:
-Rear suspension needs an update. I bought one pair or original length Bitubos with adjustable rebound. I also bought a pair of 20 mm shorter Öhlins I happened to find for a deal I couldn't refuse
-Front suspension. Might try to find a progressive spring kit and do a full maintenance on the fork
-Speedo and tachometers. I want to clean the look a bit and got a pair of very small Koso D48 TNT-05 meters I plan to hide behind a very small windshield or such
-Headlight. A bit smaller headlight with decent output
-Side covers. I lost the other plastic side cover while riding some unpaved roads. Either I buy an original replacement, or I make new covers from sheet metal
-Rear fender, saddle and tail light. Something lighter

Welcome from the UK

Another welcome here...

Just my opinion, but instead of spending energy and money on mods, I'd create a small reserve fund for future maintenance work.  Tires, chain/sprocket, brake system clean out and replacing brake lines, valve adjust shims and gasket, battery, etc.  45 year old bikes will need almost constant maintenance, so get your mind ready, and save some funds for it.  

Regarding the clutch, new springs are a good play.  I've fixed (minor) slipping clutches that way several times.  9 out of 10 times, if you measure the plate thickness, they will be in spec.  Wild card: sometimes the friction material gets hard and petrifies.  Also, lube your clutch cable, and make sure the adjustment is correct.  Grease the new gasket, so if the clutch still slips, you can pop off the cover without having to replace the gasket again.

Welcome! 

If the clutch is already slipping, I would replace the fiber plates when replacing the springs. The metal plates should be okay unless they've gotten really hot; if that has happened, you'll be able to see discoloration on them when you take the clutch apart.

The shorter shocks may work but you should confirm that they will not permit the tire to hit the inner fender when the suspension is bottomed out.

Side panels appear to be readily available on eBay. If you choose to make covers, they will need to be three-dimensional to cover electrics, etc; flat pieces won't work. 

Good luck!

Nessism wrote:

Another welcome here...

Just my opinion, but instead of spending energy and money on mods, I'd create a small reserve fund for future maintenance work.  Tires, chain/sprocket, brake system clean out and replacing brake lines, valve adjust shims and gasket, battery, etc.  45 year old bikes will need almost constant maintenance, so get your mind ready, and save some funds for it.  

Regarding the clutch, new springs are a good play.  I've fixed (minor) slipping clutches that way several times.  9 out of 10 times, if you measure the plate thickness, they will be in spec.  Wild card: sometimes the friction material gets hard and petrifies.  Also, lube your clutch cable, and make sure the adjustment is correct.  Grease the new gasket, so if the clutch still slips, you can pop off the cover without having to replace the gasket again.
 

Some mods will happen for sure, though it's a good point to prepare for maintenance. I already got a new rear tire and wheel bearings, chain and sprockets etc. Of course it's not going to end there.

As for the clutch cable, there's actually a small problem with it also(see the attached photo). A previous owner has somehow managed to crack the end of the lever which holds the cable. They have drilled a new hole to the lever and opened the clutch cover and placed the lever in "wrong" position to make the cable long enough. The lever is already in the position where it should be when the clutch lever is pulled, which makes the route of the cable/lever not optimal. I'm planning to fix this either by getting a new part, or just simply welding it back together.

Riku wrote:

 I bought one pair or original length Bitubos with adjustable rebound. I also bought a pair of 20 mm shorter Öhlins I happened to find for a deal I couldn't refuse
-Front suspension. Might try to find a progressive spring kit and do a full maintenance on the fork

If you fit "shorter" rear shocks you may want to drop the forks through the trees by the same amount so you don't upset the geometry

Wookie58 wrote:

Riku wrote:

 I bought one pair or original length Bitubos with adjustable rebound. I also bought a pair of 20 mm shorter Öhlins I happened to find for a deal I couldn't refuse
-Front suspension. Might try to find a progressive spring kit and do a full maintenance on the fork

If you fit "shorter" rear shocks you may want to drop the forks through the trees by the same amount so you don't upset the geometry
 

Yes will do that! There's just enough space before the fork leg hits the handlebar to do it. I like how the bike rides and don't want to ruin it

Nerdy wrote:

Welcome! 

If the clutch is already slipping, I would replace the fiber plates when replacing the springs. The metal plates should be okay unless they've gotten really hot; if that has happened, you'll be able to see discoloration on them when you take the clutch apart.

The shorter shocks may work but you should confirm that they will not permit the tire to hit the inner fender when the suspension is bottomed out.

Side panels appear to be readily available on eBay. If you choose to make covers, they will need to be three-dimensional to cover electrics, etc; flat pieces won't work. 

Good luck!
 

Yeah probably safer to just change the fiber plates along with the springs and not having to open the case again, if the springs ain't enough.

Thanks!