Got it! 1976 KZ900 Ltd

I did look at the pic of the mufflers and they have been modified/butchered, however that same exhaust system was used on the 900 and 1000 LTD's made from 77 to 80. They do pop up on flea bay from time to time and sometimes at a reasonable price. The key is going to be patience and persistence, it may take you a while, but sooner or later you will find a nice set of replacement pipes for your bike. The good thing is at this point you do have an exhaust system that can be lived with until something better comes along.

I have a 77 1000 LTD with original pipes on it and I now have a digital camera to take a pic with but until I replace the bad disc drive on my computer I won't be able to load the pics from the camera. Tim aka Ltdrider will be better equipped to help you because he has already taken the journey you are about to embark on and ended up with a top flight example of your bike.

I have to say that looking at the pics of your new bike makes me a bit jealous. I'd love to get my hands on a 900 B-1 in that condition for a long term resto. Just be patient and do it right, you now own one of the best of the breed and they only made around 5000 or so of them so consider yourself lucky.

Here are a couple of pics of your bike Link 14 (not stock, but fairly close to stock)

And another

Thanks for the inspiration guys. I've been mulling over what to do on the bike. On one hand I'd like to immediately take her down to the frame and re-build from there. On the other hand, I want to get her fixed up enough to be able to start the engine and see what's going on there, then strip her down.

Still thinking.....:huh:

IMO, git er goin, take her for a ride, see what she's got goin on. THEN take her down with a better idea of what's going on.
Nothing worse than taking it apart, rebuilding the top end, paint the frame, put it all back together and THEN finding out second gear doesn't work. :S

riverroad wrote:

IMO, git er goin, take her for a ride, see what she's got goin on. THEN take her down with a better idea of what's going on.
Nothing worse than taking it apart, rebuilding the top end, paint the frame, put it all back together and THEN finding out second gear doesn't work. :S

Word! Don't waste time on something that isn't viable. If she runs well (which she probably does!) THEN get squirrely as you want. 'Til then, slow an' steady wins the race.

I hear and obey :lol: Picked up a new battery this evening and it's on the charger. Checked out the points and condensor and they look like new. Pulled the plugs (will replace and poured a little "mystery" oil in each and slowly rotated. Note to self - put plugs back in before rotating. :blush:

After I cleaned up the mess, loosened up the 8 clamps holding the carbs, but I'm kind of stuck now. The FSM says to lift the carbs "back and up" after loosening clamps. Easier said than done.

Any have any suggestions. Thanks!

Link14 wrote:

... loosened up the 8 clamps holding the carbs, but I'm
kind of stuck now. The FSM says to lift the carbs "back and up"
after loosening clamps. Easier said than done... any
suggestions....

Easier (but still not fun) if first remove the rear clamp screws,
then spread each rear clamp enough to remove them altogether from
their positions around the intake hoses. Gets the clamps completely
out of the way. My clamps have always resumed shape without any
damage from the spreading out, and replaced during reassembly after
the carbs have otherwise been fitted into place. Sometimes the old
hard hoses may be made slightly more manageable by dousing them
with Armoral and/or heating them with a hairdryer. Have always
pulled the carb assembly from right hand (kickstarter) side of the
bike.

The "fun" starts with a set of new soft flexible intake hoses from
Z1E > Z1E

When reinstalling the carbs, would suggest attaching the throttle
cables while carbs are being held almost in position but still
protruding toward right hand side of the bike.

Pressing carbs back into the carb holders on engine side may be
eased by using some Armoral or silicone lube inside the carb
holders. After getting the carbs lined up and started into the
holders, and clamps loosly in place (with screws at the bottom),
I use a wood stake as a lever behind the carbs to push them fully
into the holders.

When affixing and tightening the two inside air intake hose clamps,
I keep the screws on top for easier access.

Btw, don't worry too much about the missing airbox intake horn, as
it doesn't do much anyhow besides take up what's otherwise some
really good useful storage space underneath the seat.

Good Luck!

Hi Link14. I was just checking back into the KZRider site after a long absence and saw your posting. Your bike is a good find for sure and I wish you much success with your restoration efforts. It can take up as much time and resources as you allow it to, so be careful. I restored my KZ900LTD a few years ago with the help of many folks on this forum. It's a great resource. LTDRider helped me a lot as welk and gave me some great tips. You can check out my restoration experience at this site: skippr76kz.home.mchsi.com
Goodluck! - Skipper
Also I have a Youtube spot with this bike:

Thanks for the advice Patton. I'll give that a try. Definitely want to get new boots, but they are a little ways down on the priority list. (need to start pushing some students into private fencing lessons or I'll never be able to afford all this! :laugh: )

Skipper - I'd already drooled over your video when I did some google searches....very nice looking bike, that's what I'm striving for. Have to chat with you about where you got those tires.

White raised Letter Dunlop F11 Qualifiers. Oldbikebarn.com is where I got them. The tires for that bike are on sale right now.
www.oldbikebarn.com/Dunlop-F11-Qualifier-100-90-x-19-Front-Tire

Watch out how much you spend I lost count over $5K (engine/carb rebuilds, new powdercoat, new paint, new exhaust) (I wonder what those 100's of hours worth of labor are worth!) Oh well, it's quite the conversation piece at the bike gatherings. My Harley custom chopper buddies get ticked when the crowd gathers around my less than $10K 32 year old bike only quick glancing their new $50K custom job. I can't help but feel a little smug. You'll enjoy the attention that bike will get.

FYI if your carb hoses are stiff and you are going to replace them then cut them. Your new ones will be soft and you can double them over which makes putting in the carb rack a whole lot easier. Then just unfold them back over the carb throats and clamp up. As for the cables I use a good pair of hemostats. Makes things a whole lot easier. I for one will not wrestle with carbs and stiff boots. It's just not worth it.