Testarossa's 78 KZ1000 Fighter Build

Come on test... you guys are my motivation here!!

Speaking of wife, when I brought the KZ home she said.. I don't see a back rest for me, of course I said there won't be one either... so she went out and bought her own bike..LOL Of course I had to ride it home for her.

Installing the footpeg mounts should be a little interesting. I know I'm worried about making sure they're not only at equal hights, but in the same vertical plane and at the same angle (or lack thereof) I may get to my mounts first, so you can learn from my screw ups :laugh:

I have been practicing on lining up fabricated pieces in three dimensions. Here's some shots of my little side project. Since I bought this truck I haven't found a ladder/pipe/kayak/whatever rack that fits my qualifications. Needs to be light, easily removable, still allows access to the Ramboxes, and follows the lines of the truck. Also I need to add a little storage space since this truck only has a 5'6" bed that is about 50" wide. So here's what I have so far:

My son is almost 9 years old, and he has actually started to display the kind of interest and patience necessary to pick up a little of what I know about building and fabricating. This afternoon he said he was bored, so I asked him if he wanted to help with my project and he lit up. So I handed him the die grinder and some safety glasses to help me prep some weld sites. He did good and stuck with me for almost a whole hour! I'm so excited, because I haven't been able to get him engaged in anything like this for more than 5 minutes before.




BTW this is a 12' kayak atop the truck.

I saw that big yellow kayak pic and thought you were going to tell us it was a new project....




KAYA-saki! :woohoo:

Kayasaki!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I love it! I'll think of this every time I go fishing. Maybe I should get a green one next time.

testarossa wrote: Kayasaki!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I love it! I'll think of this every time I go fishing. Maybe I should get a green one next time.

Or just do an ELR paint scheme on this one! LOL!!!!

I shudder to think what I would have to do to this roto-molded sumbitch to get paint to stick to it.

I like it Josh! Light weight with some stylish and functional curves. I see the 45 braces on the front, are the rear verticals getting the same treatment? Will the 45 braces eliminate needing to tie the top rails together? Very cool though. Gotta get you a TIG welder so you can start making that stuff out of aluminum!

Very nice work!! Its nice to get the kids involved. I have four daughters and I fortunately have a couple that are willing to help out and ask to do so. At least I know they will be able to do some of there own work (or willingness) if needed through life.

I am teaching their mother to ride now, and they keep saying "we are next".. a coupe years for that however....

porchev914 wrote: I like it Josh! Light weight with some stylish and functional curves. I see the 45 braces on the front, are the rear verticals getting the same treatment? Will the 45 braces eliminate needing to tie the top rails together? Very cool though. Gotta get you a TIG welder so you can start making that stuff out of aluminum!

Thanks Adam, and yes the rear will get the same bracing. That is just as far as I got yesterday. I have a couple of other tricks up my sleeve as well. Those braces will eliminate the need to tie the two hoops together. That's an absolute necessity for me. If they are welded together that makes it almost impossible to easily remove by yourself. Also a one piece ladder rack takes up a huge amount of space when not on the truck.

A tig is still on my short list of wants. That and a small lathe for the house. I'm waiting for the right deal to come along.

nice job on the rack but, you could of got some shiney huge wood screws and just mounted it to the outer fender. real kustom like??