'78 KZ1000 makeover

Why in the hell did it double post the pic? Anyhow, I have gotten some progress in on my bike. I got everything welded up except for the tops of the upper shock mount braces. I'll have to get those when I remove the subframe. I also finished removing all the unnecessary brackets on the subframe. That took some time with the grinder! Next I need to find someone with a tubing bender so I can make the bottom brackets for the subframe. I have some rod ends to incorporate in the bottom subframe mounts that should look trick. Then of course I'm also working on my sidecover mold on the side. I have a job interview in the morning in Irvine. If I get the job, it should mean a lot more money to speed up the build. On the flip side it would mean less time to work on it so........ :dry: I am excited for my mold to set up for the sidecover. I used a bunch of thunder mortar though, and in that thickness, it'll take a day or so to finish setting up. I can't wait to strip it, prep the mold and make a few covers from fiberglass to get the process nailed down. Then carbon fiber, here we come :laugh:

sounds like some good progress there porchev.
i can't wait to see the sidecovers and i am sure the subframe will turn out cool.
good luck with the job interview.

leon

Good luck on the job front. Money always seems to come in handy.

Thanks Leon, Mark. The subframe WILL turn out cool :laugh: and if it doesn't, well, I'll run it anyway :ohmy: My interview went exceptionally well, lasting 2.5 hrs. They guy asked me what my "rate" was. I told him I needed "lots o' money" (I was less ghetto in my actual request) :evil: :whistle: and he didn't bat an eyelash and said "shouldn't be a problem" I'm waiting to find out if their client will approve of my resume, but he said he wanted to hire me soooo.......

Does any memeber near me, reading my thread have a tubing bender? I don't want to pay a shop to make 2 bends in 1" tubing, but I will if I have too. Really, the reason I'm pressing on with the sidecover is because I need it to do the subframe. It's all connected :laugh:

are you anywhere near louisville ne? :laugh:

I sure am! It's just a hop, skip and a 747 jump away :laugh: Are you a California Raisin now Plummen? :ohmy: :huh: :laugh:

I just saw that I poseted this thread 5 months ago...damn, does time fly or what!

Back to the build. I was working on the sidecover project because I needed a left sidecover. Nevermind that I had one, and ruined it in the name of vain aspirations :blush: It went to a worthy cause, and for that, may it rest in peace. I needed the sidecovers because of the subframe mods I wanted to make. As you know, I chopped the subframe supports early in the frame modifications for the swingarm. I had decided first that I wanted to make the new subframe supports follow the contour of the sidecovers. Not so easy without a tubing bender, but hey, if it's the only thing I farm out on my frame mods, I'm OK with it.
THEN I decided that I liked the convenience of having a removable subframe on all my dirt bikes for carb/suspension access. Not such a big deal I figure, surely not any harder than anything else I've done thus far, right? Enter the parts:

What we have here is one of the 1" tubes bent to the contour of the sidecover.....almost. It's close enough that I'm going to run with it. I'm probably the only one picky enough to see that the angles aren't an exact match. Also on the bench is a lowering kit for a Harley Softail. The rod ends and adapters were generously donated by an old ex employer of mine. they've been sitting in my tool box for 11 years, and I finally found a use for them...on a Kawk :woohoo:

With one of the adapters modified and the tubing cut to length on one end, you can see what I was aiming for

I'll cut and miter the top of the tube to properly mate with the subframe and weld it together. I will also draw up and cut out brackets for the rod ends to fit into and weld those to the frame. Once the bottom tubes are done, I'll cut the top tubes off and make brackets there as well. With the subframe off I will be able to complete the welds on the shock mount braces too. With that done, it'll be a matter of cleaning things up and painting it. Then I can turn my attention to the engine and front end. There is the sticky issue of the GPz getting in the way though..... :S

no porchev,time doesn't fly.
you are just SLOW!hehe,just joking.
i am notorious for thinking that i can do things half as fast as i can actually get them done.it frustrates the
sh!t outta me.if you want one of these hundred+ mile an hour jigsaw puzzles to be safe and reliable it takes time to get them right.never mind ambitous mods like suspension,brake and wheel mods(never mind sssa )it is a wonder any of these bikes ever get done.
well they actually don't,know do they :evil:.
i am a gearhead and love to see all the work that people put into these kicka$$ old bikes.
keep up the good work man you are an inspiration to everyone who see's your project and who will see your project.

leon

porchev914 wrote:

I sure am! It's just a hop, skip and a 747 jump away :laugh: Are you a California Raisin now Plummen? :ohmy: :huh: :laugh:

thats omr! :laugh:

porchev914 wrote:

With one of the adapters modified and the tubing cut to length on one end, you can see what I was aiming for

I'll cut and miter the top of the tube to properly mate with the subframe and weld it together. I will also draw up and cut out brackets for the rod ends to fit into and weld those to the frame. Once the bottom tubes are done, I'll cut the top tubes off and make brackets there as well. With the subframe off I will be able to complete the welds on the shock mount braces too. With that done, it'll be a matter of cleaning things up and painting it. Then I can turn my attention to the engine and front end. There is the sticky issue of the GPz getting in the way though..... :S

Man are you becoming a motorcycle surgeon or something? It seems like all your pictures lately are gloved hands. What gives? Afraid to get a little grease under those nails? Haha just kidding.

Nice idea, but my simple mind needs a long shot to visualize what the whole thing looks like. BTW did you ever find a front wheel?

Yup, I almost always wear gloves. It makes it a much faster transition from the garage to kid referee or diaper changer. Plus I've been doing a lot of work with polyester and epoxy resins lately....not the best for your skin OR the acetone to get it off :blink:
As far as a wider perspective shot, that'll have to wait a little until I cut some brackets, cope the tube and tack it up. Then I'll get you guys your long shot.
I have found lots of front wheels, but so far they are all more expensive than I want to pay
Wow Leon, that's a hell of a nice thing to say. I agree, once you dig into them, there is always something to tweek or improve. Yeah, the sssa was a bit ambitious. I suppose I kinda leapt before I looked, but it seems to be turning out alright :laugh: As far as inspiring the few thousand people that have read this thread..... man, your crazy, I like you, but your crazy! :laugh: