1982 KZ550 Bobber Build (fixed with pic !)

Hello everybody, I'm new here. First of all, this is incredible! a whole website for kz's is unbeleivable to me! I just found this place and did a little looking around and I love it already.

Anyways I am working on an 82 kz550 bobber build. It's going really well and I like the direction the bike is going. Still needs some work but the small problems it does have are being fixed pretty fast.

Im going to post the most recent picture of it I have, maybe tommorow I can post a newer picture.

Let me know what you think!

JonZweifel wrote:

Hello everybody, I'm new here. First of all, this is incredible! a whole website for kz's is unbeleivable to me! I just found this place and did a little looking around and I love it already.

Anyways I am working on an 82 kz550 bobber build. It's going really well and I like the direction the bike is going. Still needs some work but the small problems it does have are being fixed pretty fast.

Im going to post the most recent picture of it I have, maybe tommorow I can post a newer picture.

Let me know what you think!

Nice Bike!! I like the old school chops. Keep the nice work!!

I like it. If it were mine, I'd make the following changes.
1. put the seat right on the frame, no need for seat springs with a rear suspension and the gap looks out of place to me.
2. Some 6 or 8" Z-Bars. I like my hands a little lower than straight out.

Thats about it. Did you modify the backbone to fit the sporty tank?

I like the look, I think the rear fender is especially well done.

I'm kind of worried about your battery setup. I love open rear sections where the ugly ass side covers normally sit, but are you sure the battery is going to tolerate the pounding being mounted to the swing arm??? Not to mention all the wire flexing that's going to occur. Would it really ruin the look you're going for that badly if you suspended it from it's original mounts, or perhaps using the old air box mounts and a couple of the top ones?

On a personal note, I think I'd loose the ugly kawi headlight bucket and get an old style 5 3/4 inch chrome universal bucket, and after dumping some oil down the frame I'd plug off the open ends behind the passenger seat. Should be able to find insert caps in black.

Not trying to insult your work, just suggestion. I already think it's awesome.

@ everyone: thanks for the positive feedback! I was really worried about posting a picture of it on here fearing nobody would like it since I'm not doing it OEM and restoring it to it's factory look. Thanks for making me feel welcome!

@ xmoney: Thank you!

@ djturnz: I feel so dumb for not thinking of that, might not be immediatly but the seat will DEF be put directly on the frame. As far as the handle bars I didn't want to make them too low I usually find that uncomfortable

And for the gas tank, nope I found a tank without the half circle cut out of the bottom and it mounted right on top of the backbone just fine. Id like to find one that's not quite as high though.

@ Capt America: Thank you, the rear fender seems to be a hit with some and a miss with others. As far as the battery placement I would like to relocate it just huve to make some time I did however use wire snakes to get all those loose wires organized and so they come out in a centralized location. The battery doesn't seem to be doing so bad for now, I put foam posite strips around the bottom to act as a damper. Soon enough it won't be a problem though, I am having a friend cut some alluminum for me that will cover the triangular shaped opening on both sides where the plastic fairings would go (I just really didn't think those went well with the bike.) As for the headlight ill deff look into that I wold really like a new one. And the ends are capped already great minds think alike though.

Also BTW, tomorrow I will post an updated pic. Since the picture I last posted:

-The exhaust wraps have been taken off (to reveal 7 exhaust leaks !!) and exhaust repaired
-wires have all been organized
-rear fender adjusted some
-engine degreased and all the metals polished up
-carbs opened up and cleaned out

Wires are no longer running every which way^^

JonZweifel wrote:

Bike looks great, but this photo may have to be addressed some day. As the plug rusts more, the aluminum will eventually break off.

You may be able to find someone making block-off plates to replace the ports, but I'm not sure they make the smaller ones for the 550's. Ape has them, but I think they are only for the bigger motors. You might be able to have them welded solid, somewhere cheap.

@ loudhvx: Thanks! and yea you had mentioned that in the other thread, thanks for the help man!

Jon, quick question for you: what petcock are you using with that tank? i got a sporty tank for my 81 550 and i'm trying to find a vacuum petcock for it... without luck.

Corey Clough is trying to get block-off plates made by Ape for the 550's now. Hopefully we'll know something in a few days.

This may help out the 650/750 valve covers too, but I'm not sure if they are the same size. Anyone happen to know?

can't u override the vacume petcock (seal off the vac port in the carb) and run a standard (manual) petcock? i know this can be done on the ls650, and was planning on making the converstion on my 750 specter... thx for the info