1976 KZ900 back on the road.

clutch wrote: LMFAO at "Please do not grill your carbs" text bubble in the first video!!!!

Me too! But then I was thinking there might be some folks on this site that may actually need that warning. :laugh:

Thanks for all the comments. @trianglelaguna, love the paint and looks on the Z1, is the bike from your stable? @wireman, looking forward to seeing what you do with yours. I'm sure you will progress faster than myself. But that's good because I will learn from your experience. Hoping you will post it all. @clutch and @650ed, lol, I had that video up on Youtube for a couple of months. The comment about not grilling the cabs was definitely not directed to this forum. But at the general Youtube public. KZR is were the experts are as far as I'm concerned.

Wow those carbs cleaned up nice!!! What carb rebuild kit did you use? Did you buy it from Z1Enterprises?

cobura wrote: Wow those carbs cleaned up nice!!! What carb rebuild kit did you use? Did you buy it from Z1Enterprises?

No, not from Z1Enterprises. But I sort of wish I did. I purchased them from the following site:

Carburetor Kits

I believe they were K&L's (said made in Japan). Anyhow, I'm pretty sure the manufacture number was 18-2453. My only grip is the float needles didn't feel right. The spring action on a couple felt hard or not much travel. If I have problems I may put the old ones back on. But for now, I haven't noticed anything wrong while its running.

Trying to get ready for paint. Tank is almost ready for primer. Plan on doing filler over epoxy primer. Would like to find a way to pop the dents out in order to use less filler. Don't know if its worth the trouble. Don't feel like investing in a stud welder for a one time deal. And to have someone pull them is not much less.



If you look at the clutch cover, I have been trying an experimenting to take the chrome off. I already purchased a replacement chrome cover from flebay which has slight pitting. So if this one turns out better, I may keep it. Once I take it off the bike I will be able to get it nice and polished up. This how far I got on it so far.



Most of it flaked off with some help of a painter's blade.

Kzjoe its seems like I read somewhere and it could have been this site to fill the tank with water and freeze it with the gas cap off then take and run warm water down to the dent making a cavity where the dent is and then fill that up with water and again freezing it.
I don't know if this will work just thought I'd suggest it.

Another easy dent removal process is by using dry ice. The tank has to be warmish, as it would be if it were sitting outside on a hot day, and wearing heavy gloves, rub a piece of dry ice over the dent. Dry ice is pretty cheap around where I live, and most grocery stores sell it. Just wear really heavy gloves when you handle it. But it should shrink the metal just enough to pop the dents right out. No spot welder needed.

in z1 the movie they show a german guy (naturally)with a piece of 3/4" - 1" bar stock that is bent into a j shape the he has bolted to a shelf at the right working height.he takes the tank and slips the gas tank hole over the rod and positions it so that it "backs up the dent"then carefully works the dent out with a hammer.

pretty neat idea.

leon

Awesome barn find. I love your makeshift gas tank to test drive it.... :laugh: That is something I would do

531blackbanshee wrote: in z1 the movie they show a german guy (naturally)with a piece of 3/4" - 1" bar stock that is bent into a j shape the he has bolted to a shelf at the right working height.he takes the tank and slips the gas tank hole over the rod and positions it so that it "backs up the dent"then carefully works the dent out with a hammer.

pretty neat idea.

leon

leon,

Do you have a link to the movie? I'm very interested. Maybe I can try to manufacture it using some kind of pipe.

@eddiem, I can picture what you are proposing to a certain point. If you have the link I'll check it out. I will search here for that post. However, we have both freezers full (only wouldn't fit in the side-by-side anyhow) and I'm sure my wife won't let me do it.

@ChaoticReason, yeah I've tried that more than once using various techniques. I think the steel on a motorcycle tank is too thick for it to work. Seemed to help a couple of dents on my wife's van though :laugh: I'm in no rush cause I still have to prep the plastic parts. Would like to do everything at the same time. Question; I plan on using epoxy to part primer on the tank for its corrosion protection properties. Is it safe to use epoxy primer on the plastic parts? I have other types primers on hand. I'm just curious.

@cameroguy, the tires were in very good shape when I bought the bike. The PO was trying to get it back on the road so she may have had them changed. It also came with a new uninstalled front forks, battery, pods and and petcock.

The more I think about it I don't think it was on here. Leaving the cap off sounds good but I'm not sure if it will not split the tank.
just thought I'd suggest it

Epoxy primer is perfectly acceptable for plastic body work. Throw on a coat of plastic adhesion promoter first, it will etch the plastic for a better bond with your primer. Good luck!
Adam