1982 KZ550 Bobber

Picked up a KZ550 just before winter with only 7K on it. Took it out a bit through its paces then brought it back in and got it up on a lift.

This is my first bike and first try at a bobber.

This is how I got it from the last guy. He did some work, changed the bars, cut the rear and bobbed it out a bit, moved the plate and painted the hell out of it with a new seat.







Here is where I have it at now.




Gonna be taking the trees, chain, and rear tire off soon and getting the whole wiring harness out. After I got most off, found out the battery box is rusted though and there are most of the original tabs still left in place that I'm gonna take off. Also, he welded some pipe onto the engine guards for highway pegs that i'm gonna take off and maybe put on bolt on pegs.

The main thing I'm gonna do its clean it and get some new paint on it. I don't think I'm ready to try and hardtail it, but I'm thinking of some new shocks and lowers the ass to get a better bobber look. And am mostly likely going to look into new controls, speedo, seat (maybe a spring if I can get the mounts right. and bars. So, lots more to do.

Let me know what you think and what advice anyone has.

personally, i like the way it looks in the first pic, but i'm a big fan of the bobber/cafe hybrid, and it definitely had more of a cafe leaning as it was.

my kz is hardtailed and i kind of wish i could go back to stock suspension, but i suppose you work with what you have. i do think that dropping the rear a couple of inches, putting some slightly taller bars on it (personally wouldn't go with something taller than about 8") will completely change the look of the bike.

that's exactly what i was thinking. I like the look i got it in but the bars were somewhat uncomfortable for my stance. A set of clubman bars or something similar have already been suggested to me and would definitely not be more than the 8" you're talking about.

I'm a fan of the stock suspension. I was worried when I got it that it would be took stuff but its great. I'm in Jersey and some of the road up in the northern parts here make for some beat kidneys with something that stiff (i was on a sporty not too long ago and a 20 min ride left me aching along a spot that has "good" roads for jersey).

The major change is to clean it up and get the bars. I want to try for more of a bobber look than a cafe look. A new, lower seat is something I'd like too. And, the wiring really needs to be cleaned up after i got a look at it.