TOPIC:

Need some ideas. I just got a very nice one owner 82 KZ750 twin and now I need to decide what to do with it.

It's 100% stock right now and I have a little trouble riding it comfortably, having mostly only been on sportbikes until now, it handles weirdly. I'm thinking the high handlebars are the biggest contributor so I'm thinking either some no-rise drag bars or raise the forks up enough to get clip-ons on top of the fork. I don't care for the rubber mounts on the stock bars at all. I'm done with being hunched over so the clip-ons have to be high.

I'm already building a streetfighter type bike from a ZX600 so I don't really need another. I considered for a minute making it a comfortable cruiser to travel with but idk.

damarble wrote: Need some ideas. I just got a very nice one owner 82 KZ750 twin and now I need to decide what to do with it.
It's 100% stock right now and I have a little trouble riding it comfortably, having mostly only been on sportbikes until now, it handles weirdly. I'm thinking the high handlebars are the biggest contributor so I'm thinking either some no-rise drag bars or raise the forks up enough to get clip-ons on top of the fork. I don't care for the rubber mounts on the stock bars at all. I'm done with being hunched over so the clip-ons have to be high.
I'm already building a streetfighter type bike from a ZX600 so I don't really need another. I considered for a minute making it a comfortable cruiser to travel with but idk.

Good score on a handsome bike!
Would replace the handlebar with a less radical pullback design, maybe a superbike or standard street bike bar.
Then test ride and perhaps acclimate to and gain an appreciation for the benefits of the rubber mounts, which reduce vibration in the grips.
Could likely replace the rubber mounting inserts with metal bushings.
But odds are on eventual return to the rubber mounts.

Is the points cover mia?

Good Fortune!

Good eye. That's the reason I got it for all of $500 (with brand new Dunlops just installed!), he was t-boned at low speed and that cover took the damage. The pulsing coil bracket was mangled so it wouldn't run. Dealer quoted him hundreds of dollars to fix it and he had medical bills to pay so he just wanted it gone. I straightened the bracket out to get the contacts lined up and it runs great now, and scored a cover of ebay for $10 shipped that's on it's way.

I was thinking about steel sleeves instead of rubber but wasn't sure if it could be done. Unless these vibrate really really bad I don't think I'll mind but we'll see.

damarble wrote: Good eye. That's the reason I got it for all of $500 (with brand new Dunlops just installed!), he was t-boned at low speed and that cover took the damage. The pulsing coil bracket was mangled so it wouldn't run.

I hope I'm wrong about this. My KZ1000 was dumped hard on the right side by a previous owner. Crash damage was evident on the meters, the headlight bucket, the pipes, and the brake master cylinder and brake lever. When I rebuilt the engine due to a crappy leak down test I found this in the upper case. kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/430294-cracks-in-case Look at the pictures in this thread. I also found later that the points plate was damaged, bent but functioning OK. Also the oil pump gear had been rubbing on the bearing web next to it and removed some metal from the web. The bike was running pretty good the previous season even with the rotten compression. My conclusion was when the crash occurred the crank got pushed side ways and damaged the case. If it were mine I would take the crank out and very carefully look over the cases. I replaced the cases. Sorry to bring this up.

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TomW wrote: I hope I'm wrong about this.

Well that's just crappy. I didn't inspect for cracks too closely but I haven't noticed anything. Luckily the case is clean enough to eat off so it shouldn't be hard to find them if they're there. Thanks for the heads up.

martin_csr wrote: Replacing the handlebars should make a big difference. The cables & brake line will end up too long, and the Fr Br mc may be tilted w lower/flatter bars. And there may not be room for the turn signals. I moved them to the headlight bucket first, then swapped the bars.

Yeah I wasn't thinking about the master. I ended up ordering some clip-ons yesterday. The whole brake master/grip assembly on there now is about 12" in length, the clip-ons are 11" so it will probably be poking into the gauges. Which need replacement anyway coincidentally, so I might look for a smaller solution.

I already stripped the blinkers and put some mini-stalks on the side of the headlight bucket. I can't get them to flash though, they just stay lit when I slide the button. I'm thinking it's because they are LED. I have some other incandescent ones on order, I just threw these on in the mean time.

damarble wrote:

TomW wrote: I hope I'm wrong about this.

Well that's just crappy. I didn't inspect for cracks too closely but I haven't noticed anything. Luckily the case is clean enough to eat off so it shouldn't be hard to find them if they're there. Thanks for the heads up.

From the photo and t-bone history, the collision damage impact may not be severe enough to have caused the crank shaft to cause a crack in a main engine case.
Hopefully, the crank shaft may not have been impacted in the collision.
Frequently, a points cover suffers all the damage, as if it was a skid pad.

Does there appear to be any damage to the mating surface where the points cover attaches?

But the following part of the reported history remains troublesome:

damarble wrote: ...was t-boned at low speed and that cover took the damage. The pulsing coil bracket was mangled so it wouldn't run. Dealer quoted him hundreds of dollars to fix it...I straightened the bracket out to get the contacts lined up and it runs great now....

Good Fortune!

Not noticing any other collision damage, such as brake pedal, exhaust system, handlebar grip or brake lever, bottom of fork, fender, turn signal, headlight, etc.

Perhaps the bike fell over onto its left side?

Is the handlebar tweeked (as often results from a tip-over)?
Or does it seem nice and symmetrical (indicates no tip-over)?

Good Fortune!

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Yes, it flopped to the left. Broke signals on that side and smashed speedo. No other damage. The handlebars where twisted back a little but not bent, they slipped in the clamps.

It was pretty low speed, a 4 way stop that Civic driver couldn't figure out and went too soon. There is some damage to the mounting bosses for the coil cover and the advancer bolt was bent, indicating a glancing blow, not a perfect T. Hopefully the crankshaft, bearings and case are OK. I've buzzed around town a little and it runs good, no weird vibes, no leaks except from a worn clutch rod and/or it's seal.

martin_csr wrote:

damarble wrote:
I already stripped the blinkers and put some mini-stalks on the side of the headlight bucket. I can't get them to flash though, they just stay lit when I slide the button. I'm thinking it's because they are LED. I have some other incandescent ones on order, I just threw these on in the mean time.

I don't know much about LEDs, but an electronic flasher from the auto parts store might work; I think there's a heavy duty trailer flasher that looks similar to the stock unit. LED topics come up often, but I've never investigated closely what's up w the swap.

Thanks for the idea. I just had these ones laying around and didn't intend to use them long tern anyway, so unless I have problems with the new ones too I'll probably leave it be.