1980 KZ1000 A4 MKII Barn Find

I'm finally getting around to starting this thread. Thanks to KZRage for passing this find on to me. I picked up a 1980 MKII from a motorcycle dealer in Indiana about a year ago. It had obvioiusly been sitting for years but is nearly 100% original. I didn't run, but I took a chance hoping for the best. Carbs were frozen solid but the engine turned over and the wheels rolled...good enough for me. Here are some pics of when I picked it up:

What no 8 track player what was that cheap ass PO thinking? Nice bike but those are some ugly ass accessories he put on there. I can't believe you went an entire year without telling everybody here about it. I would have been gloating before the ink on the check was dry. :laugh:

:laugh: yea, I thought it would be a cassette at least but it's just am/fm...definitely no 8-track! :laugh:

I did post it in another thread when I first got it but never started a separate one. Definitely not crazy about those accessories either but it would be cool to have a stereo. I might leave the stuff on for a while...we'll see.

So earlier this week I finally pulled the carbs....air box boots were rock hard...the ones on the left anyway...must be where the sun got to it. I ordered 4 new boots, spark plugs and a new air filter. I found a mouse nest in the old air filter. All of the stock stuff is still there...polution stuff, air snorkel, tool kit, all that stuff.

Now for the bad news....the carbs were terribly gummed up from the old gas, as I expected. I began disassembly and ooops...broke a float tower for the first time in my life! :blush: What a bummer...these carbs still have the air screw plugs installed and factory paint on the slide adjusters...totally virgin...and I ruined them. :sick: Needless to say I'm looking for a set of parts carbs so I can replace the #2 carb body.

My brother offered up a set of vm26's so I completely disassembled and cleaned them. They aren't factory correct but should work OK until I get the 28's sorted out. I installed the 26's with the new air box boots, new spark plugs, new air filter and an old battery that I've had lying around. I changed the oil and filter and connected an auxillary fuel tank to the carbs so I could try to start it. I hit the starter buttom and the battery was too low to turn it over, so time to kick it. It fired up on the 2nd kick and runs beautifully!!
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
Can't wait to give it a road test. It sounds so smooth and idles perfectly. Engine sounds fantastic!! Whew!

As it was running it looked like it was snowing behind me....mouse nests were shooting out both of the exhausts! I've never seen that before but have heard some stories.

So tomorrow I hope to spend father's day getting this thing road ready. Maybe I can get my kids to help clean it! :laugh:

i forgot you got that one


i hate you so much

trianglelaguna wrote: i forgot you got that one


i hate you so much

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Great find. I look forward to seeing your restoration pics as yopu progress along. Too bad about the carb, you have my kind of luck.

Got the fuel lines run and got everything back together and it ran great. I only went a few miles and then spent some time cleaning...got the kids to help too! I'll post pics soon....a long way still to go but looks way better.

Sweet (other then the sissy bar)...

"No 8 track"... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Ah brings back memories... :blush:

Holly crap, what the hell is in those carb bowls (Brown Goo)...?
Some kind of additive or gas restore product, possibly...

Images of the engine, main reason I chose not to paint my engine... :pinch:
Ideas of what you'll be doing (leaving as is, wire wheeling off, repainting etc...) ?

Sweet find, keep them images coming,

OMR

:lol: I pulled the sissy bar yesterday! It's about the tallest one I've seen. Didn't like how it looked and it stopped the seat from opening anyway....time to go!

I'm really unsure on the engine...I scrubbed a lot yesterday with nylon bristles. I planned on doing some research today to see what works best on engine paint. I've heard silicone, trans fluid, etc....

It's so original that I'm hesitant to do anything other than clean...I'll have to see how bad it looks after cleaning.

I noticed yesterday that it still has grease pencil writing on all the body work...must be factory code for something?

I think the brown goo was just very old gasoline...it was heavier on the left side, where it would have been heavier from leaning on the sidestand. Hard to say though, I've never seen one that bad in person.