new project 1000

531blackbanshee wrote: well dangit that sucks.
sorry to hear of the problems with the baby.

how about just building the bike with what you have and getting some ride time while you look for the right project?

leon

I would also ride the bike you got while looking for the "right" bike. Sorry to hear about the baby also.Hope everything works out good for you guys.

I'll end up putting it together, can't really get anything out of it as a few boxes of parts, but I honestly just think it's butt ugly and have to face the fact that it'll never become what I want out of it.

the baby is kind of what's pushing me to try and make some of my wants come to fruition, I've been on my own back-burner for a while now, and since he's pretty much out of the deep water I'm trying to make a small thing for myself happen. The only problem is seven years ago when I was starting to look for what I really wanted, they were only a few hundred bucks, now I havent seen one for under fifteen hundred in pieces.

Enjoyed my holiday with my boys though, so that's a definate plus.

I would just get the bike to like stock condition. Spend a few bucks on parts on eBay.

These bikes are not my favorite but the prices are coming up on them. The older Kaws are getting snatched up.


You can't go wrong by stock. If you modify the bike it will just hurt the price. Make it rideable and someone will buy it.

Just my $0.02 worth.

My first "new" bike was a 75 Z1B and I had always liked the looks of the Z1s as well as all the KZ1000s up through 1980. However, ran across an 82 J about 4 years ago and, although it took me a while, the look has really grown on me and it really runs nice. I personally like the gages, but that key/odometer contraption (and the fuel gage too) is hideous. I've also seen a few 81-82 LTDs that look great with those more similar to the earlier KZs in my opinion.

I agree on that dash setup being hideous. Big annoying ugly block of plastic, could have just left the key in the middle and the odometer in the speedo and it'd be a huge improvement already with just that.

Growing up around my dad and later my father in-law they both had 1000s at one point in there life, the early style and I never got the chance to ride on either period. I'm sure that's gotta be part of my sticking point there, even later on and recently, everyone I know keeps acting like getting myself on one is like trying to saddle up on the devil incarnate. Like it's some ungodly beast that I can't handle, kind of throws their voices back into my head telling me that it isn't something I should do.

Either way, I'm gonna start putting that J close to stock and get rid of it. takes up a lot of real estate in the house, first things first dad's tank and tail are getting taken off and the J stuff goes back on. I'm not keeping it, so I'm not putting my parts on it.

got the bike running and riding around town today 33 degrees by the way.

runs good synch was good the way I set it after cleaning, eyeballed in and checking out perfectly, funny thought that I get kaws running easy but put the same basic carbs on a yamaha and it ain't happening easy at all. motor sounds kind of cammy at idle though, this normal for the J motors or not?

gotta take the header to work tomorrow and weld the collector, big old leak at that joint.

Still hating this bike, still ugly and cant find parts.

Had to make a seat from scratch pan to cover, came out okay.

Have to try to find some free or close to free j model sidecovers and ditch the ltd crap

Try sticking it on ebay with a decent reserve and use the money to find an older bike you like n.
Now thats running it should be a lot easier to get rid of

Thats been the thought, at least make her one simillar color and out the door. The only thing is the ones i like get listed around here for 2-3k as non runners. Ya know solid three hundred dollar bikes, sad when i can pick up titled hondas all day long for a hundred bucks

i tell ya though its impossible to find a seat for these early j models i kept an eye on ebay for months before i gave up

I also apparently only got 3 of those black plastic turn signals with this bike

Where are you located?
Here in nebraska,thats indian for land of many kawasakis they tend to grow like weeds

North west indiana the land that is condemned to be known as "chicagoland" and they bring the stupid high prices with theres a 78 1000 near my parents that the guy is at 3k firm even though it doesn't run and looks like a thousand bucks

Now if anyone wanted a honda or a virago they're aplenty here

Got some tubing and bent and welded up a grab bar for
This thing. Got the welds ground down and painted it black now.

All thats really left is the missing chainguard, one turn signal and the headlight