1980 KZ550 build

Just bought this bike a couple of days ago for a small amount :laugh: . Now I want to make it look a little better I dont like the seat on it and take out some of the old stuff of it. The photo is from the person that owned it before me and when i got it, it was a basket case. The second photo is what i want it to look lie . Wish me luck if you got any advice please don't be shy!!!!

Welcome aboard. I recommend you keep the front fender on it; you'll thank me the first time you get caught in the rain or ride through a puddle. Guess how I know? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Ed

I agree. That Ltd fender is nice and small, at least. I think the bike will still look good with i. Plus it will help save your steering bearings, which are a pain to replace, not to mention keeping crap and water from the top of your motor and coils.

There's a lot of 550 stuff in my signature. Download the manuals, there are several and you probably should get all of them.

Disagree with running fenders

My last bike a 03 z1000 I went fender less sure you get soaked in the face and visor when it rains.. But the look is great many compliments from other bikers.. Screams street fighter.. Also not many luv or even ride in rain.. I do.. A small drag style chopped fender offers a brace and limited protection..

An old biker told me to always keep 2 shop rags.. You tie them end to end if it rains and loop them through your forks so they just barely touch your tire and it's just as good as a fender.. Rainflap

Most fenders have a brace in them. Some LTD forks are a bit extended and flex more than standard but even standard can flex you right into a tank slapper or just have a headshake that is difficult to get rid of without a brace of some kind. (ie braced fender, fork brace or tweek bar)
Personally I would look for a nice fender. Your bike I believe has a nice small fender but if it is not small enough you can opt for a gender brace $$ or look for a SR fender that had a removable fork brace built into it and just mount the brace. I am also a fan of keeping the motorcycle and myself as clean and dry as possible. I own 1 Bobber and do not ride it in the rain as I do not like a skunk stripe from the back wheel either. All my other bikes are standards. Good luck it's a great bike.

Thanks for all the great advice guy!!!! I have a question the bike came with a gpz600 front forks can I switch that over or will I have to do some work to the front end first?????? :blink:

When I got the bike it came with a set air pods :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: . Will there be a large amount of time jetting it????

Unless you happen to stumble on just the right setup on the first try, yes, you can look forward to spending quite a bit of time trying different combinations to get the bike to run as well throughout the rpm range using pods as it does using the air box. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it may take a while. I suggest you do a search on "pods" on this site. There are 841 results for the past 12 months and 6784 results a year or more old. That in itself should send a signal. You may wish to read some (or all?) of those 7625 postings before removing the air box. Ed

Well Thanks for the reinsuring message JK . I got good news I ordered new sprocket and chain kit and it should be in soon so I can fix that and be one less problem. The bad thing is that I can only go out and work on it during the weekends so it will be a few days before I get to do it so I would put pictures up but I forgot to last weekend, Its still a mess right now but it is my mess and I love it so far.Thanks for all the advice guys it has been really helpful and I will put photos up next weekend!!!!

If you happen to find a retailer that has that seat please let me know where. I am looking for one that is similar to the second bike. Thanks

I am going to fab the seat and take it to a place to it getting it fitted . I think he just bent a piece of sheet metal to the figure of the frame.

Alright guys I need some help I finally got my sprocket and chain kit in and I am trying to get my front sprocket off but I can't. I will attach a photo so if you could help me out as fast as possible that would be great. Thanks