1979 Z1000 st build

Hello everybody, my name is Shaun and i recently came into possession of a 1979 Z1000 shaftie. The bike has been sitting for almost a decade without the plugs in the head, this ensured that the engine is seized and obviously will not run. I will like to cover what ive already done on the bike in the last few months before continuing.



The bike was very rough, covered in dust and generally sad. notice the cooling fin broken off the head and the wiring harness lying ontop of the bike unconnected.

Great bike and good luck. i thought mine was rough :lol:

I have had my 80ST completely disassembled and have learned a fair amount of information on this model. PM if ya have any questions or need counseling. hahahaha

BTW, a manual is a must and where possible use OEM Kaw parts. Parts can be very hard to find as this model was only made 2 years and has many differences between other KZ1000s.

Also in case you are wondering, fixing it will be totally worth. the thing is smooth and runs like a raped ape.

R

Scalded cat is quicker and easier to look at. :woohoo:
Steve

Eventually, after stripping and cleaning half the motor. I found the valves was ceased and i needed a new igniter box but i got her started, and she sounded heavenly through the 4 into 1 cowley i got her with, and now the project can start...

I have two ideas,
A low, heavy looking brat style bike. Like the 90s bmws like dis...


or like a classic superbike style with a shaved frame and dual monoshock in-bored rear suspension. like so...


What you guys think?

Sorry i'm new to this. I forgot to show a more recent picture of the bike.

The bike looked like this when i got it home and ripped off the broken bits and usless wiring...


After i shortened the frame.



Sorry that i am not detailing the process but this all happen months ago.

I would say option #1 because fabricating a swing arm for a shaft driven bike is much more complicated. If you have the tools and know how to do it, then go for it, but changing the drive shaft length and extending the tunnel is quite the chore.

That bike is a good candidate for a chop/café type build, but make sure you don't have any serious gremlins in that engine. Check the valve clearance, do a compression and leak down test... even if you already planning to do the motor, an initial evaluation is very useful,

Pull the head and decide if it's worth dealing with. Even inside with the plugs out, condensation can ruin the bores and valves.
Steve

Thanks for the advise, i plan to completely redo the motor, so far i only have a new gasket and shim kit.

Has anybody replaced the 1000cc pistons with 1100cc pistons, I,ve heard whispers but never seen it, would i have to replace the entire sleeve or simply rebore, if so is there enough meat on the cyclinder walls to do so safley??

Sorry some messages got lost along thew way. basically i got the bike earlier this year stripped most of the motor in an effort to free it up, after many hours i started her up and she ran great, she idled with no choke within a few mins. The bike came with vacuum carburetors and a 4 into 1 cowley exhaust. my pictures are apparently too large to appear on the site,

Would have vm28 carbs w accel pump

This is the bike today, stripped down and awaiting my decision.