81 kz550c bobber build

hello I decided to just start a thread on this bike I started the wiring today while the harness is getting worked over I decided to check valves the so to say drivers side exaust was popping bad and hardly and pressure coming out of it is it suspossed to have fuel on the valves and cam like puddles of it?

Having trouble interpreting the post. The puddles of fuel: is that with the valve cover off? Are you sure it's fuel or is it actually oil? With the valve cover off, you should be seeing oil. Oil gets pumped up to the camshaft valve train & the cam chain is bathed in oil as it rotates with the crankshaft. The cam lobes should have oil on them to keep them lubricated as they smack the tappets (buckets).

KZrider loudhvx has info specific to the KZ550 on his motorcycle stuff page. Be sure to note the warning about removing & installing the valve cover. And also, note the clutch adjustment as it may be wrong in the clymer manual. some Kawasaki manuals are wrong as well, or at least ambiguous, depending upon the model.

its oil but smells like fuel

If the oil has a strong aroma of fuel and the oil level is suspiciously high, one or more of the carburetor float valves, AND the fuel petcock are likely leaking and in need of attention. The float valves can ofte be carefully cleaned. The petcock will likely need cleaning and all the rubber bits replaced. The lack of exhaust pressure could be a sign that that cylinder is not firing. The plug could be fouled from too much fuel. It could also be fouled by oil, or it could be getting a weak electrical charge, or no electricity at all.

ok so valves check out ok cam timing is dead on ,,,waiting for clip ons to arrive so I can install the controls and start wiring from scratch...has anyone hardtailed there kz550 if so how?

550s are some of the most nimble and great handling KZ models. Hardtailing it IMO is gonna kill the handling and your tailbone. But to each their own :lol: Easiest and strongest way would be welding the swing arm at the pivot at the angle you desire.

Good luck. Ron

Hardtail? :S That's the end of any decent handling or braking. I hope you don't plan to actually ride the thing when you're finished other than short, slow hops. Ed

I have actually built a xs rigid and it really wasn't that bad I really wanted to bid a café style racer from this but the lines just are not correct being a ltd

i may even just design my own sub frame and keep the shocks..but i cant leave it stock as the previous owner already cut the rear

There were a few hardtail 550's on this site at some point. One was a nicely done chopper, but it took a lot of cutting and welding to make it look right.

If you can cut and weld, it's not too hard make the ltd look like a cafe racer. The only real issue is that the rear wheel is 16". They come with a big tire, so overall it doesn't look too bad, but apparently the 16" rear does not handle very well (even as a cruiser).

A little searching will probably show a bunch of Ltd's made into standard bikes. Another member here converted an LTD into a Gpz (this was on a 1000 or 1100). It turned out great looking.

Here it is. It started as an LTD. note the rear wheel. I'm not sure he even modified the frame very much. But you probably would have to on a 550 ltd.



And yes, as I'm sure Ed will point out, there are many more that turned out terrible. So it's just a matter of money/effort/time/skill etc.

ok so ive decided to keep the shocks and go with a café style build I will be removing the whole rear subframe and building a new one

If you don't like the look of the shocks, you could do a mono shock conversion.