81 LTD makeover

It started out as a simple job. Pull the engine out to install new gaskets. From there it was hone the cylinders. With the engine out I decided I wanted to make the bike a little less mundane looking.

I brought the cam cover, head, cylinders and other various parts to work and put them in the plastic media blaster. Once cleaned up, the parts were masked off and painted. The cam cover, oil pan and cam chain tensioner were sprayed with VHT copper metallic the head, cylinders, block and side cases were sprayed with VHT black pearl metallic.



Once in the frame I realized, “hey, this looks pretty good “ but something still didn’t look right. After standing back and looking at it for a couple of beers, the decision was made to black out the chrome. The fenders and taillight were removed, scuff sanded with 180 grit sandpaper and given a couple coats of Duplicolor self etching primer then finished with VHT matte black roll bar and chassis paint.





With the fenders and taillight back on the bike, it still wasn’t right. I removed the chain guard and grab rail and gave them the same treatment as the fenders and reinstalled them. I also decided that the lower forks had to be done as well. Looks good but there’s something about this Kawasaki that still doesn’t look right.

I decided that there is too much black on the bike and needed to brighten thing up a bit. A quick trip to my shed revealed what I was in need of. I went through all the paints I had from previous projects and came across a 1/2 pint of something that I figured this old Kawasaki needs, a nice Camaro lime green with a touch of heavier metallic added. The emblems were removed, the tank was sanded down to remove the factory striping, 2 coats of high build primer were sprayed on and the tank was block sanded to reveal high/low spots. Fortunately, no filler work was required so a coat of sealer was sprayed on, then 2 coats of base coat followed by 3 medium wet coats of clear coat. To me the color says Kawasaki. Not an original Kawasaki color but I’m looking to sort of modernize the look of the bike.







Instead of painting the signal lights I ordered a set of black LED lights and will be removing the headlight, gauges, rear foot peg mounts and shocks for painting. The factory 4-2 exhaust was thoroughly cleaned, sanded with 120 grit sandpaper cleaned again and then sprayed with 2 coats of VHT high heat gray primer then 2 coats of Duplicolor gloss black engine enamel.



With all the above done or in the works, I turned my attention to the carbs. They were giving me issues late last year so they were stripped down and one by one spent time in the ultrasonic cleaner. Once cleaned I realized bare aluminum carbs on the blacked out engine wouldn’t look right. The carbs were masked off and sprayed with VHT high heat roll bar and chassis paint and the carb caps and carb attaching rails got the VHT Copper metallic paint. The float levels will be set before being installed onto the bike but that will only happen once I get the new idle circuit needles and gaskets.

I still have quite a bit of work to do before it’s ready to roll but since I live in northwestern Ontario, and I hate the cold, I easily have enough time to get it done before It’ll be warm enough to really enjoy riding it.

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Rabbit hole, indeed! Interesting choice of color combinations. I kinda like it!

Welcome. Looks nice. I wish I had learned to paint.

Not really sure on the color scheme but it’ll have to do for a couple seasons. Once everything is done I’ll make my decision.

What paint was used on the muffler system? I'd also be interested to know how it holds up. Thanks.

Kind of related. For rust protection I painted the crossover/manifold section with Rustoleum silver bar-b-que grill paint & it has held up well. no peeling or flaking or anything. kinda surprised as the chrome was in very good condition & I didn't sand or etch the surface.

I used VHT high heat engine paint. I sanded the pipes to give the paint something to stick to. Hopefully it holds up. Still not up and running but with temps barely above freezing lately I’m in no hurry.

It’s finally all back together

Turned out nice. A personal observation, it needs the bronze/gold somewhere else. Maybe the back shell of the gauges. Aslo at the rear like the seat stay or the taillight bracket.

Now that you mention it, that sounds like a good idea. Thinking the backs of the gauges and the grab bar on the back