82 1000 LTD Stock-ish Restoration

I picked this up about a year ago for $300 as a test mule for KZ1000 EFI parts, but decided to turn it into a daily after my Zero S started having issues (the BMS can apparently spaz out randomly and shut off permanently... its a $700 part and a pathetic failure so it's getting fixed and put up for sale ) .

It's in overall pretty decent condition with sun fade/rot being the main issue as it was sitting out in a field in CO for a few years. 
 

It didn't come with a tank, so I picked up an ebay tank and popped a big ol' dent  kzrider.com/forum/6-paint-a-bodywork/620...h-air-bladder#900834 It will still need an internal epoxy coating and some paint/bondo.
 

The seat that came with the bike was a rusty mess, so I found one in decent condition that only needs a little help...the cover will be pulled to sandblast/paint the tray (for some mild rust)
 

This is how the bike stands in the garage today. I'm impressed that the chrome is actually in pretty great condition.
 

I'm stripping off parts and refurbing as I go...

Front sprocket retainers. This is HF chassis paint baked at 140C, which makes it quite durable for rattle can paint.
 

Stripping off the dry, hard rear tire. 
 

New tires (shinko 999 - long life apparently?). Also 530 chain conversion parts and new handle bars (cant handle the stock ones  )
 

The bike did run with very little effort; I just cleaned the bottom of the carb bowls and hot wired the starter etc... most of the electrical will probably get scrapped as its all dry rotted and there's some hackery in the headlight wiring area

Video: photos.app.goo.gl/7ZDU1o1TB1SbvNAH6

Look forward to seeing what you do with it

Removed the exhaust and remainder of the rear suspension
 

Exhaust isnt too bad at all... It needs a clean/polish and a mount tab welded back on
 

Some of the refurbed parts. The generator cover was quite cracked so I ground them out and will tig weld that.



I've switched to VHT caliper paint in colors aluminum and black as this stuff has solvent resistance and is meant to be baked..so it should be even better than the HF chassis paint. Onwards with the strip and refurb process, I guess!

I modified my engine lift adapter for KZ1000 carb boot hole spacing and finished the rest of the teardown. Carb boots came off without too much hassle with the help of a heat gun and a few applications of silicone rubber restoration spray. 
 

I've been blasting/painting/baking parts for eventual reassembly. VHT is working well and isn't too far off from 2-part paint, in terms of durability, in my opinion.
 

Drilled the spot welds on the battery box due to the battery acid rust damage
 

Seat pan is not as clean as I thought, but no big deal to fix. 
 

Wheel bearings removed. These wheels will have to get repainted due to chipped paint. 
 

The frame will fit in the oven at work, so I'll be powder coating that and maybe the wheels too. I'll definitely need to practice as I've never applied it before, so I'll use this batch of parts as test pieces 
 

The gauges were in pretty rough condition, so I went aftermarket to simplify my wiring.
   


I'm still debating the color scheme for the tank and side covers. It's going to be a solid color, maybe somewhere in the grays/gunmetal? I don't think brighter colors work well with a chromed LTD. Input would be appreciated!

You are doing some great work on this, should look awesome when done. With regards colour - only you know what "tickles your fancy"