It just landed in our lap.. new kz 900 z1?

Beautiful!

The color, OK you don't like it. It still has that 'natural beauty.'

Have fun!

Mcdroid wrote: based on the numbers provided, you have a 1976 KZ900-A4 (and the frame and motor VINs are within range...see www.zedder.com under Bike Info, then by motor size). Starting with the 1976 year model (manuf. 1975), the frame and motor VIN no longer were 'close' in sequence as they were assembled at two sites (Japan and Nebraska...yours is a Japanese bike) with each site having an identifier in the VIN. The motors, however, still only came from a single series. You can envision why the motor/frame VINs could no longer be in series.

According to the zedder site the engine does look like it came from a '76 KZ900-B1 LTD and the frame from an A4. Not that it should matter any as far as parts are concerned.

I dont go into tbay during my run unless I need parts for one of my drills
But I always spend a night or 2 at the vallhalla at the end of my run
might take a ride through the bush over to Upsala (rode my KLR here)
If you do take a ride up the 527 its beautiful the road is great
just be alert for moose and deer they like to run out
Pm me if you wanna get together id like to see the new 900
take some pics for that whos bike runs who rode thread
I also have a few parts that you may need for the 900
Anywho Cheers

bekz wrote: I like Astro's reaction. :laugh:

My dog.. well... she seems not to care...

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pictures of omr and astro do tend to put the ladys to sleep! :woohoo:

Good luck with the bike! If you want to lower it you can buy shorter shocks on Ebay, just do a search for something like "12" shocks" in the parts section.

The kickstand looks a little funny to me, not just the block but the angle of it. Looks too far forward. You should look into replacing that in case it's bent or the wrong part.

Does it take a key to open the gas tank?

Yes it takes a key to open the tank. We have discovered it needs a regulator for it. So this is probably going to be a winter project now. I took it for a ride on Saturday.. :woohoo: Man is it a beast... From the 440 to that? Holy crap I think I found kz religion.... I didn't even get it out of 2nd gear or crack it and I had it up to 60mph. At stop signs I felt like I was catching the bike just because of being on my tippytoes. I really felt like I'd just tried on my daddy's boots or something... My honey says I make it look like a family sized kz.. hehe


Jeff: I'll send a pm your way later this week. ALthough I'll be on the 440 but my honey will proabably join me and he might be on the 900.. lol

I'd do this since your "New" bike probably has electrical issues:

Cleaning Motorcycle Electrics

Get some of the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner and figure on spending a good day going from the front of the bike to the back. It’s a plastic safe cleaner/preservative. www.deoxit.com is their website.

On the older Kawasaki's, a majority of electrical connectors are inside the headlight housing requiring removal of the headlight, then the fun begins.

Do one set of electrical connectors at a time to avoid mixing up what connects to where. Usually disconnecting, spraying with De-Oxit and reconnecting is about all you'll need.

However, when encountering the green crud of corrosion, a brass wire brush may be needed on the pins you can reach. Some 400-600 grit wet and dry sandpaper strips rolled into a tube should reach the male and female pins in the more difficult to clean connectors.

Smoker’s pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden toothpicks work as cleaning aids.

Really small electrical connectors may require the use of a welders tip cleaning tool assortment.

Most pins in the connectors are coated with a thin plating of tin, and others may be nothing more than copper or brass.

If moisture is added, the resulting corrosion lowers the voltage/current being carried causing dim lights, slow engine cranking, slow turn signal responce and lower input voltage to the ignition coils resulting in weak spark.

The left and right handlebar switch pods will need attention too as they have circuit functions like turn, horn, run/stop, and start.

Usually a spritz or two with actuation of the switch is about all needed for these switches unless corrosion is detected and then careful disassembly is required.

The ignition switch may or may be not sealed to allow spraying the internal contacts. I urge caution if attempting to open this up as springs, and ball bearings may fly out never to be seen again!

If your bike has the older style glass tubed fuses, I suggest replacing them as vibration can cause internal failure. AGX is the type used, and most auto parts stores can get them for you.

Clean the fuse holder clips, looking for signs of overheating(discolored insulation, signs of melting). I use metal polish on a cotton swab, followed by spraying another clean swab with the De-Oxit and then rubbing the inside of the fuse clip.

All battery cables must be clean and tight for maximum current transfer. Check the cables going from the Negative(-) battery terminal/post to the engine mounting bolt

Also the one going from the Positive(+) terminal to the starter solenoid and from there to the starter motor.

If any battery cable feels ”Crunchy” when flexed, replace it as possible corrosion is inside the insulation.

Each "Bullet Connector" will have to be sprayed to ensure good connectivity, especially the ones going to the energizing coil of the starter solenoid.

The alternator output “Bullet Connectors” are usually behind the engine sprocket cover and will need inspecting and cleaning too.

The turn signal light sockets will benefit from a spritz from the contact cleaner along with the tail light/brake light socket.

Some brake light switches can be sprayed on the actuating rod, with the spray running down inside to the electrical contacts, others may be sealed requiring replacement if the switch is intermittent in operation.

Some people put the Di-Electric Grease on cleaned terminations/connectors, I don’t, as I’ve read/heard it can cause problems when it gets hot, actually insulating the connections, so the choice is yours to use or not.

I think I've covered about all of the electrical systems on the bike.........






Why WD-40 Should Not Be Used On Motorcycle Electrical Items.

For many years, I was proponent of the use of WD-40 on fuse clips, fuses, switches and connectors. After hearing of other peoples experience with intermittent and sporadic activity, I shrugged it off as maybe they did something wrong in the application of the product.


It wasn’t until the time I rode my 1982 GPz1100 B2 model to downtown San Diego that I encountered the problems others had gone through.

After concluding my business downtown, I walked to where my bike was parked, turned the key to unlock the forks, and prepared to start the engine. The key was in the "On" position, yet I had no lights in the dash panel, the fuel pump was not running(I have FI), and the horn and tail light were not working.

Puzzled as to why nothing electrical was happening, I remember my earlier conversations about how WD-40 will over time become a non-conductor(more like an insulator). I had some pieces of 400 and 600 grit sandpaper in my tool kit and with them was able to scratch away the coating from the WD-40 on the fuses and clips.

After removing the insulating film, the bike started and ran like it should. Since that time, I’ve told people about the problem with WD-40. If you must use a contact cleaner, I recommend getting some "De-oxit" from Radio Shack Stores or any good electronic supply store.

I think you will be happy with this bike.
The motor is great.
Have fun with it.