Another Road Trip....Another KZ1000

I drove over 8 hours each way for this one but there is absolutely nothing comparable in my area. It's a 1978 KZ1000 A2 and is mostly original. The previous owner had it for 17 years and it sat for the last 8. It needs the carb redone but it does run, just not very well at the moment. It needs a lot of detailing but it's really pretty solid. I had the red version of this exact bike but I really like the black one. Anybody got a green one? :lol: I tried to buy back the red one from my brother but no go....he never gives up anything. :lol: He's got my '78 Z1-R too....I REALLY miss that one! Anyway, back to the new bike...here are a few pics:

Nice find 79MKII
Mine was black when I bought it around thirty+ years ago but everyone had black bikes so I painted it in a Cadillac color " Fire Mist Bronze " which I still like and am planning on repainting it the same color this Winter if all goes right.

My buddy had the green one but he sold it for next to nothing when we had stopped riding with out telling me :pinch:
I'm still pissed about that, but he's regretting it now

JD

Cool pics!

By the way, have you ever seen a '78 that doesn't have an on/off switch for the headlight? I thought that started in '79 but this new '78 doesn't have the switch. It was made pretty late (5/78) so maybe that's why? Or was it changed out when the fairing was added?

Also wondering......I've seen so many of the '78's with the Kawasaki by Vetter fairings...were those dealer installed?

No my 78 didn't have an off/on for the lights, but your wiring harness will plug directly into a 1977 switch housing harness that has the headlight switch and the headlights plus running lights will shut off. garonteeed !

It's probably a dealer installed fairing , I have a buddy that had a H2 with a Vetter fairing.
For a little while anyway :woohoo:

If I recall, a '78 650 SR I redid for a guy five years ago didn't have the headlamp on/off switch. Regardless, that is one nice score. You'd better not let that one out of your sight!

killer...i had that year....so good of a bike....good for you...

seems God wants you to have full dresser one way or another.... :laugh:

oh and the standard hate is in order too

trianglelaguna wrote: killer...i had that year....so good of a bike....good for you...

seems God wants you to have full dresser one way or another.... :laugh:

oh and the standard hate is in order too

Yeah, I'm gonna have a garage full of fairings at this rate. :lol:

I hate you too....

bluej58 wrote: No the 78 didn't have an off/on for the lights, but your wiring harness will plug directly into a 1977 switch housing harness that has the headlight switch and the headlights plus running lights will shut off. garonteeed !

Probably on the fairings , I have a buddy that had a H2 with a Vetter fairing.
For a little while anyway :woohoo:

Now that confuses me....I've never seen a '78 that DIDN'T have the on/off switch. Thought they didn't start the "always on" thing until '79?? '78 was also the first year that the control wires were OUTSIDE of the handlebars, right?

Found this wiring diagram for the '78 A2 in the filebase...it shows the headlight switch for the US/Canadian version but not on the other version (European?).

sweet score man :woohoo: !


leon