Ultimate Frankenbike?

Hi there everyone, I just traded my Vulcan 1500 for a claimed '77 KZ1000 LTD. The title and frame show 77. The engine shows a '78 police 1000, the engine is stamped 1.089l though. And it's a shafty with no kickstarter. I found out all of this from this and several other KZ or Kawasaki. Forums and sites. How is it possible to have an 1100 with a 78 code? How do I identify the carbs I have? I'm really excited to have a great running bike that just needs a few upgrades to suit my riding style. However, I really want to identify what I have correctly so future maintenance is done correctly. I'll try to provide pics of everything.

Without looking up the numbers, I'd guess that you have an early model shft drive bottom end and a later model 1100 top end and likely a set of BS34 carbs. This was a popular, though more than just bolt on, mod back in the day.

All KZ 900/1000 up to 1980 had kicktsarts so your engine is a 1980 onwards j type which has been re-stamped with early engine numbers.
The frame is also the later 80 onwards type which has the small capped off tube sticking out near the l/h side panel which was for a factory cable type wheel lock and has also been re-stamped if the numbers come up as 1977.
Entire bike is a post 1980 1100cc LTD with the frame and engine ID's from an earlier 1000cc bike/bikes so obviously something iffy going on.

Thanks for the info. I have a feeling someone in its past history got around not being able to title it by using an old frame and numbers. That doesn't bother me so much as not wanting to ensure that I know what to order whenever upgrades are needed. I have a grand prix GTP that is putting 323 to the wheels and it has camaro brakes, later model charger and heads etc., so ordering parts is fun! Thanks again

Aha! I found the info tag under the seat. It would appear I have a 1100A3. So that would be an '83 correct?

It looks to me like your bike is a bit of a mix & match bike. The tag on the seat only identifies the origin of the seat. The number stamped into the steering neck shows the model of the bike's frame. The engine may be from something very different, the seat from another bike, etc., etc. I suggest you take a close look at other components, such as the ignition and charging systems, brakes, etc. and make a list of which model each system matches. That list might come in handy when working on the bike and when ordering parts. Ed