I may be buying a KZ1000. Should I?

Ok, my friend is thinking about selling me a 78 KZ1000 for pretty cheap. It needs some work. New O-Rings and Carbs need to be rebuilt. And thats the extent of the work that needs to be done. I can do most of it. Carb kits expensive?


Also, is adjusting valves very difficult. I need to pick up a repair manual and just wondering if its something I can do myself. What tools would I need?

Cool looking site. If I buy the bike, I can see myself visiting here daily.

Thanks for any help.

Post edited by: Johnny5, at: 2006/06/16 11:03

Johnny5 wrote:

When I take the head off and the inside of the cylinders and pistons look good will the cylinders need boring? Is it possible to get away with that?

Yes, it *is* possible, but beyond just looks, it's going to require a pretty thorough exam.

I rigged up a horizontal axis, 360' mill table to check mine with a dial indicator.

If you're familiar with the tools, a decent set of mikes and an outside caliper could do it in a pinch.

If the bores are within spec and not worn out of round, then a bar hone followed by a ball hone to cross-hatch the cylinder walls will work, and if everything's right, the compression will easily be within spec.

Also, is adjusting valves very difficult. I need to pick up a repair manual and just wondering if its something I can do myself. What tools would I need?

There's two words for anything related to valves around here: Wired George.

He's written copiously on the topic, and you can't go wrong on his advice. Do a search for his articles, and he also has a web site listed under his sig line...

Cool looking site. If I buy the bike, I can see myself visiting here daily.

Thanks for any help.

Welcome aboard!

hehehehehe! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :evil:

Oops, I posted too quickly. I thought the Piston rings needed to be changed, it's only the carb o-rings. Man, Im relieved.

Hey, if anyone can give me some pointers on what to look for in the bike to see if it has been taken care of.

This will be my first bike purchase so Im a little nervous I'll miss something major.

Thanks for the welcomes!

Johnny5 wrote:

Hey, if anyone can give me some pointers on what to look for in the bike to see if it has been taken care of.

Thing to watch out for #1:


If the seller looks anything like this:

Be afraid. Very afraid.:woohoo:

Tooo true! Tooo true! I know one thing...the shocks have had it!!:whistle:

where are you and this bike located?

ambergis, is that actually you?

Where are you living at?

Yes, maybe wireman could come by and teach you how to tell if it's a good bike or not...or if in ATL, Duck could....or wherever you are, there may be a member who has bought a mess of bikes and knows what to look for and would be willing to take a look with you.

Yep dadadadats me! Pretty little thang ain't I? Broken hearts across the country! One good punch in the sternum and them hearts is broken! So let this be a lesson to all. Full face helmets are good for you! Hear that Ben! Besides I scare less children with a full face helmet. I hope you didn't expect a clean cut, boys group, matinee idol with a moniker like AmbergrismOoOn! This is me 30+ years ago during one of my cleaner periods and proberbly the only close to full picture of me in existance. I recently aquired this from my 1st ex who took it. She also took my recent portraits. She is the only one I trust with a camera.:woohoo:

I should also say that only you can answer your question ultimately. Ask yourself why you want the bike. As a keeper or to learn. All bikes have quirks and these can sometimes be called personalities. I have bought many bikes and learned from them. What I did know when I bought them was the bike needed a chance to roll again or turn some heads or to start conversations. I made that decision. Once the bike was finished I made the decision if it was a keeper or not. Some cost me more than others and others were dirt cheap. I did most of the work myself so I saved some big change there. EBay was a godsend for cheap parts (thats now changing some...real deals are getting few). I have broke even and even made some cash. Had and rode a lot of bikes. I now at the end have a nice group of bikes I like. They fill all the little nitches I have. It's kinds fun to say lets see Today I wanna wrinkle the pavement or today I just wanna carve or today I wanna style or today I wanna meet Jennifer Love Heuitt(SP)....I do, but I guess that's not what I'm trying to say. :woohoo:
Fix a few, ride a few and take a few home to meet momma. All I can promise is you'll have some fun and read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maint.". And for my finale "I never met a motorcycle I didn't like and I never met a KZ I didn't love!". Nuff Said...out!
Pretty ghetto rapp ...huh?

Post edited by: ambergrismooon, at: 2006/06/16 21:44

Johnny5 wrote:

Ok, my friend is thinking about selling me a 78 KZ1000 for pretty cheap. It needs some work. New O-Rings and Carbs need to be rebuilt. And thats the extent of the work that needs to be done. I can do most of it. Carb kits expensive?


Also, is adjusting valves very difficult. I need to pick up a repair manual and just wondering if its something I can do myself. What tools would I need?

Cool looking site. If I buy the bike, I can see myself visiting here daily.

Thanks for any help.<br><br>Post edited by: Johnny5, at: 2006/06/16 11:03

Carb kits are at z1enterprises.com
Check the kit contents against the manual specs. Sometimes the kits are wrong. It's not Z1, it's the folks who pack the kits.
Adjusting valves is not difficult but there are a lot of little tricks. Best read all you can on here and in archives and ask lotsa questions.
Aside from 'regular metric toolz' you'll need a specialty tool for the shims. $20 to $70 depending on which one you get. We made one for a DOHC CB750 on the lathe because we didn't want to wait for mail order.

Working on bikes is like working on anything else. There is a bit of a learning curve where you acquire the 'feel' and pick up the tricks.