KZ750 LTD Head Compatibility?

Hello all,

For reasons I don't really care to rehash (I'm an idiot who isn't good at extracting bolts) I've decided to look for a replacement head for my 82' KZ750 LTD 4. I am wondering if all 4 cylinder KZ750 heads are compatible or if I need to be looking for a specific type exactly like mine. Thank you for the help!

According to the parts fishe on Partzilla the following bikes used the same head. I think E model bikes use the same head too only it's black colored. Key thing is to find a head of the early type that has a mechanical tach drive.

This Kawasaki 11002-1082 HEAD-ASSY-CYLINDER,SL Not Available fits the following models and components:

Kawasaki Motorcycle 1980 LTD - KZ750-H1 CYLINDER HEAD (KZ750-H2/H3)

Kawasaki Motorcycle 1981 CSR - KZ650-H1 CYLINDER HEAD ('81-'82 H1/H2)

Kawasaki Motorcycle 1981 LTD - KZ750-H2 CYLINDER HEAD (KZ750-H2/H3)

Kawasaki Motorcycle 1982 CSR - KZ650-H2 CYLINDER HEAD ('81-'82 H1/H2)

Kawasaki Motorcycle 1982 LTD - KZ750-H3 CYLINDER HEAD (KZ750-H2/H3)

Kawasaki Motorcycle 1983 CSR - KZ650-H3 CYLINDER HEAD ('81-'82 H1/H2)

Kawasaki Motorcycle 1983 LTD - KZ750-H4 CYLINDER HEAD (KZ750-H2/H3)

I haven't done any comparisons yet, but the KZ750E is probably the same, except it is painted black.

Thank you guys. Just wanted to be sure. Also , any particular hotspots to look for when looking for a used head? I know scoring or heavy wear in journals, but any other areas? Thanks again!

I'd look for a low mileage head if you can find one. Lots of times when the engine is low mileage the seller will state as much in the ad. More miles means more abuse. This is particularly important on a head that uses a shim valve adjustment method since so many guys neglect this maintenance until the valves start to hang open and burn.

True story: I bought a used engine from a guy on the forum that lived in my area. I took it apart and found it had lived a somewhat hard life. I used a few of the parts when rebuilding the engine for my bike and then wound up selling some parts, including the head, to someone else on the forum. Long story short, guy gets the head, pulls the valves and was shocked to find several that were burnt to a crisp. I felt bad about this and refunded the guy his money, including the shipping cost which was considerable. The damage was not visible from looking at the head, only after pulling the valves. Moral of the story: always pull the valves and check out the condition of the head before selling, and look for low mileage engine parts whereever possible.

You may be better off repairing any damage on your current head. A good machine shop can fix threads that are damaged by installing inserts. That may cost you same as a used head but you will know what you are getting.

Thanks for the reply. So I'll explain what happened. I was replacing the carb holder boots as I had discovered a decent vacuum leak in one. Well naturally the very last screw I was removing snapped and I botched the extraction. Badly. Like broke a drill bit inside the hole and part of the casting broke off too. So there isn't really any material to tap some threads in and redo an insert unless the aluminum can be re-built up via welding then redrilled and tapped. Is that something that would be possible based on what I've described? I don't have any pictures of it unfortunately but thats what it would take to save this one. This bike has 41k miles on it, but I just did a valve clearance and while they were a little on the tight side they were'nt quite out of spec yet and the cams and caps looked good so I wouldn't mind saving this one. At this point thought its a toss between which is more of a headache to do and which is cheaper. Either way I'll be removing the head lol.

Based on your description, I'd say, yes, any competent machine shop should be able to fix it. Find one near you, then take the head and broken piece to them and see what they say.