I just don't like my LTD....recommendations?

Ive tried all kinds of bars on my 82 KZ Csr and ended up going back to the factory bar.Im 6 feet ,195 pounds and cant find a bar that fits me and the way I ride any better.Think about the rear swing arm swap- did it to my bike and really helped it .bj

if u want to try a sport bar,ive got one here i would be glad to send u and u can try it out.bj

I've got the same bike, it had some low sport bike bars, and 2 huge dents in the tank from the controls when I first got it. I put Bike Master 11-0570, which they call LTD bars. These have a lot less "Roto-Tiller" feel as they are not turned back and down like the stock bars. They still have the same rise I believe. I had the 550 LTD and those bars were in perfect shape or I would have changed them. They would be the second ones down in the Photo Image.

Along with the rear shocks, the front forks are sprung weak, some have installed new Progressive springs, and some have made spacers to add preload, I did the spacers, helped a lot.
Every bike is a bit different and some changes to suit the rider is a personal thing for sure.

For improved stability, go to www.fastfromthepast.com and get a front fork brace.

9am53 wrote:

hocbj23 wrote:

no u look just fine and so does the bike.bj

I agree. Your bike looks fantastic, great shape.

This bike IS a standard ...I think the point of the LTD bikes was to give people who like the American bike aesthetic a kawasaki they can own, but not sacrifice performance much. The frame is the same as their all out racing bikes of the time, so it's not as low-down as the name sort of suggests. Unless you do some more substantial modifications it will always seem small, I had my neighbor who used to restore indians, like 750 cc indians tell me my 1000 LTD felt small when she sat on it...I am bigger and taller than you, and can sit on it just fine for hours. You can get case guards for our bike and mount highway pegs to the guards to give you a more layed back look, but that will be uncomfortable if you get shorter bars.

After contemplating and looking and sitting I believe this is the whole issue which I don't believe I can overcome.

Thanks for all of the input. I have put the bike up for sale. I just don't think it is going to suit my needs.

I know what you mean, I hate sitting on bikes also, I prefer to sit in my ride. I think the lower center of gravity makes for easier handling.

Old Honda, Cow Kz models, old Triumphs, and Nortons all have you sitting up in the air. Great positioning for racing, but not good comfort for long hauling. The LTD was better seating, but really meant for a shorter person, all us tall fellas feel cramped on them. HEH!

It's not a rigid so do you really need 8" of pad under yer ass, lol. Add another 2" or more from the way the seat pan is mounted.

I'd go buy an old Banana seat (no not the bicycle kind, they had about 2" of padding and a moldable seat pan) hang the stock one up somewhere for safe keeping and leave the frame mounts alone. You could probably work a Corbin or a Gunfighter seat on there, both would drop you lower into the bike.

Get some higher bars, not lower. Could put some decent pullbacks risers on there and use a straight bar, either way would work.

Put yourself on a good highway bar so you can have your feet forward, and either move yer feet back an forth, or learn to shift and break with your heals like I do, (been doing it that way for years.) I leave the stock driver pegs on for a holy crap moment, or for the passenger to stretch out their legs out on the highway.

Off topic, but woulda thought Corbin made a seat for the W-650 heh.
www.corbin.com/kawasaki/w650gl.shtml

Well there would be some that will be upset with this Idea.
Me and a buddy went out one weekend and rode about 10 different big horsepower snowmobiles, just so we could compare how they all felt, power, suspension, handling, looks, price, etc. We just test drove, really with out intention of buying that day. But later we both had a different sled purchased, and that day of test rides helped a bunch. I mean when you go look to spend money on a car you look at a few, right. This might be something to consider, so you can get an Idea of whats out there. It might even have you keeping the LTD and setting it up differently.

After 1980 the bikes seemed to get smaller. You do look a little big on that bike. Try to find a 77-80 ltd. They seem bigger.

Have the seat redone with lower, stiffer foam. Get a pair of TC Bros. mini-apes. I put TCs onmy 750 LTD and I love them. I only had to ret a longer brake line too. I re-routed the rest and it all fit fine.

Where can I get lower/stiffer foam? I'm redoing my seat (handstitched leather with snakeskin inlays).

I found my 82 KZ1000 LTD for $150, dead and badly abused.

I put a set of 6 inch dogbones on the stock bars and found a set of highway bars. Major comfort increase on the K2. Now its just a question of replacing the 29 year old foam.

And someday I'll get the carbs right... lol

You sure you can't just shave down the seat foam you have there and maybe add one of those gel pad inserts since you're going to spend the bucks to have it recovered so awesomely?

www.thepropad.com/

Sorry I'm not much of a parts source guy, perhaps Z1e has something like that. I just wanted to say I love it, going to be a great ride when you're done. That is one Wicked looking header on there, can I beg a pic of the other side so I can see it all?? I love the way it just swoops.

Here's a side pic. Vance and Hines Drag pipes, stuffed a 8 inch baffle in it that a friend had laying around. The luggage rack is gone and I have a pad with snakeskin on the sissy bar. I missed the windshield I had on before going to dogbones so I cut a flyshield from lexan and used leather strips with more snake on them, tied on with leather lace thru 1 inch chrome spacers on the top.