New 1982 KZ750 N Spectre Owner needing some help

Hey guys. I just purchased a 1982 Spectre that had some issues. I am currently rebuilding the carbs (Needed new air screws, outside left carb body, polyester caps, etc) and I'm feeling pretty confident in those but what I am not feeling very confident in is replacing the rear shocks. I'd rather go with coil overs but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger due to not knowing the length I need. I'm looking for a lower ride but won't have to worry about bottoming out. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd hate to drop a significant amount of money on a hope and prayer. I appreciate all of the help!


Other issues that need to be addressed with the bike
1)Fork seals
2)Oil leak
3)Oil appears milky and smells of gas (The bike had a bad plug so I'm hoping this is the cause)
4)Rear brake has no resistance and doesn't work (Hopefully just needs to be bled)

I suggest you contact Dave Quinn (Hagon Shocks) and ask his advice. Ed

davequinnmotorcycles.com/

Thanks Ed. I'll definitely seek his help. This is my first motorcycle and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I'm trying to not get to overzealous with this project and from the little research I've done, I see that many people prefer coil covers opposed to air. Since my current air suspensions appear to be shot, I figured I'd try to do it right the first time.

Another member here succesfully re-vamped his spectre air shocks at one point. I believe he basically just bled them out and replaced the oil in them. I never could get info out of him on how much, or what weight oil, he used, and it's not in the manual. So it's an option, but I'm afraid that's about all I know about it.

If you do end up getting the coilovers, fill us in. I'm looking to redo the suspension on my 83 spectre once I get her up and running again, and may also be looking to go this route in another month or two.

I'll definitely let you know what route I take and how it turned out. This weekend will be dedicated to some serious research/shopping.

If you still have the center stand,set it up and measure the distance between the lower and upper mountng bolts.Usually around 13-13&1/2 inches.Also look at "Progressive" shocks/springs.A reasonable alternative.