TOPIC:

I am newbie and then some when it comes to Kz"s and motorcycle customization but I have spent the last few days reading every little bit of this entire thread. I am astonished at the level of attention to detail put into this bike. This is the most Beautiful motorcycle that i have ever seen. If someone was to put it beside others in a show and not having read this i might be compelled to think another bike is more beautiful but after reading this and feeling that i am a part of this somehow by being happy with you through your success and down right angry with you through your heartaches. No other bike comes close! You did a phenomenal job that i only hope to get close to once i start my build. I look forward to future builds from you. Thank you for taking time to document this build so well and letting us be part of it.

Wow.

I am humbled by your compliments. Truly. Thank you. I enjoyed the journey, although came very close to dragging it behind my pick-up down the street a few times.

The whole story is pretty cool, even now that the bike has a new owner. The new owner and I text each other a few times a week, he is talking the best possible care of the bike and has put about 800 miles on it since he purchased it. Your compliments are taken to heart. My favorite inputs come from other riders who are are want to build a bike.

The new owner has many of the same compliments, the detail he says is pronominal. It can torture you this sense of perfectionism. When I get a compliment like the one you have posted, makes it so worthwhile.

Thank you very much,

MAR:

Buy a regular drainplug and a round magnet that is smaller diameter than the threaded end preferably about half the diameter.

I will chuck the drainplug in the lathe, and bore a hole for the magnet.

Can someone take a picture of how the under seat locking mechanism is fitted?

TK, thank you for the offer. Much appreciated.

So the time had come to make changes. I have about 1300 miles on it now . I have a 530 chain and have geared it up back to normal. Still trying to get a counter sprocket with the correct spacing to clear the wider tire . Sprocket specialist helping .
Also tried to install Woodcrafts clip ons . However the risers hit the pinch bolts on the triple tree. . Need to find 7/8 inch bar clamps to fit normal bars. Clip ons may not work.
Finally the bad news is my buddy was riding the bike . He was losing balance and turned the handle bars jamming them into the steering lock. Broke the stop and dented the tank. I need to find a way to make strong steering locks and repair the tank.

sorry to hear about the friendcident those can be painful .

www.outlawracingproducts.com/clampsmounts.html

leon

That's the main reason I let no one ride my bike. Accidents can happen, but if someone damages your bike you feel bad about it and they feel bad about it. I let a friend ride my BSA once. He went about 30 yards before he crashed through a stand of small trees. Oddly enough, the bike wasn't hardly damaged, but he looked like he had been through a chipping machine. Lesson learned. Ed

Oh boy.

Well. Shit.
That is going to be tough to fix. The steering stop broke away for the lower triple clamp I am assuming. The clamp is from a GSXR 1100. Perhaps this would be a good time to machine billet triple clamps. I can talk with the programmer at work who may do them after hours.

He is gonna be 30 buck an hour. You already have the painter contact info. This is a shame, the tank is brand new.

Yes I have spoken with Gary. He is happy to repaint the tank. I will take it off this week end and drain the fuel and mail it to him. i will go up there to pick it up when it is done.
I was thinking a fix for the stops might be to tap little bolts into the lower triple tree and just screw little bolts into to them. Thoughts?
Or welding material to the triple tree and getting it powder coated again.
I had to send the counter sprocket back to Ut so they can get the spacing correct for the 530 chain.
Also as long as the rear wheel is off I am getting a new tire.
Finally getting the bar ends opened up a bit to fit bar end mirrors.

Next up a Corbin seat and a steering damper.

The triple tree is most likely Die Cast, therefore very difficult to weld. I have a good friend who has tig welded die cast for me in the past and been successful. Welding is a strong possibility. The otehr problem is getting the steering stem pressed out of the clamp, which should be done at a good shop. The triple clamp will need to be warmed, then press out the stem. The stem was built by Kossman.... $$$$$$$$$$ ! do not damage that while trying to weld or press it out of the clamp. I think it was somewhere between 250 and 400 clams. Its custom made by Kossman.

Can you send or past a photo of the damage?
When you come over the hill to pick up the tank you should stop by, we can figure out how to fix the steering stop, and possibly make it better in the process.

I can also measure thee triple clamp on the CMM and reverse engineer it. Then we can talk with my programmer to see what he would want to machine one out of billet.

Do not get discouraged, these things happen and are often a chance to make the bike better.

What tk11b40 said, I use accidents as an excuse to make the bike better. For example, in 2010 I did a "spare no expense" re-build of my KZ650, it came out beautiful. However there were items that bugged me that I did not consider until after it was finished. I rode it for less than 500 miles and got into an accident on the I-14 to I-5 interchange in California, (Stupid cell phone users). That accident totaled the bike, I dragged the bike home and re-built it again but this time I fixed everything that bugged me and now it's exactly what I have always wanted. Just don't get bumbed out by it and move on.
2010 re-build, pre-crash

500 miles later, crash

2012 re-build

Badly, beautiful bike! Yes this is an opportunity to "further develope" a wonderfully crafted bike.
This mishap is just fine with me. I can only assume it hurts TK11B40 more than me.
Don't worry TK, the bike will get what it deserves to be right.