TOPIC:

I'm in a bit of a pickle here - I have a '79 KZ400 LTD that needs a lot of work after sitting outside for 25 years or so - pistons are frozen, fork tube caps are toast, exhaust cones have rusted off the headers, bolts breaking off everywhere - you name it, it needs it! But I can't find ANYTHING parts related/specific for this bike!  Since I'm kind of a 'parts specific' guy, is there another KZ400 that this bike interchanges with?  Am I not seeing the forest for the trees here?  To top it off there's a 1976 KZ400-S2 that is teasing me and my wallet that 'needs work,' but it's all there and parts for THAT bike are Everywhere!  I can't even find a parts catalogue for the '79...I'm caught between putting money into the '79, or dumping it and going for the '76, mostly because I can't find Jack-Squat on the '79...I'm starting to believe the 78-79 KZ400H LTD is a pretty rare bike - or am I wrong?  Which is the better bike? Any and all opinions welcome! 
Yes, "What Would YOU Do"??

Articles about buying vintage vehicles always say "always buy the best example you can find and afford."  

It sounds to me like the '79 you have would probably work best as the 4th KZ400 you restore.  If you're anything like me, by the time you're done with the first three bikes you'll have a basement full of take off parts and it will be easy to put #4 together from spares. 

Old motorcycles need parts, you can get new and used parts for a z1, kz400 is not a desirable classic bike, used parts only and not very many.
 

In my opinion the 76 is a much better looking bike. 














 

Yes, I think so too - but all I'm trying to find out here is what year(s) of the KZ400 interchange with the '79 KZ400H model - from what I've read, the 440 models are the exact same thing/frame/size...I'm just wondering what the definitive differences are. 

Is this what you are looking for?
www.kawasaki.com/en-us/owner-center/part...979KZ400-H1-_-SELECT

The KZ400 is an odd duck. Some parts are easier to find than others. What I do is use Partzilla when I can and if I can't find the part I'm after, I set up a search on eBay for that part number. It's hit and miss, and you have to be patient, but I've been able to score some NOS parts that way. Partzilla will also tell you what other motorcycles use that part so that is another avenue to pursue. That being said you might be better off looking for another KZ400 to restore that is in better shape. 
Good luck,

The parts fishe on OEM part sources like Partzilla describe interchange between different models and years.

Grcko, that is an Awesome listing! Thanks for digging that up for me, the part numbers are great to have and I can't find a parts catalogue for the H-model anywhere, that's a big help! 

Nessism, that's good to know too, I'll have to check that out;

...and ThatGPzGuy, you got that right...I had no idea parts for the H-model were so scarce. I may have to back-burner the H-model and go with the S2, because it seems parts for THAT bike are more readily available. My thing is I did a lot of reading on the KZ400 and it seems like it's a great bike, so of course I tried to find one, and I did. I've got a '78 KZ650B in the garage already that I restored a few years ago and Love it, and thought it would be fun to have another example in there next to it - and honestly the S2 IS a better-looking bike; it's all there, plus I'm a spoked-wheel kind of guy anyway...but this is what I have:

Yes, it looks okay on the surface, but both the spark plugs broke off in the holes, the mufflers and cross-pipe crumbled off the headers, the pistons are frozen in the cylinders, the case covers are being difficult, the carb diaphragms are torn, the points plate and advance are shot, the clutch and brake levers are of course frozen and any number of things yet to reveal themselves. The PO said it had been stored outside for years, which is just insane to me, but it was cheap - $100...Grcko, is there a specific gasket set for the 400 in your avatar? Did you rebuild the engine, what gasket set did you use (if any) and are you just sourcing parts wherever...? 

I don’t know if this will help, but I’ve had some similar frustrations with finding parts for my 1990 ZR550. Some places list parts as only available for ‘91-‘93 bikes, other places don’t list it at all. But I have found that CMSNL.com and MegaZip.net seem to have the most comprehensive parts catalogs, partially because they list everything released worldwide, not just the United States. Additionally, I found when looking for specific components that my bike shared most of it’s parts with the smaller Japan-only ZR400, and a few parts with the bigger ZR750. So you might also look into parts compatibility with other bikes that were not necessarily the same displacement as yours. 

Also if it was me, I’d get the ‘76. You can always deal with the ‘79 later, or use it for parts, or what I’d probably do is a full custom something. Get a lil’ weird with it, lol. 

Yeah, just not a fan of the swayback LTDs. I have a 76 KZ400 D3 that follows more of the UJM standard style. Great bike but has some of the same hard-to-find parts issues. 
 

The bike you see in my avatar is an 1983 KZ440. The motor was not rebuilt, only replacement of parts to bring back to stock look.The only gasket I replaced was the one between the cylinder head and the piston cylinder when I did the valves. For that I sourced a new OEM from Ebay. Most parts I have needed were sourced from where ever I could find them. F.B. Kawasaki groups are good place to keep an eye on.
I will say that the motor in the picture is no longer in the bike due to a broken bolt in the piston cylinder. I have another piston cylinder to replace it when I get done with my current project. At that time I will be looking for a gasket set myself.
Side note: The motor in it now is from a 1981. Got it with 1500-3000 original miles on it.