Made a few tweaks during the week and tested everything this morning on what has kind of become our normal Sunday morning breakfast ride. North to Guthrie, about 35 miles from OKC was the route this morning - just short enough that the wife and kiddow ran sag for the bikes. :whistle:

First order of business this past week was to get the rear brakes operating more efficiently. I swapped out a new Tarrozi straight lever for the angled lever, just on the brake side.



In the pic you can see the obvious difference in angle, but you can also see where I had already worn the casting smooth where my foot naturally wanted to hit. Now that I'm hitting the peg rather than the arm, and the pads are bedding in well, the brakes are feeling pretty good.

I also swapped out the knurled shifter toe peg for a rubber one. The knurled works great on the brake side but it made shifting hard in boots as it was too "grippy", not to mention it was killing the leather.

Messed with the clutch some more and finally am happy with it. Also tidied up some wiring, tweaked on the suspension a little more, and added a mini fender on the rear swingarm.



All in all, it was a good ride. Bike was awesome! Had a little rain on the way back, no biggie.
I think this picture of my son this morning pretty much sums up my feelings with the bike every time I get off.

It's clear anodize people.

The oven cleaner (EZ Off) can remove it but it will leave a black residue. Use the drain cleaner (lye) in the photo. You get it from Lowes in the plumbing section. Just fill a plastic tub with water and add about a cup of lye to start. It's going to be hard to see results since it's clear anno you're removing. I would let it soak for 30 minutes, then see if you can easily polish a small section with some fine steel wool. If it's the same, add another cup of lye and do another 30 minutes. Might bubble a bit, that's ok.

I picked up on these tips from a BMX site. They're constantly dealing with rust, anno, old chrome, etc.

Dunno what's on your swing arm, but an old signwriters' trick...the Lye in "Easy-Off" will attack sign paint (Enamel), yet leave factory paint (Laquer, Base/Clear) alone...Worth a try, but wear gloves and eye protection. The Lye WILL eat skin!

I used a chemical stripper on a brake caliper I was rebuilding and it bubbled the paint right off....the same stuff didn't do anything to that silver stuff! Oven cleaner might be worth a try.

I've done them by sanding with wet and dry sandpaper. lots of work though :S ....... after I did my last one a guy told me E Z off oven cleaner would remove the anodize :dry: ...... although I never tried it

I do have an angle grinder...will give it a try. I'm just concerned that it will leave the aluminum too rough and create a lot of extra work for getting it polished. I guess I don't have much of a choice though because that silver coating is tough stuff!!

A angled die grinder with a sanding disk will make short work of that silver coating. I just did a ZX11 arm and it was the same way.

Hello All,

I'm working on my '78 KZ1000 A project and I've got a GS1100 swingarm for it. I've got everything ready to go now....reconditioned / painted / new: All bearings, sleeves, shocks, chainguard, brake caliper, 3.5" aluminum rim laced to a stock hub with a 150/70 tire, etc...

I'm ready for final assembly but I'm having a real hard time refinishing the swingarm. It's the last piece I need to clean up. There's a factory silver coating that won't come off! I've tried chemical strippers, sanding, etc...with no luck. I wanted to polish it but I'm thinking about painting it black or silver.....which I swore to myself I'd never do to an aluminum part. Or, I'd send it somewhere to be polished if I could find some place to do it. Nobody ever gets back to me? Any thoughts??
Thanks

Greetings KZR community,

I'm a semi new member with a frankenstein of a 77kz1000 project.
long story short, i inherited a 1977 kz1000ltd in lieu of some money that a buddy had owed me. I joined the site a year or so ago to help him out with the project but now that it's my project i figured i may as well get active.

what i have so far is....
-a 1977 kz1000a motor
-a 1977 kz1000b frame that im pretty sure is straight, however its been chopped/welded on and has no title
-im going to pick up a titled straight 78 kz1000a frame, swing arm, and rear wheel tomorrow.
-a 1977 kz1000b front end in ok shape, ok enough to restore.
-a 1977 kz1000ltd tank that is becoming more and more rust free by the minute thanks to a month long barrage of MEK, naval jelly, and currently vinegar/baking soda

my ultimate goal is a good running, strong, fun to ride cafe style bike.
i already have a set of airtech-streamlining 36mm clip ons and tarozzi rear sets.

i know its not the best way to start a project, but i have the time and money, and while this is my first bike build, ive built numerous high horsepower ford windsor motors, and i have a degree in engineering, so i'm confident that with a lot of fabrication, time, and patience, i can make this work.

I live in Houston, Tx, so if there are any members in the area or anyone that knows any good shops/resources i'd love to hear about them.

i'll be started a thread in the project section here as soon as i get things consolidated and pictures and such organized.

Wish me luck, gents!

Hollywoodmx wrote: I've done it with 2010 r1 but that swap isn't for thr light hearted.

Looking at that swingarm your in a bit of trouble with the upper bracing. If you flip you to have to plan mounting the rear brake upside down, if possible. Then you you will custom Fabbing for that. Keep in mind some rear brakes only mount a few ways.

Do us a favor. Mount it normally then tie a piece of string to the shock mounts with a nt on the end. Then take pictures. Need to see where the shocks hang relative to the swingarm.

No problem being light hearted, I was a Millwright for almost 20 years.
This is in Projects now. www.kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/589806...750-suspension-build
I'll drop some plumb bobs after I get it on my table and have the bushings for the swingarm made.