Better Than Nothing---The rebirth of a Superbike.

Splendid job Doc.

very well turned out machine.nice job doc.
leon

Fabulous. I hope you get to ride it just a bit now and then.

I saw your bike in Prescot, before it's present fantastic rendition..I'm at a lack of words because she is just gorgeous. Is there a video of this beast running? or you riding it? Thanks for including us with your journey building her.

Thanks for the compliments!!!!! I did a short video of the bike firing up couple months back. Now that the jetting is right on the money, the motor now sounds completely different!!! It now sounds like it will rip your arm off as you rev it!!! Got to make another video real soon now that the motor sounds that healthy.

Some people said the bike looks more sinister in the black bodywork than the blue bodywork. I am real partial to the blue color bodywork myself. So blue it is!!

Amazing , one of my favorite builds to watch , congrat's

I just got another order of titanium fasteners in for my bike. All these trips to the blood bank are paying off, I shaved 1 pound 11 ounces off the old KZ. All the nuts and bolts on the front forks and handlebars of my Kz are now titanium!!!!! Can't wait to start doing the rest of the chassis bolts in Ti22 now!!! I wonder if they pay more for blood during the holidays??? Find out tomorrow!!!

Dr. Gamma wrote: Here is a short summary of whats all been done in the building of my Kz1000 Superbike road racer.

All major frame modifications done by Rob North and Pierre DesRoche back in 1979. This chassis is basically a copy of the bike that Reg Pridmore won the 1977 and 1978 AMA Superbike Championship on. Chuck Parme used basically the same bike to finish the highest placed privateer in the 1980 AMA Superbike Championship.

An oversize steering neck with TZ750 roller bearings is used, and has been relocated to put the front and rear wheels in alignment. Neck has also been repositioned rearward to put more weight on the front wheel, and it has about 2 more degrees of fork angle. KZ650 triple trees that have less trail are used to quicken up the steering. Double fork tube clamp bolts have been added to lower tree to increase fork rigidity.

Swing arm has been modified by DesRoche by cutting open, and welding in some internal bracing. An extra tubular 4130 moly hoop has also been added to bottom of swing arm. An oversize swing arm pivit bolt with matching swing arm inner sleeve are used, and mated to a honed to size mounting bosses on frame.

Frame has extra tubular bracing added through out the whole frame. This triangular bracing along with the DesRoche aluminum motor mount plates with ream-fit oversize bolts ties the motor to the frame making it one strong non-flexing structure. All worthless brackets, and tabs have been removed from frame for extra weight savings.

Yoshimura/Kayaba road race forks are used along with a 2.50X19 inch magnesium Morris mag. Brakes are 13 inch Kosman full-floating rotors with a pair of reworked Lockheed dual piston calipers mated to a KZ1000S1 master cylinder with a 11/16 piston. Earl's Supply -3 braided steel lines tie the whole brake system together.

Rear rim is a 3.50X18 inch magnesium Morris mag. Along with a Hunt plasma-coated aluminum brake rotor, and a KZ1000A brake caliper.

Light weight rearsets are fabricated using KZ1000S1 components. Mark II fuel tank has been reworked to use dual Z1R petcocks. This setup will allow the very last ounce of fuel to be picked up from tank!!! Custom fabricated gauge bracket with a rare KZ1000S1 road race tach. Vintage Yoshimura 1/8 turn Superbike throttle is used to open up the Keihin CR33 carbs. Custom fabricated Bassani Superbike pipe for the ultimate in cornering clearance is used.

Bike can be made street-legal with very little effort. All the provisions are there to add lights and charging system for street use. A under 440 pound street-legal KZ1000 makes a pretty nice street bike!!!

Current motor in bike;
KZ900 cases and covers are used for their lighter weight over similar KZ1000 parts.
KZ1000 cylinder block and head are used for this motor.
Lighten and polished KZ900 Falicon Supercrank with polished stock rods.
Moriwaki Engineering 73mm two ring cast pistons.
Cylinder head work by Yoshimura R&D with 37.5mm intake valves.
Yoshimura Super Bonneville cams running on Yoshumura KZ650 style shim buckets with lighten Yoshimura valve spring retainers.
Lighten and balanced Falicon clutch basket with O.E.M. clutch plates, H/D springs, and a needle bearing clutch pusher.
Transmission is a factory Kawasaki close ratio road race item. It comes from the factory fully undercut.
Andrews Products kickstart gear is fitted so the stock kickstarter can still be used with the close ratio box.
Motor has no provisions for electric start. Even the starter motor mounts have been removed for weight savings!!!
Stock diameter M.T.C. H/D Golden Studs are used so not to impede oil flow to the head.
Modified oil pump to eliminate any chance of oil aeration.
Earl's Supply 10 row oil cooler and plumbed with Earl's Supply AN8 braided steel lines and fittings.
Keihin CR33 carbs with the AMA mandated 31mm restrictors still installed are used.
Kal Gaurd Gun Kote coating has been applied to the complete motor, and covers to aid in the reduction of engine temperature.

If anybody wants to know exactly what makes up or what has been done to my KZ1000 MK. II Superbike, here is a short list. I restored this as close as I could to the very last time I raced it. This bike has 5 seasons of racing on it in its past. Its now back to its original 1979 factory blue paint job too!!!

I love it, for it's looks, for technology, and that it's been your's for all those years. This bike has soul...true soul.

I have a RZ350 that I built in the late 80's and raced for about 4 years, highly modified, full tilt race bike. I had to pack her up when I started contracting around the country.
I decided to restore it about four years ago, did about the same thing you have, I tamed it down a little and put all the street legal stuff back on. It is quite the sleeper.

Truly an awesome bike. Makes my 81' Gpz1100 build look pitiful.

JS-

Thanks for the compliment. I think its pretty neat to hold on to your old race bikes. Most people don't realize the time and effort it takes to build a competitive road race bike. Oh yea, also the amount of cash it takes too!!!

When I built this bike back in 1978 to 1979, I made it so I could put the charging system and lights back on the bike so I could ride it on the street. It made a hell of a streetbike. In street trim it only weighs 440 pounds with a half of tank of gas. With all the frame modifications, it handled like a GPz550, but with around 125 horsepower!!! I used to get up to about 7 or 8 grand in 5th on the street, and purposely shake the bars back and forth to make sure it would not go into a massive speed wobble. It never did!! It was always a fun bike to race and ride fast on the street!!! Damn I miss those days!!!

The MK. II in "street legal" trim!!!


The MK. II in race trim.


The MK. II in race trim.


The MK. II 's highly modified frame and other running gear.

Congrats! Dr. I wrote the Doc 2 months ago when the voting started. I told him then You Deserve this! For his commitment to keeping all his parts over the years! Through his hard times! Just shows his determination and love for this motorcycle!!
All the history and knowledge of this motorcycle! True commitment to the sport of superbike racing.
Dr. is a true professional & historian. You deserve "Kawasaki" ink in your body, Like I have Harley Davidson ink in mine! Or something like that.
Bring that motorcycle to Watkins Glen! I'll rent the track for a couple of hours. All i want is 1 gentle lap after you have it warmed up.
Now that is a fantasy!
Nice job!!

z1kzonly wrote: Congrats! Dr. I wrote the Doc 2 months ago when the voting started. I told him then You Deserve this! For his commitment to keeping all his parts over the years! Through his hard times! Just shows his determination and love for this motorcycle!!
All the history and knowledge of this motorcycle! True commitment to the sport of superbike racing.
Dr. is a true professional & historian. You deserve "Kawasaki" ink in your body, Like I have Harley Davidson ink in mine! Or something like that.
Bring that motorcycle to Watkins Glen! I'll rent the track for a couple of hours. All i want is 1 gentle lap after you have it warmed up.
Now that is a fantasy!
Nice job!!

This old Malcolm Smith shirt pretty much sums it up for me!!!!!

Don't know about Watkins Glen, way too much guardrail too close to track for me. Now Elkhart Lake would be more in the ball park for me. You can really stretch the legs of a Superbike around that track. Its like blasting down some country back road at ludicrous speed!!!!!