1974 KZ400 Cafe Racer Build

Nerdy wrote: I went back through the thread but didn't see how you lowered the instruments. Given the other work you've done so far I suspect you made a custom bracket. Can you give a quick description? TIA!

I had a couple pics of it posted, but that was back when I was still posting the link photos, so you would have had to search through every pic to find them. My bad. I'll post the pics in this message.

I had considered making a bracket, but went with what I think is a cleaner way. I used 2 pieces of spacer stock (I can't remember the exact length, but I can measure them later if you'd like), drilled holes through the plastic bezel on the centerline with the holes in the metal gauge bracket. I bought longer button head bolts to run through the stock gauge mounting holes in the triple tree, So it goes like this from top to bottom; Long button head bolts go through a washer, then through the original rubber vibration insulator, then through triple tree, then through the bottom rubber insulator, washer, spacer stock, gauge cluster, nylon lock nuts on the bottom of the metal gauge plate.










PS: I've since replaced those gnarly handlebar clamp bolts with fresh stainless units.

I used pretty much the same technique to drop my instruments. I dropped the headlight about an inch too.

KZCafeChickNJ wrote:

Nerdy wrote: I went back through the thread but didn't see how you lowered the instruments. Given the other work you've done so far I suspect you made a custom bracket. Can you give a quick description? TIA!

I had a couple pics of it posted, but that was back when I was still posting the link photos, so you would have had to search through every pic to find them. My bad. I'll post the pics in this message.

No, *my* bad. I did see the pictures - looked at all of them - but when I got to those I was distracted by the differences between the '74s and the '79s. The spacers kind of registered but not really. In conclusion: d'oh.

I had considered making a bracket, but went with what I think is a cleaner way. I used 2 pieces of spacer stock (I can't remember the exact length, but I can measure them later if you'd like), drilled holes through the plastic bezel on the centerline with the holes in the metal gauge bracket. I bought longer button head bolts to run through the stock gauge mounting holes in the triple tree, So it goes like this from top to bottom; Long button head bolts go through a washer, then through the original rubber vibration insulator, then through triple tree, then through the bottom rubber insulator, washer, spacer stock, gauge cluster, nylon lock nuts on the bottom of the metal gauge plate.

Thank you very much for the explanation! I'm not sure yet if I'll go the spacer route or modify the bracket. My OE bracket is a little misshapen so I'll have to get it apart and then see what's what.

PS: I've since replaced those gnarly handlebar clamp bolts with fresh stainless units.

Thought you might have. :laugh:

GPzMOD750 wrote: I used pretty much the same technique to drop my instruments. I dropped the headlight about an inch too.

Nice! It certainly makes a big difference. I lowered my headlight too, and replaced it with a smaller headlight from a '72-'73 SL350 that we were parting out.

Nerdy wrote:

KZCafeChickNJ wrote:

Nerdy wrote: I went back through the thread but didn't see how you lowered the instruments. Given the other work you've done so far I suspect you made a custom bracket. Can you give a quick description? TIA!

I had a couple pics of it posted, but that was back when I was still posting the link photos, so you would have had to search through every pic to find them. My bad. I'll post the pics in this message.

No, *my* bad. I did see the pictures - looked at all of them - but when I got to those I was distracted by the differences between the '74s and the '79s. The spacers kind of registered but not really. In conclusion: d'oh.

I had considered making a bracket, but went with what I think is a cleaner way. I used 2 pieces of spacer stock (I can't remember the exact length, but I can measure them later if you'd like), drilled holes through the plastic bezel on the centerline with the holes in the metal gauge bracket. I bought longer button head bolts to run through the stock gauge mounting holes in the triple tree, So it goes like this from top to bottom; Long button head bolts go through a washer, then through the original rubber vibration insulator, then through triple tree, then through the bottom rubber insulator, washer, spacer stock, gauge cluster, nylon lock nuts on the bottom of the metal gauge plate.

Thank you very much for the explanation! I'm not sure yet if I'll go the spacer route or modify the bracket. My OE bracket is a little misshapen so I'll have to get it apart and then see what's what.

PS: I've since replaced those gnarly handlebar clamp bolts with fresh stainless units.

Thought you might have. :laugh:

I'm glad my explanation worked out. Sometimes it's hard to convey mechanical details with the written word. I gave it quite a bit of thought before choosing the spacer method. Since I was dead set on retaining the stock gauges and cluster as well as the stock appearance, the spacers were really my only option.

KZCafeChickNJ wrote: Nice! It certainly makes a big difference. I lowered my headlight too, and replaced it with a smaller headlight from a '72-'73 SL350 that we were parting out.

I used some scrap from work as spacers. I replaced the square headlight with a round one from a Spectre. I flipped over the mounts and cut off the long end.I split them at the seams for about 1 1/2". I then put some silicone wrap on the forks and then clamped them on with hose clamps until I come up with something better.

We're in the home stretch now. The motor is back together, the wheels are on and we hope to be finishing it up tomorrow.

Looking really good CafeChick. Can't wait to see it finished.

ThatGPzGuy wrote: Looking really good CafeChick. Can't wait to see it finished.

Thanks! It's all done aside from a few more heat cycles on the motor, putting another hold-down clamp on the front brake line, putting on the grips and bar end mirrors a new speedometer cable, re-torquing the head and checking all the nuts and bolts.

It runs awesome and growls like a snarling dog with just a little touch of the throttle. I couldn't be any happier with how it turned out. :woohoo:

Very nice.

Came out awesome! Do you know how much weight you shed off of it? Looks nice and light like a proper cafe motorcycle. Should be a quick little bike. Hope you get some riding time in before the weather turns.

KZJOE900 wrote: Came out awesome! Do you know how much weight you shed off of it? Looks nice and light like a proper cafe motorcycle. Should be a quick little bike. Hope you get some riding time in before the weather turns.

Thanks Texas and Joe. I'm not sure exactly how much weight came off, but I can say that it feels extremely light, I mean like "dirtbike-light". Definitely lighter than my husband's KLR650. Just a wild guess, but I don't think this thing is much more than 300-320 lbs. based on the starting stock weight of 387 lbs. I plan to take it to the recycling center in town and ask if I can put it on their scale cause I'd really like to know. I'm buttoning up the rear brakes this morning as well as doing all the other finishing touches and I hope to get my first few test-n-tune rides this afternoon.