Saving a '81 KZ750-E

I'm only really interested in the uppers - mine have a bit of corrosion. It's not bad and you can hide it by turning it towards the downpipes. But if I could find a decent replacement I'd probably chuck it on the shelf until next winter and then swap it out. Probably better for you to keep them together, though. If you do sell them it will be easier as a set.
Postage would probably be a killer for me anyway. Still, let me know if the uppers are in good nick and if you'd be willing to separate them - normally I'd just offer to buy the forks as a set, but postage...

I finally got to sit on the bike, with the seat, rearsets, and bars in their place. It will be interesting seeing what fatigue I have on long rides. It's been 26 years since I have owned a ridable motorcycle. A year ago I got to go on a ride using a friend's bike, and I must admit the first five miles were quite, uh, exhilarating! Borderline terrifying, actually. But it all started to come back (from the cobwebs) and was able to settle back in.

There are some areas of rust that would require rechroming unfortunately...

It is said if you spend enough time polishing a turd, you will still end with shiny turd. Not sure if any more rubbing will make this look any better.

Before


After

Looking good so far, so what next on the to do list?

Mithbusters already proved you can polish a tttturd. :woohoo:

In Germany we say you can made gold out of shit :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I am still waiting for the rest of my POR 15 order to arrive. For some reason Amazon shipped the rust remover separate from the cleaner degreaser. Of course, I got the second step first. It should arrive late this week. I am anxious to finish the rust removal inside the tank to see if there are any leaks, and also to get it to the paint shop. All other body parts are prepped and primed, waiting on the tank.

The wiring still needs cleaning up before I can put it in the frame. I also need to figure out the wiring of the new handlebar switches. Some of the main functions were the same color wire, but needed to be put in the right position of the connector. Some wires are different color, and some won't get hooked up. The hazard switch is being deleted since these controls don't have that switch. So some differences need to be ironed out on that front.

Then there is the engine. The top end is all rebuilt and pretty much ready for paint. I picked up PJ1 Engine Case Paint, semi-gloss. Since the engine is going from 9:1 compression to 10.5:1, I decided it was best to open the bottom end, inspect, and put in new bearings. It will also (imho) make it easier to clean and refinish/paint the engine cases. I was considering leaving the bottom end alone and just repainting it, but every other part on this bike has been touched so far. Why not make sure the bottom can handle more bang on the top? Hell, I have come this far so it doesn't make any sense not to crack it open and make sure all is okay. I am hoping to find a local or semi-local source to either hot tank or vapor blast the case halves. I may have to go to the next major city to find someone, which is 45 miles from here. I know that doesn't sound that far, but I lived most of my life in So Cal and everything and every service was at a store nearby. Living more remotely does take some adjusting to.

Very little remains after the engine. The shifter linkage, steering damper mounts, brake fluid/bleeding, and few other minor things. The end of the summer for the first test ride is the current goal. Depending on how hard I work at it that seems like a very achievable goal.

Was that engine painted when it was new? I ask because my 1977 KZ650-C1 was not and it has been very easy to keep it looking fresh. I've seen many painted engines (including the cylinders on my old BSA) that very quickly looked pretty bad as the paint failed. Ed

650ed wrote: Was that engine painted when it was new? I ask because my 1977 KZ650-C1 was not and it has been very easy to keep it looking fresh. I've seen many painted engines (including the cylinders on my old BSA) that very quickly looked pretty bad as the paint failed. Ed

Yes, the cases where painted black at the factory. Clutch cover and sprocket cover were clear coat. Other two covers were half paint, half clear coat. I have not decided on what parts will get which finishes yet. Still looking for a high temp clear in the US, but haven't looked real hard yet. EU has paint that cannot be shipped to the US. One thing I do know is that I don't want to be doing much polishing on the engine. I may black out the entire engine, except for the fin edges on the head. Still undecided...

Here is a pic from the factory shop manual.

I just received the news that both my Cleaner Degreaser and my petcock and low fuel switch parts will be arriving by the end of the day. Time to get the work benches cleared off so I can start on the engine while the tank is soaking!