1977 KZ1000 Restomod

750 R1 wrote: Thanks for the offer mate.. Next time I get the chance I'll fit the headlight shell, My bike is about 45 miles away {60 K's}, so working on it is a real pain in the butt, especially with this bloody virus and its disruptions here, Unfortunately I'm in the high risk group, Immunosuppressed...
Thanks again.....!!

^

No worries. Isn't 60k just a normal trip to the shops for you guys

Cut up some thin sheet metal to mock up a bracket for the clocks. It was pretty thin so I covered it with duct tape to protect the instruments and wiring. Original plan was to have the key on the left hand side of the framne but I decided to see if it would fit up front. Looks OK but sticks out the bottom a bit much - will mean making a proper cover for the back of the bracket which them means the buttons on the back of the instruments will be covered up and I'd need to wire up some extra buttons somewhere (no idea where...).

Will probably drop the instruments about 5mm closer to the top yoke. The screws sticking out the bottom of the bracket are due to me being seriously short on M5 screws :huh:





Wiht the key (slightly off-centre):

That angle looks much better imho...

calum wrote:

750 R1 wrote: Thanks for the offer mate.. Next time I get the chance I'll fit the headlight shell, My bike is about 45 miles away {60 K's}, so working on it is a real pain in the butt, especially with this bloody virus and its disruptions here, Unfortunately I'm in the high risk group, Immunosuppressed...
Thanks again.....!!

^

No worries. Isn't 60k just a normal trip to the shops for you guys

Haha, I'm on Brisbane's south side, its the bloody traffic that's the killer.... Those gauges look way better angled up....

Thanks guys. I like the clocks better angled up as well.

Went and picked up a Z1R engine today. With all the spare part I have from the rebuild and the extra frame I just need a tank and a few other bits and I can start a secon project The plan is to restore the original bike with the original motor (the cases are in good condition and will clean up easily). I can use the black Z1R engine on this build. I've been wanting to paint the engine but it would have been a shame to paint the original cases as they were in such good condition. Having said that, if the cylinders on the Z1R are in better condition they will go on the restoration. No point in boring out both sets.
The engine was pertty cheap as there is a chunk out of one of the crankcase threads and a gouge in the crankcase sealing surface. The rest looks pretty good. I'll have to clean up the chambers on the head but if there are any cracks between the plugs and the valve seats you can't see them when looking at the top few threads.

Here's the damage to the crankcase. Should be an easy fix, but even if it's not I still come out on top with the rest of the parts. I don't think I'll have to do anything with the mating surface, it should seal fine.






In other news: taught the next generation how to cut valve seats with a Neway cutter today.

look like the case is cracked. The type of impact it would take to break that part of the thread would have to be pretty severe I would inspect closely. I suspect it fell over without an engine guard.

Good eye! I will be going over everything, but it looks like the cases might be going into the scrap pile.

Took the pistons off today and had a decent look at the cases. Also got rid of the carbon on the head and checked for cracks between the plugs and valves.

That wasn't a crack on the case, just a deceptive bit of dirt! That doesn't really help, though. The broken bit looks like it has already had a dodgy repair done. The side on the crank next to it wasn't marked or scored so I assume the bit that broke off didn't fall into the case as it was running. The crank does have a bit of a dent on that side but that would have required impact with something substaintially harder that aluminium. Other than the gouge out of the mating surface there was also a helicoil that had wound itself out of the hole and the oil pump gear had also made a nice groove for itself in the lower case. The dodgy repair is enough for me to ditch these cases. I have a good set for this build so I'll just keep an eye out for a new set before I start with the next project.
I know I can use KZ1000A and KZ1000D cases. Any other models I should keep an eye out for?






The head was OK. Three valves had no hairline fractures, four had slight cracks that didn't go past the first thread. The one in the photo below was a bit longer (about 7-8mm). I'm not sure how much of a problem this is. Any input? Thinking this head might survive longer on the restoration (stock displacement, cams and carbs) rather than this build.

The damage to that bolt hole might have been caused by failing to remove one or more of the 5 bolts through the top case, and then trying to pry the cases apart. I think it's repairable by a good machinist.

You should be able to use any model with a KZ1000 case, including the LTD.

Thanks, I'll have a talk to a few local places.

I talked to a guy I get a lot of parts off and he said the crack between the plug and the valve seat doesn't look too bad. The consensus here seems to be the same. Just wondering if that opinion changes when I'm putting it on the 1075cc block?
I'll have a look at the other head today - may be a case of using the best one on this build and cleaning the other one up for a restoration.

Looking at getting another set of cases. As far as I can tell I can use the A1, A2(A), A3(A) or Z1R cases directly. I can also use the A4 and E (ST) cases if I use an A4 transmission cover. Could someone please confirm this for me?

IMHO, any crack is not good (or too bad), and will grow over time. How much time? Depends on how much you are willing to gamble. I personally would not use any head that has visible crack(s). Just my opinion...