Custom Fighters - Custom Streetfighter Motorcycle Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

1981 kz440 build

Jump to Latest
96K views 243 replies 45 participants last post by  Nailhead  
#1 ·
so i've been doin some recent work to my '81 kawasaki kz440, and i figured i ought to make a proper build thread for it and log my work so i could share it with all you mates and get some feedback/constructive criticism. this bike was half what i wanted it to be when i bought it back in november, the week before thanksgiving. the back had already been lopped off, shorter springs put in the rear, and a lot of unnecessaries were removed. this is what it looked like when i picked it up...
Image

i hated the color and the flames, and kinda dug it without the side covers, so within 15 minutes of getting it home, it looked like this...
Image

i had a set of gsxr forks off an '07 750 laying around for some time and it just so happend that the stems of the kz and the gixxer were the same size. i thought it'd look freakin mean with a beefed up front end, so i got to work swapping it. only problem i ran into was needing to swap the bottom race off the kz stem onto the gsxr stem, and a buddy of mine happened to have the exact tool to do it. he made quick work of it, couldn't have done it without him. i got it home and it was pretty much plug n' play from there. just had to add some spacers as the gsxr stem was a bit longer than the original kz stem. i also threw on some protaper oversized bar clamps and protaper dirty bars, and viola!
Image

oh, and by the way, the wheel and rotors are off an '05 zx6r. i had them layin around for over a year, so it was great to get to use them. lastly, i pulled the headlight clamps and brackets off my other bike and put them on the new forks. you notice how far the headlight stuck out the front with the original brackets? well i guess it's not too bad, but i wanted the headlight tucked in closer to the forks, so i hacked in to the newer brackets and got them nice and tiny. i really like how the headlights sitting now. got a $10 bridgestone tire off craigslist, had my buddy mount and balance it for me, threw it on yesterday, and here's how she sits now...
Image

i couldn't be happier with how it looks, and i keep walking out to the garage to stare at it, haha. i still need to get front brake components, re-mount the ignition, and the carbs need a tune something fierce. but then it'll be ready to ride! the rest of the work will be cosmetic but will (eventually) include a different tank color, painted engine, new seat, relocate all the colorful wires you can see, and some other stuff here and there, but just takin it one step at a time for now. hope you all like it, i welcome your feedback!
 
#6 ·
looks awesome, i love 80's bikes i am so glad i got another one
 
#8 ·
good night, i haven't updated this in forever! been busy planning a wedding, but that's no excuse, haha. anyhow, a few things have taken place with the KZ since MARCH when i last did anything on here. i'll make this quick and to the point and just tell you what's changed and throw up a few pics.

different bars/grips...

Image


different tires and some front brakes...

Image


relocated ignition...

Image


new rear shocks! much needed upgrade, let me tell you. the old ones that i thought were purchased by the PO ended up being the stock ones with cut springs. i realized this when the springs started to work their way up over the upper bump stops. what a loon. anyhow, these raised the ride height by 1.5" inches as well, which will allow me enough tire clearance to finally make a new seat. also a much needed upgrade...

Image


new tail light setup. vintage ebay find with a plate bracket that i made. no pics of that yet, though...

and it all came out like this!

Image




so i know what a lot of you are going to notice most is how monstrous my front tire is compared to the back, so let me explain my problem to you all. the stock wheels were 18", but the new wheel on the front is a 17", the rear requires a tube, the front does not. it took me FOREVER to find a tire set that came in the same width (they're both 120), were tube type, and came in both 17 and 18" sizes. but i finally found a set, kenda something or others. the only thing i had to compromise was a difference in sidewall, with the rears being 120/80 and the front 120/90. no big deal, or so i thought. also, the old skool rear rim is not as wide as the sport bike rim on the front, so even though both tires are 120's, the width of the rear rim doesn't allow the tire to expand the same width as the front one can. that in addition to the rear sidewall not being as tall as the front makes it look totally goofy!

the only way i can think of to resolve this and get it looking normal is to get a matching zx6r wheel for the back. however, this would require a swingarm swap, monoshock setup, and somehow aligning the chain sprockets to compensate for the wider rear wheel. i know this can all be done, but it requires a lot of know-how that i don't really have, so any helpful hints would be much appreciated!
 
#9 ·
That thing would have a killer stance if you adapted an older wire wheel to suit, or replaced the rear wheel with the Kawi one, like you mentioned. It'd involve widening the rear swinger and getting an offset sprocket, but it'd look th' biz.
 
#11 ·
i like this alot. bigger front doesnt look all that bad. hell look at ultimate's front tire. haha. i have to admit though the wires would look a helluva lot better. im really diggin that powder blue too. are you considering rearsets since you went clip on or keeping the stockers? pm headed your way too.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#13 ·
yeah, ultimate's is a beast, i love that bike!! and don't get me wrong, i LOVE the beefy front wheels, it's just when compared to the back, it looks funny. and yeah, those wires will get cleaned up after i make my new seat and have something permanent to tuck them up under. thanks on the color, just a rattle can job, but i really dig it too! and no, i wasn't really thinking about doing rearsets, but i may do that if i end up doing a swingarm swap, monoshock, and end up changing the stance to something more aggressive.

Racing Geek said:
I was able to make a spoke wheel work on my CL360 project and it looks really good imo. I also started with a drum front wheel but used an xs650 front hub with a 320mm Ducati 916 rotor and caliper. Here are some pics but my build thread has dimensions of a lot of things. Actually, that's the complete 19" xs650 front wheel in the pics. I plan on lacing it to the stock 18" rim when I get the money.

DO THE SPOKE WHEEL UP FRONT!! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
dang man, props to you on that! it looks sweet, i didn't know it could be done like that. i'll have to keep that option in mind. i'm not going to do anything for a while just so she stays rideable through the fall season. we'll see what winter brings!
 
#12 ·
I was able to make a spoke wheel work on my CL360 project and it looks really good imo. I also started with a drum front wheel but used an xs650 front hub with a 320mm Ducati 916 rotor and caliper. Here are some pics but my build thread has dimensions of a lot of things. Actually, that's the complete 19" xs650 front wheel in the pics. I plan on lacing it to the stock 18" rim when I get the money.

Image

Image



DO THE SPOKE WHEEL UP FRONT!! :thumbsup:
 
#14 ·
spoke wheels are heavy and make your old bike blend in too much with the others.

I plan on getting a different front wheel all together (thus why i have a wider front than most peoples front [150/80/16] :D)

i love old bikes with swapped wheels and such this is no exception :D lovin the clips and old school grips
 
#16 ·
why thank you bud :D

it's very big slows down turning a bit. :D i have a 17 inch front that will allow me to use a more proportionate tire :CK187:
Image


sorry for the whore :gback:

your bike reminds me of this and i frighn love it (stance wise)
Image
 
#23 ·
thanks dude! you're not the first one to ask about those bars haha. sorry, but i just sold them and the protaper risers to a buddy of mine 2 weeks ago after sitting in my garage for months.

ultimate fighter said:
The thing about the rear swap with a twin would be the HUGE offset rear sprocket that will REQUIRE an output shaft carrier so it won't crack the case from stress. Also with it only being a 440 that's alot of weight.

a matching zx6 wheel would be 17x5.5 with cush machining and offset sprocket maybe you could get away with a 5/8 offset. Still putting alot of stress on the output shaft.

if you swapped a kz650 18 inch wheel and painted it the same color it might blend better, save weight, and provide the use of a disc brake.

much like this classified moto kz650
Image


BTW i have a full and complete rear suspension for the kz650
Click to expand...
wow, thanks for that info, that's exactly the kind of stuff i need to know before diving into a project like that. and that 650 wheel on the back, now THAT'S an idea! i'm definitely going to look into that! would i need the swingarm and rear susp. and all from the 650 to run the 650 rear wheel? i would suspect i would because my rear tire, as skinny as it looks, is pretty close to rubbing the swingarm. i may be inquiring about your setup as colder weather sets in and i need a project to get me through winter.
 
#20 ·
The thing about the rear swap with a twin would be the HUGE offset rear sprocket that will REQUIRE an output shaft carrier so it won't crack the case from stress. Also with it only being a 440 that's alot of weight.

a matching zx6 wheel would be 17x5.5 with cush machining and offset sprocket maybe you could get away with a 5/8 offset. Still putting alot of stress on the output shaft.

if you swapped a kz650 18 inch wheel and painted it the same color it might blend better, save weight, and provide the use of a disc brake.

much like this classified moto kz650
Image


BTW i have a full and complete rear suspension for the kz650
 
#26 ·
i have a feeling it has to be, but i'll do some research to make sure. what would you be lookin to get for it all, minus the shocks?

also, i just finished up this tank for my other bike, a bobbed 99 zx6r. i know some of you like the blue, i do as well, but what would you think of the same type of job on the kz? i am torn!

Image
 
#33 ·
i'm gonna pm you!

and that guy two comments up has it for the most part. heavy duty paint stripper, a wire wheel, and the better part of a day took care of getting it to bare metal. then i sprayed that 13 on each side in all black, however, if i ever do it again, i would definitely recommend masking whatever graphics you end up laying down. it just saves from having to clean them from rust that runs over them. they were definitely pretty dull after rusting the tank.
the solution was 1/3 salt water (a gooood deal of salt!), 1/3 bleach, and 1/3 peroxide all in a spray bottle. as i let the tank sit, i also sprinkled salt on it in various spots, which made some nice extra pitting. WORD OF WARNING! once you have it rusted to the point you want it, rinse the tank clean of the solution! maybe this is common sense to some, but for someone like i who was doing it for their first time, i did not realize the tank would continue to rust after i was done. i came into the garage a week later and the rust was much darker and more wide spread than i had planned. luckily, i ended up liking it a ton more. i then used an old Xacto blade to etch the 13. lastly, i used steel wool in some areas to get it close to bare metal again. that gave it some amazing contrast and varying degrees/colors of rust, and the more bare spots are a beautiful golden color in the sun. it's not perfect, but that was the plan all along! :party-smiley:

so the question still stands...good look for the kz tank at some point? i'm getting the idea that it's a winner. it was my plan all along to have a cafe type bike with a tank like that. and then i painted it blue and really liked that too, so i'm stuck haha.
 
#31 ·
Step 1: Strip to bare metal
Step 2: lay down graphics
Step 3: Spray tank with saltwater solution, let sit until satisfactory
Step 4: clearcoat with gloss (as he did) or satin to get the more raw unfinished look.

That's old school tech!
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Custom Fighters - Custom Streetfighter Motorcycle Forum
posts
1.6M
members
42K
Since
2006
A forum community dedicated to Custom Streetfighter Motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, builds, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Member Project Bikes General Streetfighter Discussion New Member Introductions Streetfighter pics Streetfighter Help Needed!