Joined
·
29 Posts
I've been lurking for about a month and decided to finally toss my build up here and start trying to find a direction to take with it. After countless hours reading I haven't come any closer to figuring out what I want to do with her. I'm bouncing between a cafe build and an all out fighter...
This will be pic Heavy. :fish4rep:
Back in Feb I snagged this :kawasaki: '82 KZ750R1 GPz for $560. Would turn-over but wouldn't idle or run well. So the PO said he had cleaned the carbs, bought new NGK Plugs, and two brand new tires, but wasn't getting spark on 1 & 4 and thought it was a bad coil.
So I'm about to park it for the rest of the summer, I put about 2,500 miles on it over the last 5 months. I'm stuck though as I like the idea of doing a swingarm swap but never having done something this major before and being a novice welder I'm not sure that's the best route to take right now.
I could just freshen up the motor, replace the aged shocks, and keep her mostly stock, but that sounds boring and if I wanted to do that I would have stayed on KZrider and not joined a group of people who respect individuality and CUTTIN' FRAMES!
I was thinking about ripping it down, cutting off all the tabs, bracing the frame a bit, trimming the tail, doing a swingarm swap to a newer GSXR arm with a monoshock, ZX Forks with newer brakes, rebuilding the motor and possibly going to some 810 Wiseco's, making my own seat, new gauge cluster, headlight, rear sets, shiny bits...
And... damn. So many options.
This will be pic Heavy. :fish4rep:
Back in Feb I snagged this :kawasaki: '82 KZ750R1 GPz for $560. Would turn-over but wouldn't idle or run well. So the PO said he had cleaned the carbs, bought new NGK Plugs, and two brand new tires, but wasn't getting spark on 1 & 4 and thought it was a bad coil.
Here it is loaded in the back of a lady friends 1500.
After I unloaded it.
Confirmed the plugs and tires were new and after CLOSE inspection I realized that the coils weren't bad, the plug wires were. So I cut the wires about a 1/2" back on both sides and re-attached them. The bike fired up! The carbs... well thats a different story.
And a shot of my awesome license plate, for the non-Georgians, 96 Rock was THE radio station of Georgia... may it RIP.
Smog Shit.
And... look at this nasty shit!
Stripping her down a bit...
Spent quite a few hours cleaning contacts to get some better current flow.
Ordered some cheap block-off plates.
After I THOUGHT I had it mechanically sound I had problems firing again which kept me from a trip to Helen. While the coils still appeared to be fine the wires were just disintegrating. However, 30 year old coils. So I went ahead and picked up two replacement Dyna coils and wires and fab'd up a plate to hold them closer to the frame under the tank. All pics are on the Nikon back home.
Noticed gas dripping down the left side of my tank...
took it to my buddies shop.
Charlie Fisher going to town...
Then after noticing the bike was red, then some metallic blue color, then dark navy blue, I decided to take 'er down and paint it.
Not a pro but better than a rattlecan!
I ordered rebuild kits for the carbs and completely tore into them. Replaced everything except the floats, float needles (okay needed to replace these and I now have 4 sitting on my bench waiting for me) , and float pin (whatever the hell it's actual name is...).
Baldy over at KZrider had a couple emblems laying around so I got those, went ahead and popped em on.

After I unloaded it.

Confirmed the plugs and tires were new and after CLOSE inspection I realized that the coils weren't bad, the plug wires were. So I cut the wires about a 1/2" back on both sides and re-attached them. The bike fired up! The carbs... well thats a different story.
And a shot of my awesome license plate, for the non-Georgians, 96 Rock was THE radio station of Georgia... may it RIP.

Smog Shit.

And... look at this nasty shit!


Stripping her down a bit...




Spent quite a few hours cleaning contacts to get some better current flow.

Ordered some cheap block-off plates.


After I THOUGHT I had it mechanically sound I had problems firing again which kept me from a trip to Helen. While the coils still appeared to be fine the wires were just disintegrating. However, 30 year old coils. So I went ahead and picked up two replacement Dyna coils and wires and fab'd up a plate to hold them closer to the frame under the tank. All pics are on the Nikon back home.
Noticed gas dripping down the left side of my tank...

took it to my buddies shop.


Charlie Fisher going to town...

Then after noticing the bike was red, then some metallic blue color, then dark navy blue, I decided to take 'er down and paint it.

Not a pro but better than a rattlecan!


I ordered rebuild kits for the carbs and completely tore into them. Replaced everything except the floats, float needles (okay needed to replace these and I now have 4 sitting on my bench waiting for me) , and float pin (whatever the hell it's actual name is...).
Baldy over at KZrider had a couple emblems laying around so I got those, went ahead and popped em on.


So I'm about to park it for the rest of the summer, I put about 2,500 miles on it over the last 5 months. I'm stuck though as I like the idea of doing a swingarm swap but never having done something this major before and being a novice welder I'm not sure that's the best route to take right now.
I could just freshen up the motor, replace the aged shocks, and keep her mostly stock, but that sounds boring and if I wanted to do that I would have stayed on KZrider and not joined a group of people who respect individuality and CUTTIN' FRAMES!
I was thinking about ripping it down, cutting off all the tabs, bracing the frame a bit, trimming the tail, doing a swingarm swap to a newer GSXR arm with a monoshock, ZX Forks with newer brakes, rebuilding the motor and possibly going to some 810 Wiseco's, making my own seat, new gauge cluster, headlight, rear sets, shiny bits...
And... damn. So many options.