So.....it's been a few months. Long post....you better get a beer.
Lots of pics, but none of anything you folks haven't likely seen before. So, just the highlights maybe?
As found in the barn in early October:
Home the next day after a wash:
After a couple of weeks, and some disassembly:
Cleaned up a little:
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I pretty much knew that I would take as much as I could apart to clean/polish as much as I could, but still couldn't resist doing a little spitting and polishing to parts. The front hub after such an effort...... Overall pretty pleased with how "clean" it is/was...
Then I finally got the welded-on shifter lever off, so that the sprocket cover could come off, and almost thought something growled at me from in there:
That's a bit better:
Forks will get refreshed inside, but the outsides are cleaning up well:
As would be expected, carbs were a mess:
Cleaning is underway, and will be reassembled with carb rebuild kits.
Original tank had been rattle-canned badly, and showed signs of previous both interior and exterior repairs to leaks. Had some folks look at it, and it's not worth repairing. So, took the opportunity to tinker with the overall look of the bike, and picked up this KZ400 tank for pocket change. Pictures of it tidied up and primed forthcoming...
Also picked up this KZ front fender that will be chopped into a new shorter front and rear hugger.
Rear shocks....one a little further along the cleaning process than the other....
Oh look-----an old front hub that's been sitting in a barn for twenty years...
That KZ tank, sorted and primed:
I had taken the empty frame with me to see the tank, and figured there was a solution to mounting it. That too has been a work in progress, but is now sorted with some brackets and some OEM Kawasaki tank mount rubber bungs.
I've also got a box full of the smaller items that have been somewhat cleaned/polished (handlebar switchgear, mirrors, fork gators, etc etc). The latest blingifying binge has been on the hubs:
Oil tank acquired from AnythingGoes74.com:
And....an amateur attempt at photoschlopping together what I'm trying to build at the end of the day:
I'm thinking a matte Blue/Gray (think Dodge Ram Ceramic Blue) and white for the tank. That seat idea was inspired (stolen) from a Wrenchmonkees Laverda...I saw it and said YA!! The seat pan is built and ready to go to the upholsterer.
As we speak, the rims, that KZ fender and the frame/swingarm are getting sandblasted. The rims will come back powdercoated semigloss black. The frame as well will be black. Have to decide on either PC or paint on the frame----I know there's pro's and con's to both....and there's that thing called a budget. Have to decide on the fender colour too....
The astute among you might notice the lack of engine pictures/progress. Here's the scoop: This is my first attempt at "building", and I fully accept that I fell into the noob trap of tearing things apart before knowing the engine will run. Guilty.
The engine turns over, there was fresh oil in the tranny, and brand new spark plugs. The wheels turned, the brakes worked, and things lit up when a battery was connected. I had purchased the bike from the previous owners wife (he had sadly passed away 15 years ago) who she just shrugged when I asked anything mechanical----totally understandable. She was such a sweetheart though---the night I picked the bike up, she had dug out her late husband's riding jacket, and gave it to me.
I am very fortunate to have a few pals who are quite comfortable with anything from the 70's and in particular this bike, who are quite confident that there will be no major surprises. And if there are, well, we cross that bridge when we get there. Having a total blast with this though!!
So, thanks for reading.....I'll post again when I've got some more highlights!!
