saving a 1980 KZ750 twin

I have been wondering for a while, what is the process for making those recessed bungs on your crash bars. I think they look super cool, and so does the entire custom motorcycle community i suppose.
 
cb360j said:
I have been wondering for a while, what is the process for making those recessed bungs on your crash bars. I think they look super cool, and so does the entire custom motorcycle community i suppose.
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I cut 1/8th wall 1" tube into 1" pieces and welded 1/8th thick washers to them. You could also turn them entirely on the lathe but I wanted to make them out of Chromoly and I had tube and sheet on hand but no rod, so it made sense.

or you can buy prefabbed bungs at bungking.com
 
canyoncarver said:
Hey Doc. Congrats on the new job!!
Thanks man, its not all doom and gloom on loosing shop access. LA is cheaper than San Francisco and the new job pays more than the last so I might be able to afford a small shop and some tools, but that will take some time. In the interim I have been looking at makerspaces for my projects.
 
doc_rot said:
Thanks man, its not all doom and gloom on loosing shop access. LA is cheaper than San Francisco and the new job pays more than the last so I might be able to afford a small shop and some tools, but that will take some time. In the interim I have been looking at makerspaces for my projects.
Congrats on the new job! I actually just did the opposite move (Long Beach to Oakland) and was able to get a nice garage up here, although everything is definitely more expensive. I remember looking for makerspaces in LA and I saw a couple that looked solid, although as with anything in LA depending on where you live it could be a trek to get there. I'm sure you'll be able to make it happen though! It's been impressive following this and the KZ1000 build over the years, you've got way more motivation and skill than I do :eek:
 
New petcock came in and I had a little time while moving to install it and go for a ride! It just barely clears the cables but clearance is clearance. I only rode around for 20 minutes and first impressions are; needs taller gearing. This thing rips to redline way too easy now, noticeably smoother with the crank balanced as well. I didn’t have the balls to go WOT yet but at half throttle bursts I was impressed by the power. The new race tech goodies in the forks have transformed the front end as well. It was diving pretty bad before and that is completely gone, it also feels more stable as well. The new brake setup seems adequate but because the pads are still bedding in I didn’t reef on em too hard. Overall good improvements all around, however is has brought a handful of small things to light that I will need to address, like a shorter turn throttle. Can’t wait I get this bike on the dyno to see what kind of power it’s making.

https://youtu.be/qbpPxL7PSZ4
 

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KZ750 is a fat ugly bike stock. How the heck did you manage to make it look so good, and the sound is fantastic. Jetting and timing must be good to sound that clean.

Congrats.
 
Sounds a million bucks, looks the absolute business and judging by how well it pulls looks like an absolute riot to ride. That's the three boxes ticked right there, bigtime.
 
teazer said:
KZ750 is a fat ugly bike stock. How the heck did you manage to make it look so good, and the sound is fantastic. Jetting and timing must be good to sound that clean.

Congrats.

Easy, just get rid of everything stock!
 
This summer has been crazy busy and full of highs and unfortunately lows. Ill start with the good.
I got the carbs pretty dialed in on this bike. It pulls hard! I was never totally happy with the seat I made, it ended up being more round in shape and my stitching was amateur hour, plus with the increase in horsepower I wanted more butt cup-age. I found a guy down here in LA that made me a killer seat while I waited. If you're in the greater Los Angeles area I highly recommend JP's custom seats. super nice guy and very reasonable prices. The work speaks for its self.

I short shifted and hit a false neutral, resulting in over revving the engine (D'oh!)The stock length shifter is just way too long, so I remade it again with a new toe peg as well. I added some bolt on braces for the luggage rack, and I also made some grab handles for when i don't have the rack on. Everything got powder coated in a super-durable textured black to contrast the frame. I didn't have much stuff to meet their minimum so i coated a bunch of other stuff as well like the top triple clamp.

a couple small things here and there like new grips to match the seat, and a quick turn throttle for maximum fun action.

Here are a some hero shots of the bike. Ill post more soon.
 

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I absolutely like that fact that more and more bike-builders are finding back to less flashy and more reduced styling.
(Being well aware that with a lot of tat and bling you can hide imperfections waaaay easier.)

Cheers,
Greg
 
This thing is amazing. If Kawasaki could make one from the factory this nice they could sell thousands for sure.
 
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