KZ200 Brat Tracker Build -- "Poor Man's Pine"

aaronbev79

Active Member
I'm building a brat tracker out of a 78 Kawasaki KZ200. I have been a long time fan/reader of this forum, and have decided to finally contribute my own build. I have it partially started, but there is a lot of work left to do--below is my progress so far:

Here's two before pics:



First things first, gotta have a great looking exhaust. So I cut about 13" out of the middle of the stock exhaust, cut the tip off the end, and welded it to the shorter remaining section of the exhaust. Then I painted it with flat black header paint. Looks even better than I expected, and best of all--free!


Next up--repainting the frame. I also chopped the back of the frame all the way to the shock mounts.



Blacked out the wheels.


Partial reassembly--still haven't made a decision on what I'm doing with the tank. I'm going to keep the stock seat pan, but I plan on cutting the cushion down to two inches thick and recovering with a dark tan leather.


To-Do List:
- Engine (waiting until frame/tank/seat are finished)
- Seat
- Tank
- New 1" rise bars

Any advice, ideas, comments welcome! Thanks for a great site!
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

Work begins on the seat. I'm not in the mood to recreate the wheel (pun intended!), so I plan on reusing the seat pan--especially since it nicely attaches to the frame, and I like its general shape. Also, I like that it has a 2" lip on the rear to which I can attach a brake light and license plate holder after it is recovered.

Luckily my mom is good with a sewing machine and has agreed to sew a tan leather cover for me! Total cost for a custom tan leather seat should be less than $50!

I still haven't decided if I am going to trim the current pad or use something foam/rubber I can find at Lowes. I will try cutting this old thing first, but it looks pretty brittle. l will post more pics when I have a pad attached.




 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

What did you use to paint the wheels and what was your process?
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

What did you use to paint the wheels and what was your process?

The wheels were pretty rough. So I spent about two hours with a wire brush scrubbing the hell out of the spokes and chrome--I had a normal sized brush, and then I bought a smaller one for $1.50 at Harbor Freight. And then I took sandpaper to fine-tune the rims, but didn't bother to sand every spoke. After that I taped around the edge of the tire and taped the bearings/hubs where necessary. After the taping was complete, I did three coats of paint with rattle can Krylon paint.

All in all, the wheels took me about half a day off and on. I'm pleased with the final product, and they look good. I've used the Krylon paint on wheels for my Jeep over two years ago, and they have held up nicely.

They don't look perfect if you get on your hands and knees and look at them from 6" away, but they look awesome when standing and looking at it from a normal distance.
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

Here's a picture of just the seat pan on the bike with the pad and cover removed. I feel pretty lucky that the kz200 has such a natural tracker look without much modification besides the chopping I did to the frame. I will probably add just a small 1" pad/foam to the top of this pan, and then cover it with stitched tan leather.

 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

aaronbev79 said:
The wheels were pretty rough. So I spent about two hours with a wire brush scrubbing the hell out of the spokes and chrome--I had a normal sized brush, and then I bought a smaller one for $1.50 at Harbor Freight. And then I took sandpaper to fine-tune the rims, but didn't bother to sand every spoke. After that I taped around the edge of the tire and taped the bearings/hubs where necessary. After the taping was complete, I did three coats of paint with rattle can Krylon paint.

All in all, the wheels took me about half a day off and on. I'm pleased with the final product, and they look good. I've used the Krylon paint on wheels for my Jeep over two years ago, and they have held up nicely.

They don't look perfect if you get on your hands and knees and look at them from 6" away, but they look awesome when standing and looking at it from a normal distance.

Thanks a lot. I'm probably going to do this with my rims soon so it's nice to see the process. The wire brushes were just hand brushes and not one for a drill or anything?
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

Awesome start, I am building a 77 kz200 I went white with the frame, I really like what your doing with the seat. I think I am going to try what your doing with it. Cant wait to see hows it looks.
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

Awesome start, I am building a 77 kz200 I went white with the frame, I really like what your doing with the seat. I think I am going to try what your doing with it. Cant wait to see hows it looks.

Thanks! I'm going to add new pad/foam today, and drop it off to be covered today (I hope) as well. I will post pics asap. I sent you a PM about your airbox if you want to sell it. If not, it's cool. Thanks!

I really like your project as well--KZ's are great little thumpers.
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

BJMtz said:
Thanks a lot. I'm probably going to do this with my rims soon so it's nice to see the process. The wire brushes were just hand brushes and not one for a drill or anything?

Yeah. Just hand brushes. I have a wire brush for a drill, but I was afraid that it might bend the spokes or push the wheel out of center if I wasn't careful. The hand brushes take a little elbow grease, but I was still able to get the wheels finished in half a day.
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

I couldnt figure out how to attach this..
 

Attachments

  • DSC_0065.jpg
    DSC_0065.jpg
    128.3 KB · Views: 444
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

I want to go with the stock airbox. I will give $10 + shipping on paypal. Let me know via pm. I will happily trade any parts in return. I have two extra Kz200 engines.
 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

I chopped the smooth part off the top of the stock seat cushion/foam. I'm not sure I like it. I want something thicker than what you see many times with brat/tracker builds. I want a comfortable seat, but I want it to be thinner than the giant stock seat. I think I will try some thin padding from Lowes to compare and decide what I'm going to go with.


 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

I think the seat is still too thick for a brat/tracker--what do you think?

I'm definitely getting some thin padding from Lowes.


 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

I've decided to fill in the various bumps and valleys with spray foam, cut it flat after it has dried, and then put 1/2" pad on top of that. Here's my progress so far...waiting for the foam to dry.


 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

Finished trimming the spray foam, and added the soft top layer of foam. It's not as comfortable as the giant pillow that used to sit on top of the stock pan, but it's gonna be more than adequate for an around-the-town bike. I like the seat height and shape now, and best of all I was able to keep the stock seat mounts and stock pan! And in case anyone is wondering, I spent $5 on a drywall hand saw at Lowes, and it was worth every penny. That spray foam is some serious shit.

I'm gonna drop it off to be recovered tomorrow! More soon...


 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

I'm dying to drop this thing off tomorrow...hope it gets refinished quickly. Can't wait to see what tan leather looks like on a black bike!


 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

Gotta decide on color for the new seat cover. I think I'm going with the color on the right, but I will probably wait for my wife's opinion.

 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

Picked up some old school dirt bike bars in trade for some old parts at the local used bike shop. I really like the cross bar and the off road/tracker look that they give the bike. I'm gonna grind them down, double check that they're straight, paint them black, and start reconnecting the wire harness and controls.

As soon as my top end gasket set comes in the mail, it will be time to tear into the motor!


 
Re: KZ200 Brat Tracker Build

aaronbev79 said:
Gotta decide on color for the new seat cover. I think I'm going with the color on the right, but I will probably wait for my wife's opinion.


Picked the one on the left--gonna be done this weekend!
 
Back
Top Bottom