1979 KZ400 LTD: finally done!

AdrockMK2

AdrockMK2

New Member
I've been putting off starting a thread on here until I "just get one more thing done", but that never ends. The build has been going for about a year, very slowly, so hopefully I won't bore you all with limited updates. I run my own business and have three small kids, so the bike project in the garage is low on the priority list, unfortunately!

How I picked it up non-running for $300. Only took a battery and a spark plug to get it started, and cleaned 1 float to get it running pretty decent:

Thanks everyone for all your build threads...lots of help and inspiration for a first time builder!


UPDATE: The original photos are all dead, unfortunately...check them out (and more) here: http://adamepp.com/2012/05/15/kz400-build/
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

Wow, that's really impressive- especially for your first time around! Keep it coming!
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

I like it! great work, keep it up and keep those pic's coming....
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

Thanks guys!

To do soon:
  • headlight mount and rear signal light mounts designed and hopefully waterjet cut
  • shorten wiring harness and find a good spot for the starter relay – doesn't fit directly under the seat inside that tray
  • I have a leather bag to hold a small battery, need to make mounting straps
  • engine oil...my haynes manual and my oil cap spec different viscosity..?
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

Wow. Very impressive. I love the look so far..

Want to throw up a quick how to on the abs tray? I've been searching for something like that
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

Swivel said:
You need to have welded studs in the top shock mounts,not just bolts stuck in holes.It is not safe.....I hope the bolts are the right grade.....The subframe looks well made enough,just the bolts scare me.....Think about one or two of the shock bolts breaking hitting a big bump......Not pretty.....
Click to expand...

Right now what you see is just temporary – there aren't even any nuts on this bolts, it's just for rolling around in the shop and to get the seat trimmed and mounted properly. At this pace I'm at least a month away from even putting the chain back on! ..but thanks!
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

tron97 said:
Wow. Very impressive. I love the look so far..

Want to throw up a quick how to on the abs tray? I've been searching for something like that
Click to expand...

To make the pan, you'll need:
  • ABS plastic sheet – 1/8" or 3/32" will do fine - I bought it off ebay for ~$10 @ 12"x24"x3/32", couldn't find it locally
  • heat gun
  • dremel with sanding wheel
  • jigsaw or bandsaw
  • I also used a drill to make holes that lined up with my seat mounts
  • Cardboard and a marker
  • Patience
Since my frame is symmetrical top to bottom and left to right I decided it was easiest to form it down the sides of the frame, rather than up from the bottom of the tubes. Gravity helps with this too
pan_1.jpg


Rough out some cardboard and trim it to fit around the frame. Much easier to make a template than to jack up your plastic. I wanted it to wrap up the sides of the seat rails, as well as up the back of the cross brace.
pan_2.jpg


I didn't take any process photos as I was actually doing this, so imagine with me. I bolted the plastic down so it didn't move, and with a wide flat mouth attachment on the heatgun I worked my way along one edge. The plastic takes a while to get soft, but then instantly it almost gets too soft, and starts to sag on it's one...it's a balance, you'll figure it out. Working along the edge with gloves and a flat metal object I formed the plastic over the frame tubes. It turns out fairly wavy on the first pass along the entire thing, but I went over it again and smoothed it out.
pan_3.jpg


I then cleaned up the radius for wrapping around the vertical seat frame supports, and notched it out for the front where the rectifier is mounted. Its not completely finished, but close enough for now.

I'll make another template for under the back of the shell, but I won't need to curve it except for right at the front edge.
pan_4.jpg
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

The brace you show in blue and the one at the bottom weren't there on the stock bike, but you think I should add them? That vertical going up from the swingarm to the shock/seat is stock. I agree on the rear one near the shock mounting point...I asked my fab guy about and he said what he did was solid/good, and he is a suspension guy so...?!? Definitely something to think about.
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

Swivel said:
The braces on the front and the bottom only need to be 3.0mm high tensile sheet welded in the middle of the tube.Tack them in and do little welds each side of frame in stages so as not to pull everything around..... the rear should match the shock mount plate thickness.....I'd bet my hat the suspension guy is a CAR suspension guy.....different worlds.....You could certainly drill a fair sized hole in the front and bottom brace for looks.....12.0mm?
Click to expand...

Thanks for all your input, Swivel. This is why it's good to post on the Ton!
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

Cafe Redneck said:
Yep its looking good. What are you using for the base that the seat foam will be laying on?
Click to expand...

It is two layers of 1/8" masonite from home depot. I cut one roughly to size, and dunked 1/3 of it in a bucket of water for about 45 minutes. I used a piece of metal pipe and some clamps to force bend it to the curve of the seat shell. You can see where the pipe was clamped down in one of the shots, the line going across the seat. I let it dry overnight, then I repeated the process with another sheet of masonite.

When they were both set I laminated them together with wood glue, epoxied in the carriage bolts and trimmed with a saw and belt sander.
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

You have got some fucking cool ideas. Thanks for the tray writeup!
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

harry potter rofl...

quick progress so far, looks good. did you buy a new clutch cable after installing clip-ons? i added clip-ons to my kz650 and lowered it and need to replace the brake line, throttle cables, and clutch cable.
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

The progress you see I've done over a year, and probably could have been done in a few days or weeks if I had more time!

I bought shorter throttle and front brake line already, and I still need to figure out how to shorten (or where to buy) a clutch cable....it's about a foot too long.
 
Re: 1979 KZ400 LTD

AdrockMK2 said:
I bought shorter throttle and front brake line already, and I still need to figure out how to shorten (or where to buy) a clutch cable....it's about a foot too long.
Click to expand...

that'll be my next task as well. i think motion pro can get you the cables you need at whatever length.
 
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