1979 Kawasaki KZ 750 twin cafe racer

[caferacer86]

I just picked up a 1979 Kawasaki KZ 750 twin with 11,500 miles not running for 500 bucks. I know it seems a little high but it is clean. I drug it to the shop, and found out it had no spark or fuel flow. Put in new plugs< cleaned the carburetors, and adjusted the points and times it, then i cleaned out the tank and petcock and it fired over on the first kick. Then i realized the starter clutch is toast on it, so for the time being i pulled the stator cover and unhooked the starter sprocket and chain and slid the starter back in. I still have to fine tune the carburetors a bit cause it idles a tad high. Tomorrow i am going to install a set of clubman handlebars i have in the shop and tidy things up some. I would also like to simplify the wiring some. I also plan on cutting down the front fender some cause its all smashed at the bottom. I an not sure what color to paint it either, i am almost thinking flat black? anyway here are some pics of the way it sits now.

 

[caferacer86]

Im also goinf to add some gsxr 1000 rearset's later on

 

[mcge8241]

Looks great! I have two KZ twins, but they are only in the 400cc range

 

[caferacer86]

Nothing wrong with the 400 twins i have 2 of them myself.

 

[jamaicanzed]

i have the same bike . so far all ive done to it is new handle bars . SMALLER turn signals . and got rid of the damn mirrors

 

[two-smoker]

This is the kind of bike I was looking for (and couldn't find) when I ran across my Yamaha. I am officially envious.

 

[caferacer86]

Thanks guys I'm going to be removing the rear fender and it looks like i don't have to make a bracket for the taillight to mount to, it looks like it all mounts off the frame.....sweet. Pics later on today

 

[caferacer86]

Sorry for the long wait guy's, i've been putting some miles on her and getting the bugs worked out. It runs so good.

 

[whataulooknat]

Sigh I just love parallel twins so much. Good to know a beauty like that is back on the road.

 

[caferacer86]

Yeah, me too. My first street bike was a 1976 kawasaki kz 400, nothing beet's the sound of an inline twin. I've been toying around with the idea of stripping the paint off of the tank and polishing it, then clearing over it. I've always wanted to try it and i think it would look awesome on this bike.

 

[caferacer86]

Okay< the wiring in this bike is a mess. I want to go with a bare bones wiring set up< but would like to keep the gauges and dummy lights. I am no good when it comes to wiring, is there anyone in the chicago land area that is good with wiring and be willing to give me a hand?

 

[mcge8241]

Damn you're a bit away. I'm in Detroit and can re-wire a KZ in only an hour or so. Road trip?

 

[modifiedamerican]

looking nice man! keep us posted

 

[caferacer86]

Thanks guy's, its a work in progress that's for sure.

 

[caferacer86]

Well i had some time after work yesterday and i cut down the front fender to my liking. What do you think?

 

[modifiedamerican]

love it! now u need a full picture! does it still have the bracing though for the forks?

 

[caferacer86]

Yeah i kept the bracing. Here are some more pics of the way it sits as of now.

 

[caferacer86]

and the last

 

[flatcurve]

Okay< the wiring in this bike is a mess. I want to go with a bare bones wiring set up< but would like to keep the gauges and dummy lights. I am no good when it comes to wiring, is there anyone in the chicago land area that is good with wiring and be willing to give me a hand?

I'll be wrenching on my bike in the Arlington Heights area on random Saturday afternoons this fall and winter if you wanted to stop by one day. My wiring experience on motorcycles is pretty limited, however I'm no stranger to copper strand (see picture.) Replacing all of the wiring in my CB750 is at the top of my to do list, so at the very least I could show you how I'm approaching it, and give you some advice in general. I promise you that wiring is not hard at all. I completely understand why people are intimidated by it though. It's a lot of information being thrown at you at once. The trick is to only look at those rat's nest diagrams "one wire at a time" and wire up the bike the same way.


Fair warning: my workload is insane this year, and thus my availability is limited. I feel like a dick saying that, but at the same time I'd feel like a bigger dick not even replying to this thread in the first place when I can help... however limited that help may be.

 

[tobiism]

If you really want to make that bike more fun, add a second caliper and disc from a KZ1000 to the right side, and then add a gsxr master cylinder. I did that to my old KZ 750 and could do 1 finger stops with that setup. It had awesome braking!