Parkwood60
Active Member
EDIT: I had originally linked to pictures on my Google+ account, but a change in jobs lost me that Gmail address, and + account. So some image links are lost to time, but I tried to fix the others.
No much to look at at the moment, and lots of confusion as to what year the bike actually is, but I figured I ought to start a thread. I believe the bike is a 1976 KZ400, or at the latest a 1977. The title does say 1978, but it must have been a left over. Picked this up from behind a house where it had sat, with just 12k miles on it, since 1989. Here's what it looked like when I got it.
The motor was stuck but it was nearly all there and it did have low mileage. Plus it was a classically styled, 360 degree twin, so why not make a flat track bike out of it? Time is tight and I still haven't really finished my 1972 CB750 Cafe Racer, but I wanted to have this together and running for the Hell on Wheels flat track event in August of this year. Could I make that happen?
Washed and stripped of the touring gear it didn't even look half bad. You can't fake this kind of patina (after washing and rubbing compound).
So I just sanded it with some fine grit wet/dry paper and cleared over it.
I did manage to unstick the motor with generous application of PB Blaster and transmission fluid, then rocking the bike forward and back in gear. But I had to take the top end apart anyway.
More to come tomorrow until I am caught up.
No much to look at at the moment, and lots of confusion as to what year the bike actually is, but I figured I ought to start a thread. I believe the bike is a 1976 KZ400, or at the latest a 1977. The title does say 1978, but it must have been a left over. Picked this up from behind a house where it had sat, with just 12k miles on it, since 1989. Here's what it looked like when I got it.
The motor was stuck but it was nearly all there and it did have low mileage. Plus it was a classically styled, 360 degree twin, so why not make a flat track bike out of it? Time is tight and I still haven't really finished my 1972 CB750 Cafe Racer, but I wanted to have this together and running for the Hell on Wheels flat track event in August of this year. Could I make that happen?
Washed and stripped of the touring gear it didn't even look half bad. You can't fake this kind of patina (after washing and rubbing compound).
So I just sanded it with some fine grit wet/dry paper and cleared over it.
I did manage to unstick the motor with generous application of PB Blaster and transmission fluid, then rocking the bike forward and back in gear. But I had to take the top end apart anyway.
More to come tomorrow until I am caught up.