1978 kz400 cafe/ restoration build

[J.Sharer]

Here is my 1978 kz400 build thread.. i figured it was time to start posting since i've been trolling for a couple months now.

I purchased my kz this past july and went through it to make it road worthy for the rest of the season. I rode it from Nashville, TN to Barber for vintage fest and it never complained once. Its been a great bike but it was time to actually build it..

The bike:

1978 kz400 c1
drum brakes font and rear
no electric start
just bare bones base model
the best part.. 5600 original miles.

The build plans.

detab and powder coat frame
rearsets
rear seat
HD Sportster shocks
520 chain conversion
older kz gas tank
front disc brake conversion
clip ons
New gaskets on motor
head milled .030" to raise compression to rough est of 10.3ish:1
better design 2-1 exhaust
rebuild wheels with new spokes
clean and bead blast and paint almost everything.

well here are some pictures of what it looked like after getting it "road worthy"

and here is how it sits now..

you can see the parts bike in the back ground. its a 77

making sure motor clears lowered tank

started detabbing frame

http://s137.beta.photobucket.com/user/90kacoupe/media/IMG_20121229_145303_zpsfc71a0ef.jpg.html?sort=3&o=24

cylinder head port work

head ready for machine shop

my blast cabinet

tank mounts made and welded on. seat mounts not complete yet.

sanding on side cover

after rough polishing

this project has been fun so far.. things move so much faster then car builds.. I'm 7 months into helping a friend restore a datsun 240z and its still no where near close.

im going to try and keep taking pictures but i will admit most of my picture taking is after i finish the work. i seem to never take pictures while im working.

 

[mr95gst]

Bike is looking really good so far.

I saw in some of your other posts that you live in Murfreesboro and doing Mech. Eng. at MTSU. I live in the boro and did Mech Eng. at MTSU. I graduated in 2009. My buddy is currently doing Electro Mech there and he rides a slightly cafe'd CB750.

Are you working on this bike in Murfreesboro? If so, what part of town? I am in the Cason lane area.

 

[J.Sharer]

no my garage in murfreesboro is full of my roommates projects.. we have a 1973 datsun 240z and a 1973 datsun 510 there. so my toys stay in Mt. Juliet at my dads shop.. which is much nicer anyway so it doesn't bother me. But i think i may know your buddy. Blonde Hair and is always riding his Mt. Bike to campus. I can't think of his name but i've had 2 classes with him.

 

[mr95gst]

Yeah that is him. His name is Jeremy.

 

[J.Sharer]

yep.. and now i feel dumb cause yes your right his name is Jeremy same as mine. Cool dude.

 

[J.Sharer]

well i screwed up the pictures in the first post trying to organize my pictures on photobucket. but owell here are the next pictures of my most recent progress...

painting and polishing has been the name of the game recently

new gas cap and bung

Im waiting on some clevis's to come in to finish the rear set linkage..I'm using a bellcrank type system on the brake side. I'm using the factory brake pivot point for the bell crank pivot. More updates as parts come in..

Time to work on it about to become a lot harder to come by.. classes start this up coming friday so between that and work.. i wont have much spare time..