'79 KZ-750twin - Operation Phoenix

[rev.mario]

Hello all,

i'm a new bike owner, of a 1979 kz750. I picked it off a guy in Memphis that rebuilds bikes to being cafe's but switched from all styles to only Honda, so i got a steal for $400.

i have done far more work than is worth mentioning unless someone asks specifics. I hope you enjoy the pics of the progress.

I think i'll have to upload them in fewer than 4 pics per post... sorry

 

[rev.mario]

more pics

Basically, took the cut off wheel and started wackin away all the weight i could. Pluss i started pulling wire, and testing everything that was on the bike to determine where the short was.

 

[rev.mario]

ok so this is the "dashboard" that i made out of some aluminum in the hot-rod shop. (gotta love having good engineering friends). also i mocked up the pegs and controls with some odds and ends around the shop. They are about to be replaced with Tarozzi Rearsets.

 

[rev.mario]

Some more progress pics of the wiring. I managed to find a GP battery that was cheap and was able to start the bike. So i moved all the goodies from the "side plate" to the bin under the seat. I realized there was a ton of excess wiring... so it hit the floor.

Also check the aluminum underseat that my buddy welded me!

 

[SONICJK]

Lookin good.

Grab you. Hole saw and inset that gauge all the way down in your alum dash and it would really set it off

 

[rev.mario]

Got rid of the 4x4 once i determined the battery could do it. also cleaned up the tabs... no need for those anymore.

moc up of the bike after final fitting of underseat.

 

[rev.mario]

The old tank was jack, hence the red tank in the previous post. So i took the new tank and painted it. Yes ladies and Gents, it was only 4 cans of spray from "Hobby Lobby" Base green= Mopar Green, Top green = "green ice" (lacquer clear with green flake)

 

[rev.mario]

ordered a simple cafe seat with snap on leather top. Changed the cheap foam out to being "gel foam" compliments of the wife's yoga mat.

forgot to show the underside of the seat and underseat connection. I used the stock Kawi hinge, but had to mill a latch. Simple spring function so that it clips to the frame, and has a tab underneath to release.

The last "milling" picture is of the license plate bracket. (you guessed it, that is the end plate of a bed frame!) perfect fit with holes already existing.

 

[rev.mario]

Now for the pics of things coming together. First the bike without name tags or knee grips.

 

[rev.mario]

after my buddy and i did all the milling and engineering of the bike at his Hot-Rod shop. Sent her off to a local Kawi mechanic to get new tires, rebuild brakes, rebuild clutch, change triple tree bearings, rewrap pipes, add muffs, retune carbs... many small things. Needless to say here she is as of recent. The names came off the tank. (in case your curious about the knee pads they are the rubber pulled off a mould in the machine shop, they aren't perfectly smooth... they look more like asphalt up close. When i got it back from the mechanic, i took basic high gloss black rustoleum brush paint and repainted the frame and wheels. (yes i didn't remove the motor). Anything that was black got wire brushed then painted (took me about 2 hours, and 4$ to repaint the entire bike !

Like i said she's waiting on the new Rearsets, the current ones don't have the leverage needed for shifting (not to mention it is GP shift witch is very uncomfortable to me)

 

[rev.mario]

Yea if you're looking at that last pic, i just wrote with a sharpie the stuff on the "Dash". But don't worry, custom stickers from my local sign shop are being printed, plus the blank spot on the dash will be a battery gauge so i know when to pull the battery to charge over night.

My Engineering photo (Lossa inspired) will be printed and put on the seat cowl.

 

[rev.mario]

these are the rearsets i'm ordering today.

anyone think this bike may be "show worthy?" a bunch of the old guys around memphis love just staring at it trying to determine what i did. I hear the Kawi 750 twins are a rare breed since most got used for racing or were sent to Britain.

 

[beachcomber]

these are the rearsets i'm ordering today.

anyone think this bike may be "show worthy?" a bunch of the old guys around memphis love just staring at it trying to determine what i did. I hear the Kawi 750 twins are a rare breed since most got used for racing or were sent to Britain.

Bike's looking cool - love the colour BTW.

Yes - mine made it to England - I'm quite a way behind you on my build, but only had the bike 8 weeks and I have 4 other projects on the go - yes at the same time !!!

 

[rev.mario]

Hey Beachcomber,

why are all you Brits taking the Kz750's? I find that kind of weird.... I know all the old guys freak out when they see it in Memphis.

 

[crackerman]

these are the rearsets i'm ordering today.

anyone think this bike may be "show worthy?" a bunch of the old guys around memphis love just staring at it trying to determine what i did. I hear the Kawi 750 twins are a rare breed since most got used for racing or were sent to Britain.

You got the 79-80 kz750t with the mag wheel, 16" in the rear. The wire wheel kz750B, 18" rear wheel are from 76 to 78/79. The mag wheel ones are actually pretty common and the 750B are getting harder to find. I've got 2 (one for parts)of the 80, 750t and 2 of the 79/78 750b. Took me a lot longer to find the 750B.

 

[crackerman]

The kz900 and kz1000 where the superbike of there day. Both, still are fast bikes. No knock on the 750s as they go pretty well.