Aaron’s | 1981 kz440

OK, an Albuquerque local got ahold of me and asked if I could do some work on his ’81 Kz440. I said “hell yeah”!! Aaron had a list of things he wanted to do. I would say this is the first step. Here I was to shorten the subframe, shorten the rear fender, add a rear hoop, and make a custom seat pan.

I stopped the frame about mid-way over the rear tire, made a hoop, and burned it in with a slight angle.  Next I was on to the fender. Reusing one of the original fender mounts I cut off the subframe, I moved it further in toward the motor and burned it in. This allowed me to use the entire rear fender while making it appear shorter. Once the hoop and fender were done all that was left was the seat pan. I always make my seat pans by tacking and building  right off the subframe. This allows for a clean tight fitment. Once I have the skeleton built I cut it free and skin it with 20ga steel.

So far the Kz440 is coming along nicely! Lets see what we can get into next!! Stay tuned…

For Sale | Custom Kz750

 

THE STATS:

DONER BIKE: I started out with a stock 1980 Kawasaki Kz750 LTD.

DRIVE TRIAN: The 750cc motor has been completely torn down cleaned and all tolerances check against factory specifications. New piston rings were installed. I lapped and  re-shimmed the valves, and installed new valve seals. All gaskets and seals have been replaced. The carburetors received a rebuild kit and new jetting. The exhaust is a four into one header, with a baffle and packing in place for noise reduction and back pressure.

ELECTRICAL: A new wiring harness, new blade style fuse block, and a Shorai lithium battery (saves space and worry) were installed. A new regulator/rectifier from Ricks Motorsport was also put in place. I installed a Dyna ignition, coils, and plug wires. The turn signals and taillight are LED. New 2.5″ LED backlit tack and speedometer were installed. Handlebar controls include, turn signals, HI/LO beam, horn, and flash to pass switch.

BRAKES/SUSPENSION: The forks, wheels, brakes, and swing-arm are from a stock ’78 kz650. I did this swap because I didn’t like the height of the Kz750’s front-end and the original swing-arm bushings were bad. I had the Kz650’s running gear from another build so I put it to use. In doing this the Kz750’s ride height really leveled out, and bushing problem was fixed. The forks have been rebuild and resealed. The brakes received new seals and new EBC pads. It has a new radial master cylinder in front and rebuilt master in the rear, and new braided steel brake lines all around. The rear swing-arm has been modified and reinforced to a mono-shock set up, using a CBR929 shock.

FRAME/BODY: The frame has been modified to accept the mono-shock conversion. The subframe is totally new and designed to suit the new suspension. In the subframe under tray (under the seat) is where you will find all the electronics including the battery. All Balls tapered steering bearings were used to update the neck bearings. The gas tank has been scalloped which is not only aesthetically pleasing but holds your knees quite well. The headlight bracket doubles as a gauge mount, and has turn signals built in. I made the seat pan to fit, and sent it over to Gotcha Covered Upholstery where they always do an amazing job!! In painting the Kz750 I went with a tri-tone of ivory white, Kawasaki green, and jet black. I use a base coat clear coat system.

The Kz750 is a absolute joy to ride, and gets more than its fair share of looks going down the road.

$7,500

KZ650 | front fender redesign


So I wanted a fender that only mounted on one side of the fork. The original design I came up with seemed good enough, after all there’s not much of a fender. While off loading the bike one day I heard the fender make a “tin can” sound. Needless to say that drove me nuts. So back to the drawing board I went. I made the front of the mount more robust. I knew I also needed to stabilize the rear of the fender. I made a detachable strut that wraps around the fork and mounts to the rear of the fender. I decided to wrap the strut in fiber glass to save weight. The fender  now has the rigidity it needs to keep things quiet.