KZ440 |”Black Beauty”

before-after-kz440

 

Well, I finished Aaron’s Kawasaki 440 twin. I can say that I am stoked on the end result and Aaron was smiling when he rode off, so I think he liked it too. I thought the stock look was good, it just needed a little cleaning up. So in no particular order I shortened the subframe and hooped it in. I also made a new seat pan to match the new subframe, getting rid of the bulky stock seat. I shortened up the original fenders, cleaned and painted everything. Aaron designed the seat stitch pattern and polished the center of the gas tank. This was a fun bike to transform and a definite head turner!!

 

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

kz750 | Shop Shots

Here are a couple of photo’s of the bike on the bench. I still need to get a new front master cylinder, repaint the swingarm, as well as touch up a few things here and there but here’s a glimpse.

Moving Along | kz750 Paint

Here is a little update on the paint situation. I was waiting on a paint gun to come in, and when it did I hit the ground running!! I love the way it’s coming along! Time for final assembly and finishing.