My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Picked up the bike that I bought on eBay (after checking it out in person, twice, of course ;) ) today. Pictures to come soon!

I'm planning on ratting it out a bit. I ordered some superbike bars and bar end mirrors today. I'll be repainting the tank and rims, and any other bodywork flat black. Also bought some new tires and a new chain and sprocket set.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Good for you. The Kz was one of the best out of the box bikes back in the 80's.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Awesome job. Congrats. I hope you keep a progress thread going with pics here. I'd love to see the work on it.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Thanks everyone.

I'm kind of wishing now that I'd gone with Clubmans. After sitting on the bike today I realized that I would be able to reach clubmans fairly easily and still be pretty comfortable due to the bike's geometry. Might look into that at some point down the road.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Clickable thumbnails:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00111.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00113.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00114.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00115.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00116.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00117.jpg

This one is interesting:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00112.jpg

Department of Defense? I think I might keep that on there instead of painting for the forks like I'd planned. I kinda like the historical aspect of it.

My plans:

- Replace the old handlebars with superbike bars
- Repaint rims. Keep the parts that are black now black, but the silver parts will be red.
- Repaint tank flat black
- Remove exhaust, sand off the rust, and repaint with heat-resistant grill paint
- Add ammo can saddle bags and relocate rear turn signals
- Possibly paint front brake caliper at some point
- Repaint as much of the chrome as I can flat black
- Eventually add some old school style fork guards (you know, those rubber accordian looking things)
- I'd really like to paint the engine, but I think that will be too complex a job and will prevent me from riding for several weeks most likely.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Well I'm sorry but I feel I just HAVE to say this:

You have a classic bike there that appears to be in EXCELLENT condition. I think it would be a grevious mistake to do all (any) of the things that you propose.

Really. Seriously. :cry:

Why not just ride it and enjoy it ......and do just what NEEDS to be done to maintain it.

But then I am biased. I just don't understand spending all that time and money on perceived "bling", if you only have one bike and not a lot of money to throw around.

Now, if it was a rat bike to start with, that would be a WHOLE different story.........and there are a LOT of mid-80's KZ550's that ARE rat bikes.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

It would be a rat after I got done with it. I honestly hate the bars on it right now, so I'm all about new ones.

BTW, I'm not so sure about the red on the mags, but I can't really visualize it either, so I'll have to mock it up in Photoshop and see.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

The tank has a spot of rust about the size of a quarter on the right side right under the Kawasaki logo. It NEEDS to be repainted so it doesn't rust through. Since I don't have the time or funds to do a proper paint job it's getting ratted out. There's a lot more rust on the bike (exhaust especially) than you can really see from the pictures.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Ask and ye shall receive! I actually like this idea more now that I see look at my (badly done) MSPaint mockup.

http://www.postimage.org/gx18UIIi.jpg

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Photoshop the rims and exhaust black and let's see how it looks.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Here's a better idea of what I was thinking, though I'm not to sure about some of the design decisions (I wish I was artistic!).

http://www.postimage.org/aV2hJjwi.jpg

And here is a mockup where the rims and exhaust are painted just black.

http://www.postimage.org/Pq2xJkZS.jpg

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

You got a major nice bike there. I would be tempted to just do the necessary repairs and clean up. Stock bikes of that age are hard to come by. Ride it for a while before any changes. Get on a couple Kaw forums and see what others are doing to keep them pristine and stock or making changes for added comfort and reliability.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Like I said, I don't have the time or money to do a decent restore job and I'd rather not do a half-assed one.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Nothing really historical about it. It was just owned by someone in the military or a civilian who worked on a military instillation. It is a decal that must be put on the vehicle before you can drive on base usually with two other decals one with the date it expires and one with the base name. :cool:

Although it is supposed to be removed if the vehicle is sold. :whistle:

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Yea, yea, I know. I meant historical in terms of the bike's history. Kind of like suitcases with stickers from every country it has been to, that sorta thing.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

I too like the bike better au naturale but it's all yours so do what you like and think is best for you. I personally don't care for the red rims but that's just my taste. I think there's more appeal (and probably more value) in just having a classic older piece of machinery in tip-top shape cleaned up and in good running condition rather than ratting it up. And the cost and time spent in customizing it would maybe be more than restoring or cleaning it. Maybe only change the bars if the new ones fit you better. Only my opinion. But , nice bike, good luck. Send in more pictures when you ever finish it.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Oh well. At least I've got patrick_777 on my side! :)

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Totally. Hell, I'm looking at an 82 Honda GL500 for the same purposes right now.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

I was looking at one of those myself before I got the KZ550. It was a bit too tall for me though, and a lot heavier than the KZ. I still may have gotten it if it hadn't needed the carbs rebuilt. Oh well, I think the KZ was a better choice... there's a lot more parts out there for them than the GL500.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

You haven't modified/customized anything unless you have been cutting and welding.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Well, I'm back, and now that winter is starting to leave us I've been able to get some work done on my bike.

So far I've:

- Replaced the handlebars with superbike bars (MUCH more comfortable)
- Replaced the chain, front, and rear sprockets
- Replaced front and rear tire (by myself!)
- Spray painted the front fender and chain guard black
- Relocated the front blinkers to the back (mounting issues with the new bars)
- Replaced brake shoes on the rear brake

Still to do:

- Change brake fluid and oil
- Refinish tank (or at least stabilize it so I can refinish next winter)
- Install new front blinkers (on order)
- Waiting on a chain tool so I can install the master link clip on the new chain (no worries, I'll be taking it to the shop to have the rivet link installed)

And finally...

- Get the darn thing started. It's been too cold to get it started after having been sitting for a few months. I've drained the gas and hopefully next week I'll run out and get some fresh gas to put in it.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00183.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00182.jpg
Painting the front fender with BBQ/stove paint.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00188.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00185.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00184.jpg

New chain (x-ring type) and rear sprocket. I've also painted the chainguard (not shown) black like the fender.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h_DSC00187.jpg
Used the mounting hardware from the front blinkers (which were mounted to the handlebars) to mount the rear blinkers to the passenger handlebars.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

I'm digging the black rims and the handle bars but it seems to be missing something in the front.. you should look into a small like.. crotch rocket looking windshield i think it would bring the bike together nicely.. balance it out and stuff.. but otherwise cool dude.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

I was considering a cafe-style windshield, but $70 is a lot for a purely cosmetic addition. I might look into it this summer, though, who knows?

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Jonathan might still have his lying around...you might want to email him and ask.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Definitely!!! Do you know what the story on that is?

GH

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

This answer was on the first page of this thread and I know from experience it is correct.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Yea, well like I said, I still think it's neat. How many bikes out there have Department of Defense parking stickers on them? ;)

Update:

My chain tool came in the mail today (as did some new brake fluid) and I finally got the clip on the master link installed. First order of business when I get the bike up and running, of course, is to take it to the shop and have them install the rivet master link that came with the chain.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Well, I got her started up today! I'd been trying to start her all winter, but I guess all she needed was a decently warm day and some fresh gas. She started up IMMEDIATELY, even faster than my car starts. Not too bad for having set since November without running, eh?

The only bad thing is it seems like she's only running on 3 cylinders. Tomorrow I'm gonna swing by Advance Auto and see if they have spark plugs for her. Gonna go ahead and replace those since they're probably the originals anyway. If that doesn't fix the problem, I might take her to the shop and ask their opinion, since I'm not sure if I wanna tackle tearing down and rebuilding 4 carbs. ;)

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Keep it simple at first. Plugs and wires, then check fuel delivery to the "bad" cylinder. I'm really digging that bike.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

I might check the auto parts store and see if they have any spark plug testers so I can test the wires. I'm pretty sure that, at the very least, the carbs will need synced (throttle is a bit laggy and the revs drop slowly). I've got about $1000 in this bike so far, and $600 left to spend from where I sold my GZ, so I shouldn't have too much trouble getting it up and running.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Here's a video of my bike after cleaning the carbs:

[youtube:pcama300]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86cR-JGlKBM[/youtube:pcama300]

It's a bit noisy at idle, probably because the pilot circuit on one of the carbs is still a bit clogged causing one of the cylinders not to fire. I wasn't able to soak all of the carbs because, honestly, I wasn't too keen on having to resync them and repaint them. It seems to fire on all 4 when revved (and the noise on the right side goes away). That video is about a week old. I finally got a chance to change the oil today (Shell Rotella-T 15w-40 conventional) and the engine is actually quite a bit quieter now.

I've recorded a video of it running today, and I'm uploading it to YouTube as I type.

My plan is, once I change the brake fluid, I'm gonna run a tank of gas with Berryman B12 Chemtool through the bike and see if that takes care of any further clogs in the carbs.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Here's a little trick that might help:
Figure, according to the directions, how much you should add to a whole tank of gas, then put that much into the tank when it is only HALF full. This results in double the strength of cleaner. Run it on that mix for a few miles, long enough to get it thoroughly warmed up; don't be surprised if it runs a little worse. Let it sit overnight and then fill the tank......getting the cleaner back to the recommended concentration.

Where did you get the Berryman's ?? Went looking for my Gumout today and couldn't find any; time to restock!

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Thanks for the tip, Easy. I was actually wondering if I could use a higher concentration. I'll definitely give it a try.

I actually got my can at Wally World. They had a TON of it at one of them (and, of course, none at any of the others around here). I know Advance Auto sells it, too.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Here's the latest video:

[youtube:1pted6y8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ioo3Fb29s4[/youtube:1pted6y8]

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

Thats where I get my Berrymans at too, at Wal-Fart.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

The bike sounds a little healthier in the 2nd video but I have a question. What is the RPM set at for idle speed ? My ears tell me it should be a bit higher but that is just me.

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

:plus1:

I am beginning to think one of two things is going on here:

1) A LOT more people than I thought don't really have a good appreciation for what a smooth idle sounds like.......

OR

2) The recording method somehow distorts the sounds, making the engine noises seem louder than they really ARE.

I suspect it is more #1. :roll:

Re: My new bike - 1983 Kawasaki KZ550
 

I agree with the above statements. The idle does seem low for an I4. Those engines aren't v-twins so they aren't supposed to have a lope at idle. They should be smooth as silk.

IMO, even most of the v-twins I hear are running too slow of an idle...