Noggie66 wrote:
Hi all and thanks for the comments
The bike was bought new by a female in 1976, maybe that is why it is in such a good condition .
A photo can hide details, the two left exhaust pipes has this blue colour on it over the bend, I suspect because of heat. This is why I changed coils, they were of different brand when I took it over, and I suspect 2 of the cylinders producing more heat than the others. Any suggestion for a type of polish to get rid of the blue colour?
The bike came to Norway with 4 into 1 exhaust, so the previous owner fitted a brand new 4 into 4 exhaust (costs 1/3 of what I paid for the bike ).
1976 KZ900 was final year of famous Z1 4 into 4 exhaust system. Internal baffling was altered to comply with stringent new emission laws and was no longer removable. Originals were stamped "76" to show compliance.
Original headers had double walls to minimize heat discoloration and bluing. Am guessing yours are modern reproduction units ($$$$), perhaps single wall design, which could explain bluing especially if cylinders #1 and #2 are running slightly lean.
Recommend careful consideration before much scrubbing on the headers with "Blueaway or similar such products) which IMO can do more damage than good. Besides, the coloring imparts "character" to the bike.
The '76LTD model came with single wall Jardine pipes made specially for Kawasaki, and they all blued of course.
If small drain holes are in muffler bottoms, important to keep them clear and open to deter rust.
Unlikely IMO that coils would have caused the discoloration.
Believe the '76KZ900 European model came with dual front discs, and that a factory upgrade kit was offered in the US for converting to duals.
BTW, are those bar end weights shown in the photo?