KZ 900 - 50 years later !

Hello Riders 


I bought this KZ-900, 76 last year. I don't take credit for the restoration...except for a bit of cleaning and polishing, but I greatly improved what wasn't working well in its head !

I was a motorcycle mechanic when the Z1 and KZ900 were released...I was 19 yo. Then, I changed professions and my toolbox collected dust for 50 years.

When I bought it, the motorcycle was backfiring (popping) and leaking oil and gas. During the repairs, I discovered that some mechanics are willing to do anything to make money and they have no scruples.
Big thanks to the members here who shared their knowledge and provided valuable advices to allow me to get this bike on the road for many more yeays !

For details of the work I did, you can check the engine section, Shims Machining

Beautiful bike. Glad you got those four iconic pipes singing again.

That is beautiful!

Sweet Bike !!

Sweet Kaw-Boy!! Do you have the original airbox or just choose not to use it? I'm looking for one, restoring a KZ900A too. Used to have several but over the years sold them all, crap.

asphalt900 wrote:

Sweet Kaw-Boy!! Do you have the original airbox or just choose not to use it? I'm looking for one, restoring a KZ900A too. Used to have several but over the years sold them all, crap.

Thanks asphalt900.....I have the airbox and a bran new filter but not for sale, Sorry !

Very Wise Choice!! They are somewhat hard to find. I buy/look for bikes for Friends, noticed You had an S1 250 Triple in your list of achievements/acquisitions/stable. Still have it, or want to part with it?  

asphalt900 wrote:

Very Wise Choice!! They are somewhat hard to find. I buy/look for bikes for Friends, noticed You had an S1 250 Triple in your list of achievements/acquisitions/stable. Still have it, or want to part with it?  

My 250 was my first road bike and I am the only one who survived...LOL
I had a few crash with it but the worst was when the front fender got caught in the front wheel at 160 km/h. Luckily, I was going straight!  That was my first wheelie on front wheel....for a split second !

Those ole S-Series Kawasaki's were a blast to flick around..and the smells and sound...still remember. So You invented the front, sans brake, front wheel stoppie?? Congrats, minus a little skin i suppose. That sounds similar to my first big crash, on a bridge no less. Almost flipped over the guardrail onto the highway below, front wheel locked-up. Wasn't the initial fender that i'd thought but rebuilt the "already bent" tubes on that 1978 Z1R1000 and positioned/assembled the calipers via bent tubes in an odd position causing the caliper to lock-up to the disc. I wasn't going 100mph but maybe 60. Still remember the nurse "brushing" the asphalt rocks from my forearms, ha. 

 

Regarding those S/H Series Triples. seems i'm doing a lot of them lately. Don Fulsang gifted me with his "early H1 gauge work years ago, believe he still does the later 72 and up ones at his leisure these days? And heard that Bob from Z-resto, gauge fame, passed away!! Sooo Sad to hear! Think Bob and i started doing this stuff at about the same time but i never advertised and it was always just another part to be done when restoring. Fire up that triple and go back to the former days, if only in Your mind...   

asphalt900 wrote:

Those ole S-Series Kawasaki's were a blast to flick around..and the smells and sound...still remember. So You invented the front, sans brake, front wheel stoppie?? Congrats, minus a little skin i suppose. That sounds similar to my first big crash, on a bridge no less. Almost flipped over the guardrail onto the highway below, front wheel locked-up. Wasn't the initial fender that i'd thought but rebuilt the "already bent" tubes on that 1978 Z1R1000 and positioned/assembled the calipers via bent tubes in an odd position causing the caliper to lock-up to the disc. I wasn't going 100mph but maybe 60. Still remember the nurse "brushing" the asphalt rocks from my forearms, ha. 



 

Same feeling... mine was caused by the vibrations of the two-stroke engine. Earlier, I had heard a noise coming from the front wheel. The fender was only held on by one bolt on each side. I went to a mechanic to get some bolts, but they didn't have any metric bolts. So I tightened both bolts and planned to fix it at work the next day!

I was confident I could ride until the next day and was going full speed with my feet on the rear footrest when I heard that unforgettable noise. I then tried to reach the rear brake and had to apply the front brake, but I guess that was a mistake: the bottom of the fender got caught in the wheel and threw the bike over the handlebars. I saw the bike pass me and it looked like a firework with all the sparks late at night.

I remember waking my dad up to clean my road rash and remove the gravel from my wounds! Chance I was wearing a full face at lease 

My first rings job 
 

Humble beginnings, ring changing in our bell-bottom jeans! Back then, since almost New, cylinders surely came right off!! I've done a few of those triples within the last 10yrs. The worst ones were the rare ones of course, 69 H1 Bridgeport and 71 H2 Square cut cylinders both hard to find.