kz400 build/entry : part 8

time in the garage has been extremely sparse. recently i got a nice bit of motivation to get things rolling steady again and decided to get some sort of plan in action. my goal recently has been to finish one or more tasks on the check list each time i am in the garage. luckily i have been doing 2-3 per session now, which has been dramatically reducing the length of said list.

points gap, valve adjustment, cam chain tension, and timing advance check have all been accomplished. everything was pretty close to spec, so it is good to know it probably had a tune up before being cast away. due to low funds i have yet to order the POR15 to line the tank and intake, so finishing fabrication in other areas has been moved to higher priority.

fender mounts are now tacked into place and pretty much ready to finish weld. i also drilled the hole for the tail light mount, so that wraps up most of the rear. i then started working on the seat pan mounts when my welder ran out of wire, so that will have to wait till i pick up a new spool. in the meantime i trimmed the top triple tree a considerable amount to get rid of unwanted mounting tabs.

i also got a chance to address the exhaust issue i have had. whoever installed the aftermarket mufflers must have been rushed or lacked the patience necessary for proper fitment. the chain side pipe was super tight to the swingarm and chain, but just enough clearance. however, the brake side was no where near identical in placement with an extremely long bracket that threw symmetry out the window. i decided to mimic the chain side and get them both tucked in as tight as possible. no picture of the bracket, but it's not exactly anything special really anyways. since doing all of this, both mufflers and clamps appear to be sealing properly and super rigid. i took some time with the wire wheel to clean them up as much as possible, and was surprised how much nicer they looked. nothing fancy, but they will do until i can snatch up a set of new megaphones for replacement.

this weekend i would like to get the seat pan finished/mounted, make a headlight mount, front brake stay, and get the tank mounts finished.

seat pan: the bracket sitting on top in the first pic will be welded to the bottom of the pan for strength(second pic). probably way overkill, but it's ready to weld on.





fender mounts: super simple, but nice and rigid. i'm not a huge fan of the squarish narrow fender right now, but money is tight . when i get some extra scratch i'll try and get a rounder profile one to work with.





tail light: mounted and now i have to decide how i want to do the tag mount.



intake: a few more pics of it after blending some welds.







top triple tree: trimmed.



petcock: the position is making a simple tank mount a wee bit difficult.