kz400 build/entry : part 18

Videos. Keep forgetting to post these. Nothing special, but some closure on the project.

kz400 build/entry : part 17

Friday evening a member of the kz400 forum mentioned my carb cover looked like it was restricting way too much on airflow which could cause a rich condition at half throttle on. Well, it just so happens I've been battling the jetting from half throttle on due to a rich condition. Duh! Pulled the carb cover off and ran her down the block to test it out. Sure as shit, she ran great all the way up to WOT! Decided to run a sheet of corrugated aluminum and cut the top of the fence post cap off to make a sort of velocity stack look. Ran it about 100 miles or so Saturday without a hiccup. I love the internet, but more importantly I love this motorcycle.

I've been lazy getting any updated pics since completion, but finally snapped a few today.

Previous carb cover:

Updated carb cover:

Side shots:

kz400 build/entry : part 16

Took the bike on it's maiden voyage last night at around 10pm with no front brakes and dodgy rear brakes at best. Considering it hasn't been jetted outside of the stock cr125 settings, it ran rather well. Still running rich, but nothing that can't be sorted with some tinkering. Also whipped up a more current wiring diagram that may be of use for others out there with a kick only setup.

kz400 build/entry : part 15

Wiring is on the verge of being finished, just lack a brake light switch to consider it done. Installed some new stainless allen head case cover bolts, so good riddance to the old phillips head shite. The last of the main checklist include seat mounts, install fork seals, brake pads front/rear, and tuning the carb. Not far off at all now.

kz400 build/entry : part 14

It's alive!



Fired up on the second kick. I didn't expect it to go so smooth, so the camera wasn't even near for the first fire. I got it idling for the most part, but it's running pretty rich on the idle circuit. I also found a couple oil leaks that can be ignored for a little while, but a topend gasket kit is in order. The intake is definitely favoring the left side of the motor, but we'll see what happens when it gets down jetted a bit before making any modifications to it.

kz400 build/entry : part 13

Somehow the stock seat made it's way back on the bike, and I think it's for the better. I love the new look, and it's way more comfortable than the camping mat setup. The pan is super rusty where the seat cover attaches, so hopefully I can salvage it with some self tapping screws or rivets. The cover has a small tear, but it adds some character. It also affords me a crap ton more room to hide a battery and electrics, so that's another plus. Just have to make some new mounts, and it should be good to run.










Also finished doing the wiring for the rectifier.



New brake shoes front and rear are on their way, along with fuel line, filter, and fork seals. Should have things wrapping up at a rapid rate of speed now.

kz400 build/entry : part 12

I finally got a chance to meet up with Brad to get my fork leg with the previously mentioned brake stay welded on. I couldn't be any happier with the outcome. Brad's a solid dude and has come through time after time with little persuasion.





With the leg back in possession, I went directly into mock up mode to see how it all came together. Everything fits/works properly and looks exactly like planned. The old caliper mounts still need trimmed off, but that can wait a while.













Other notes of interest would be the gas tank has been lined as well as the intake's last liner touch up necessary to have a good clean leak free fuel system.It's 96 hours for a full cure time, so I have a day or so before I can saturate it with fuel. Wiring is next on the agenda, so hopefully I can get a quick fire out of the beast this weekend including a video of the rumble.

kz400 build/entry : part 11

My deadline of having a running bike by the end of March is creeping up, so it's time to get some stuff checked off the list.

Rear tank mount.



Front tank mount.





New levers/perches.



New rear fender and tail light mounted. Crappy pic, so I'll get some new ones to post up when the front end is back together. Also note the seat foam construction in progress.



Invisible forks shot.

kz400 build/entry : part 10

yeehaw for progress!

earlier in the week i received a package from a buddy on the kz400 forum. we were able to do some mutual parts swapping, which yielded me a new set of trees with removable risers. since these still have the tabs on them, it was time to cut the fat yet again and trim away. with that done, it was time to move on to the headlight bracket. a few minutes drilling, cutting, and filing produced a not so fancy bracket that will fit the bill.




over the weekend, Brad was kind enough to lend a hand mounting the new Dunlop K70 tires, as well as turning some new axle spacers for the rd250 front wheel i got. we also were able to get the brake stay nub ready for weld on the fork lower, so things are really starting to progress. you couldn't meet a nicer fellow than Brad and it was nice to work with someone who knew what they were doing.

kz400 build/entry : Part 9

quick update. Brad has been sending in all these updates for his cb450 project, leaving me feeling rather slow and inadequate. i figured it was time to suck it up and get some work done regardless of weather and temperature.

silly me decided to redo the whole seat frame hoop shape and consequently had to redo the seat pan and mounts as well. i just didn't dig the profile from all angles, and i knew it had to be fixed now rather than after getting it covered. the rear mount isn't my favorite idea, but it works to make things functional and simple to remove when on the side of the road. also received my new fancy shmancy tires and headlight, so hopefully i can get those mounted up with the quickness this weekend.

Brad has been kind enough to offer tools and his right arm to help out in any way, so i plan to take him up on that. his lathe will make quick work of my axle spacers, while a possible TIG hookup can finish the front brake stay on a fork lower. all around he has become an invaluable asset to not only this run, but the bike i am building specifically for it. i couldn't possibly thank him enough.

kz400 build/entry : part 8.5

this post isn't really much of an update, but i figure it can't hurt to post what's going on at the moment. to summarize in short, absolutely nothing has been done to the bike for a multitude of reasons. mainly due to laziness, crappy weather, thin wallet disease, and my all time favorite four wheel transportation kicking up random fits wasting what little garage time i have available. however i am proud to finally say that an 8oz can of POR-15 tank sealer will be in route today. this will coat both the intake and gas tank giving me the first opportunity to hear it's hearty vroom vroom noises. exited to say the least.

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.

kz400 build/entry : part 7

i've been on hiatus from the garage for quite some time now. back in the saddle, i have made some progress. seat loop can be checked off the list now. i whipped up a seat pan as well, but still need to make the mounts and sort out the foam.

kz400 build/entry : part 6

i've been slowly plugging along on the kz. unfortunately i haven't had much time available to me in the garage, so i am doing what little i can here and there. on my lunch break, i snatched up some rectifiers to build a new one. the old setup was haggard and unfit for road use by any measure, so it was time to finally build one from scratch. there are quite a few different setups i have seen built before, and all are supposed to work just as good if not better than the stock setup. total cost from radio shack came in under $15 versus the usual $50-$100 used units on ebay. i have a chunk of 3/8" aluminum stock to be used as a heat sink, so that is covered already. i received my new petcock in friday leaving only a few things left on the list to check before the first start.

1. check valve timing
2. points gap
3. check advance unit/weights and clean/lube
4. make gaskets for new intake
5. simple wire job to run

kz400 build/entry : part 5

i finished the intake fabrication, which means i will finally get to hear it run for the first time. nothing beats that accomplishment other than the maiden voyage itself.







Craig at Front St. Cycle bent up some tubing to get started on the seat rails. yhe plan is to start this weekend on it, but i would rather not take focus off of getting the bastard running right now.