Look what followed me home!

[jdvorchak]

Just picked this 83 KZ1100 up in Rolla Mo. for what I think is a good price. Bike needs carbs cleaned and maybe a new battery. Only thing I've found missing is the right side battery cover. I did make it run on starting fluid and a temp battery.



My son Mark started polishing the aluminum.



Some road rash but it cleaned up nicely.

[Steevensi]

I like it.
What is the plan?

[jdvorchak]

I am going to get it running good and safe and let my son Mark ride it. Maybe he will leave my HD's alone for a while! It already has some upgrades that I like. K&N air filter. Vance and Hines 4 into 1 and Dyna coils with 7mm plug wires. I have one valve too tight and it needs a front tire. I already rebuilt the carbs and used that as a training session for my son. He did a really good job. Well we will know if his work is up to snuff on the first test run. Then I'll teach him how to sync the carbs. Other than that it's pretty much ready to ride. Oh the petcock seeps but I'm sure that is that 5 hole gasket. I've had pretty good luck rebuilding petcocks lately.

[Steevensi]

That's nice.
I would love my dad to buy me bikes!

I'm in the process of maybe getting another bike so he can come and ride with me.

[jdvorchak]

I've bought my sons cars, bikes whatever when they needed help. This is more selfish than it seems. I really don't like him riding my Harley's. LOL So far I got about $750 in it and about another $200 maybe to go. So under a grand? He helps out a lot around the house and always available to go with me to pick up a motorcycle. I like the bike but he really wanted a Kawasaki. I've had 3 Kawis past couple years and when I flipped them I always thought "I probably should have kept that one"....LOL So this one I'll keep .... for a while..

[Gowing]

I like the kz 1000 and 1100's. I can see the Kawasaki cop bike DNA in you 83 KZ.

[Lucien Harpress]

I gotta admit, I've got a soft spot for my KZ1300. Not a typical Kawasaki example by any means, but I think the point is that they are good bikes. Nice job!

[jdvorchak]

I gotta admit, I've got a soft spot for my KZ1300. Not a typical Kawasaki example by any means, but I think the point is that they are good bikes. Nice job!

Yeah 6 cylinders and 120 HP... I'd say not typical!

[Lucien Harpress]

Well, to be fair- that's 120hp at the crank.

She only pulls about 100hp at the back wheel....

Still, that being said, the big girl has got me more interested in the Kawasakis that proceeded it. The Z/KZ1000 series is one of those I'd love to wrap my head around, as it's an iconic bike, but which was made in some 75 million versions.

Even yours has hints of the 1300- the rear footpeg brackets look very similar, I'm guessing Mikuni carbs, and those top ends of the valve cover look exactly like mine (do yours leak oil too? I somehow doubt it... ) The seat, tank, and airbox even have that same sort of shape shared by the early Voyagers. Sort of like how every Honda in the early 70s looked the same, I guessing...

[jdvorchak]

this is supposed to stop the leak from the cam plugs. I got mine in the mail today. I don't know if they make one for the 1300 but it's worth a look and email to the vendor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172117315219?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

I was looking for a 900 when I found this one. With any luck I'll have it on the road soon. Waiting on a 2.40 shim. Still have to rebuild the front MC and calipers and probably the rear as well. Then just a new front tire and I think that's about it.

[robin1731]

this is supposed to stop the leak from the cam plugs. I got mine in the mail today. I don't know if they make one for the 1300 but it's worth a look and email to the vendor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172117315219?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

I was looking for a 900 when I found this one. With any luck I'll have it on the road soon. Waiting on a 2.40 shim. Still have to rebuild the front MC and calipers and probably the rear as well. Then just a new front tire and I think that's about it.

When you install those use some sealer around the flat edge around the round part. Something like Kawbond/Yamabond/Hondabond, whichever you have. Then a real light coat on the top and about 1/4" past each end under the cam cover gasket.

.

[jdvorchak]

Thanks Robin. The ad where I bought them referred to using sealer. I'll go get some yamabond or Kawabond as those dealers are close by. I use sealer so infrequently that anything I have around here would be useless. My middle sons KZ1000 leaks like a sieve around the cam plugs. If these work I'll get him some. They came highly recommended on the KZ forum is the only reason I'd spend that much for them. They tout them as a permanent fix for leaking plugs. The bike came with the old hard rubber plugs and it was leaking/seeping from the left front.

[robin1731]

The rubber ones work well. May just need new ones though on a 35-40 yr old bike. Can't say on the style you have. On the early models, 73 up to the J-model, they usually won't just "fit". You need to use a file and hit the end of the head in the area where those plugs go.

I do more KZ stuff than anything. In the middle of restoring a 76 for a guy right now. Just bought a 75 Z1 a couple weeks ago.

.

[jdvorchak]

Do you have shims that maybe you'd like to swap out? I'm not convinced that the 2.40 shim I'm buying will get me to the clearance I need. My smallest feeler gauge is .02 MM and it won't fit. Compression is good on #3 but as you know I want to be between .05 and .15 mm. The shim in there is a 2.50.

I'm kinda stoked about this one. I've had two kz750 and a kz550. That was one sweet bike. It would keep up with 750's all day long. Sold it to a new biker. Should have kept it. I know my son really wants to ride this one. But maybe I can swap him a Harley for the kz1100 for the day when I want to ride it.

I like the Kawi's but those intake boots with that silly spring clamp has me shaking my head most of the time. They seem to do everything pretty well. Good power and throttle response, mid range torque just keeps pulling hard and they handle like a much lighter bike. Brakes are as good as they get on a mid 80's metric. Pretty good bikes.

[jdvorchak]

I try to steer clear of the pre 1979 (pre 78 for Honda) bikes because of the points ignition. I'm not scared of points but I've found that they are expensive and quality parts are hard to source. Maybe I'm wrong, but that is my preference.