New member, New rider. KZ Q's

[toates89]

I am a New member and new soon to be rider. But I am not new to Forums. i understand how the whole search before ask goes, but i have many question and need specific opinions.

here is the current situation. Some one i know is selling an 81 kz440 ltd. it has 9300 miles. but has been sitting in a garage for 15 years. who the hell knows where the title is, but i know a couple people in the dmv so i think i can pull some strings and pass it as self made or unique crap and get it registered(i dont mind if i have a title i just want to ride). The bike is being sold for a buck 50.

cosmetically its alright, a new seat(i will just recover the current one) and some metal polish and it would look great. the paint is great, no dents or dings, but the metal has oxidize on the rims and engine.



long i know but i will be getting to the point soon

Mechanically it needs minor work like clutch cable needing to be hooked up brake cable needing to be hooked up. wiring needs to be sorted(luckily the previous owner labeled each wire) and carbs need to be put on.

so i plan on cleaning the carbs and wiring it and getting it started.

so here comes the questions.

What other bikes with more available parts have interchangable parts?
how will the 440 fair with a 180lb rider? i am also 6'2" how will it fair height wise?
as far as missing parts all i need to do is pick up two rebuild kits for the carbs and find an exhaust(what years and models will fit?)

thanks and greetings

[AlexP1289]

the only thing i know is that if u cant find an OEM exhaust is u'll be looking at a jet kit for the carbs and a hefty 3-5 times cleaning them so get used to that. fifteen years is going to need a lot of cleaning brake cleaner will desolve a lot of junk (i found that out using it on the engine and all) Z1 is ur best bet for parts. also in most states all u need for a bike that old is a bill of sale with ur signature and the previous owners. u will also be needing a clymer repair manual. once again Z1 sells those this is a must have u can do everything your self no need to pay any one any thing.

z1enterprise.com

PM me with any technical questions

[toates89]

i didnt mention alot.

this will be my first bike, i am 19 and work mainly on cars.

the bike is coming with a clymer.
new batter(acid hasnt been added)
new tires
new lines
tank needs to be lined but not flakey mainly just surface

engine does turn over
as far as the carbs the owener bummed the four carb bowl screws for his other bike so i looked inside and it was varnish free but i still would like to clean the entire thing. i have worked on carbs(my 89 wrangler) hopefully they arent as prone to vac leaks as the 89 yj was.

and also i would be caught dead before i brought it to a shop.

looking worst case senario the bike will need:
carbs cleaned
master rebuilt(the bike has been leaning on the lever for 5 years, i have a feeling it is siezed
ignition work, i have a feeling this is why it sat, probally lost spark and was left to die

exhaust: i am not looking for aftermarket just anything that will fit and be cheap. this is a low cost project

chain needs a new master link any ideas?

this is gunna be my winter project for the upcoming spring.

[toates89]

so i was thinking maybe just buy some headers and go with glass packs, any opinions

[StarGate]

Go to kawasaki.com > owner info > parts diagram and use the part # cross ref for your bike to see what parts were used on other year models.

Keep an eye on ebay or hit up some bike salvage yards for an exhaust. Sounds like a good winter project. I'm looking for a project bike like that myself for this winter.

[Nessism]

Your attitude sounds right about the bike; do all the maintenance up front before attempting to put the bike on the road.

A full carb tear down and soak in carb dip is in order. Replace the small o-rings but keep the stock jets - aftermarket carb kits are questionable many times in terms of quality of the brass bits.

Full brake system tear down is also needed - also, replace the stock rubber lines since they will be full of scale on the inside. You can make your own teflon/stainless lines from Earl's parts for cheap, or go to Z1 Enterprises for some Goodrich lines.

If you have the stock headpipes for your exhaust, it shouldn't be too hard to graft on some Harley mufflers. Many Harley shops will let you have some for next to nothing since about 99.9% of all Harleys are running aftermarket pipes. Main thing is to keep the bike with the same amount of back pressure or you will have to fiddle with carb jetting - major pain.

Good luck.

[toates89]

thats my main issue right now. the bike comes with zero exhaust componets.

but as nessism points out, my main goals is getting it running and saftey first.

then comes new bars. i am not a fan of the pull backs.

i am not looking to get huge performance gains out of this bike, but getting it back to close to orignal performance numbers would be nice, how about open air elements

[Nessism]

Originally Posted by toates89

thats my main issue right now. the bike comes with zero exhaust componets.

but as nessism points out, my main goals is getting it running and saftey first.

then comes new bars. i am not a fan of the pull backs.

i am not looking to get huge performance gains out of this bike, but getting it back to close to orignal performance numbers would be nice, how about open air elements

Ebay is the place for parts. Exhaust systems come up fairly often but I'm not familar with what interchanges on your model. Again, if you can get the head pipes, mufflers can be grafted on.

If you have the stock airbox I strongly suggest you use it. Pod air filters are a pain because you will have to rejet the carbs because the air restriction is changed. Pods are also not that great in the wind or rain. Some people are freaked out by the airbox thus they make the change, but I'm against it in general. Of course, if your bike does not have the airbox that changes the story.

Good luck.

[toates89]

its official its currently is sitting in my garage. and my mother is officially ****ed. either me or the bikes goes. go figure