'78 KZ1000 makeover

i copper coat base and head gaskets usually.
unless i have some kind of a good reason not to.
like the gasket has sealer made into/onto it.

nice progress keep up the good work.

leon

Thanks for the kind words my friends Considering Leon has built a bajillion engines, Josh is every bit as picky as I am and powerstrokes' experience, I think I'll get a can of copper coat. The last thing I need is oil leaking on my brand new bike!

Now Leon, is the copper frame so terrible? I know it's not black, but it's gotta be a close second

OK, pistons on:



I did copper coat the base gasket, and will likely treat all the gaskets the same.

Then went on the cylinder, which by the way, was a PITA. I put the head on just to keep it closed up. I did lay the tank back on it to see how it would look.



I didn't take pictures, but I replaced the center cam chain roller in the block and its rubber dampers with new OEM parts. I also replaced the rubber tensioner roller and the front plastic rubbing block with OEM parts as well as the idler gear rubber dampers. I did not replace the idler gears, as they seemed to be in good condition with no slop and smooth bearings.

The head is going to come apart so that I can replace the valve springs and stem seals. While its apart, I will clean up the intake ports a little and smooth out the exhaust a touch. Just blend things in a little, nothing crazy or drastic.

Tomorrow I'll put the subframe and battery box on, then it'll look more like a complete motorcycle.

man i don't know what to think about all this progress :evil: !

dayum son you been getting some work done.it's almost like you are planning on finishing this project up or sumthin :whistle: .

yeah the copper is better than blue,red,yellow,or green thats for sure.

it kinda goes with the forks too ...

leon

we are watching you sir ...

Looking great!

I tend to use copper spray on anything cometic on my automotive projects, and have had good luck. I think the trick is really in surface prep but your work looks immaculate so I would bet you will have zero problems once this beast is assembled.

Looking good! Those tear drop nuts do seem to vanish without a trace. The ones my buddy made look exactly like yours.

Things are starting to come together, looking sharp!

Beautiful!

Very nice ,at first i thought the copper was a little odd. With it assembled it realy looks great. blends with the forks well also looks bad ass with the swing arm (nice work) , whats the size of the engine?

Trust me, the frame color was a gamble! :whistle: Thanks for the compliments too The engine is an otherwise stock 1075.

I was dead to the world yesterday, and didn't set foot in the garage. Today I'll get that subframe and a kickstand on the bike and drag her out into the street for another pic.

like pics with the sub frame and tailpiece sitting on it maybe ? :evil:

leon

531blackbanshee wrote: like pics with the sub frame and tailpiece sitting on it maybe ? :evil:

leon

Maybe Leon....just maybe...

The ugly left side (the tank that is)



Right rear view


Right side view



I did not modify the kickstand or the mount in any way, and the amount of lean on the kickstand isn't far from stock. Overall I'm pleased