New from MI - 78 KZ1000 LTD

I bought a bike Kaplan was selling and it's nice but needs a little bit of work to return to stock. I'm not new to older bikes, as I've owned a 75 CB750 for 16 years and a 95 GSXR1100 for 17 years. My dad owned a 79 new and loved it but sold in the mid 80s when space said his 63 SWC Corvette or it had to go. He's really excited seeing one of these again and I'm happy to add this to the group. Oddly I'm not making the either or choice since you can see the C8 right behind it lol.

Basically it needs to have the almost immaculate body set from an A2A swapped for a LTD set. This is the wrong tank for the bike, but I think it will be easier to move on things as a body set versus just selling the tank and tail. The graphics are cleared over and the set is a 9/10 easily, maybe 9.5. I bought the repop tail and side covers from Z1 Enterprises, a restorable original 78 LTD tank, and a reproductiondecals set of the 78 correct red and silver pinstripes. After painting, which will include clearing over the new decals, I'll get fresh tank emblems too. The side cover emblems are like new and the right LTD ones it looks like, so I'll be moving those to the newly painted repop covers. The repop set came with new kz1000 decals and those will be included when I sell this nice but incorrect body set down the road. 

The other thing is getting a stock 78 LTD 4-2 Jardine exhaust, so I know that will take time. The Kerker works but I want the stock exhaust. If anyone can point me to NOS or a takeoff that's minty, I'm all ears! 

​​​​​The two photos with the gold decals is my bike, and the one with the proper pinstripes is the eventual goal!

Welcome to KZRider
 Nice bike 
I have a 78 LTD I purchased new
Where in Michigan are you ?
Some  of us get together a couple times a year to wrench and  hang out .
I fixed your pictures to be full size . Next time click the insert all tab to finish the install
Dave 

Here's mine 

Welcome from the UK

I'm in Grand Rapids but I'm in Detroit all the time for work. At least a week a month since I work for a Tier 1 Auto Supplier with headquarters there. I work on stuff pretty regularly as you can see from the dirty working garage I have lol. Neat to meet other owners relatively locally too!

I'm trying to get info on paying out a paint job for the tank, side covers and tail I acquired too, and I'd there's any recommendations for shops in Michigan, I'm game. I've done a lot of paint myself but I'm so busy with work I have more money to pay that than 20yos so when I was a teenager and had time more than money.

I just got a really nice stock exhaust from the UK too, seller was willing to add international shipping to the USA on request. I'm excited to get that going. The carbs were rejetted for the Kerker so I bought some rebuild kits to rejet back to stock. These pipes aren't even discolored a little and other than cleaning up the end cap of the baffles where welded (going to clean up then use engine paint in either a silver or black on the caps) from some slight surface rust, very, very clean at 47yo. Everywhere outside the baffles is extremely clean externally other than a little battery acid on the right side tarnishing the chrome that's hard to see when mounted and not any of the condition issues the exhausts I was finding at any price in the USA have.



​​​​​Hi to both of you and thanks for the warm welcome!

Finding a factory exhaust system in that condition anywhere in the world, at any price, is a major stroke of luck. If the Kerker system is as nice in person as it looks in the pictures, you should be able to sell it for a pretty penny.

By the way, you mentioned carb kits. Unless they are made up of genuine Mikuni parts or are from Keyster, I'd be really suspicious. There are off-brand kits out there with jets that are crap, and will give you fits.

Nice KZ1000A2 paint set,..i like this black-gold setup, i also have it on my A2...
The was a time over decades here in germany,  nobody want theese Jardin 4-2 exhaust system, every body was crackin` around with a 4-1, or original 4-2, or 900 4-4,
.(.. and when i remember, i think there was a report anywhere, that theese Jardin systems reduce some output horsepower..., but anyway, it´s an rare original, and in very good cond....and the styling is not nasty: Fine that you´ve got one to an adorable price!!!)