900ltd

What is the difference between a 1976 900ltd a and b or are they the same thing?

Several differences. The ‘76 Kz900 A is single disc front and drum rear, LTD or B1 has dual disc front that are trailing the forks and disc rear. Handle bars are different, mirrors, seat, fenders, mag wheels on the LTD vs spoke on the A. Tank size is smaller on the LTD. Rear seat stray is different. Basically the ‘76 LTD is a one year one of a kind in the 900cc family.

EDIT, factory exhaust is differ, the A is 4 into 4 and LTD is 4 into 2.

Ltd has a chrome chain cover & may have more chrome elsewhere, such as possibly the meter covers. ???

martin_csr wrote: Ltd has a chrome chain cover & may have more chrome elsewhere, possibly the meter covers. ???

Correct. And the headlight bucket is chrome and it mounts differently. Yes meter back shells are chrome.

Thanks. I was thinking probably the headlight bucket as well as the meter covers.

To the op, the 900A is the standard model. The Ltd is the B. and the same lettering was used to designate the later 70s 1000 models.

LTD colour was also different. It was red but the regular version was either brown or green. Front signals were on the handlebars and acted as running lights. There are so many differences it's probably easier to list what's common. Basically the frame and engine are the same.

hardrockminer wrote: . Basically the frame and engine are the same.

The LTD had a rear disk (the first one on a kawasaki I think?), so they welded a plate on the rear of the center frame triangle to hold the master cylinder. So the frames are mostly the same.

DOHC wrote:

hardrockminer wrote: . Basically the frame and engine are the same.

The LTD had a rear disk (the first one on a kawasaki I think?), so they welded a plate on the rear of the center frame triangle to hold the master cylinder. So the frames are mostly the same.

OK so they share the same engine's. LOL

martin_csr wrote: To the op, the 900A is the standard model. The Ltd is the B. and the same lettering was used to designate the later 70s 1000 models.

I'm guessing this is actually what OP was asking. The "B" model designates the LTD model of KZ900. The "A" model designates the standard 1976 KZ900. Kawasaki switched to this coding system in 1976. Each sub-model had a different letter followed by a number. For each year that a sub-model continued on, the number would increment.

So for the base model KZ1000 released in 1977.
1977 KZ1000-A1
1978 KZ1000-A2
1979 KZ1000-A3
1980 KZ1000-A4

Where the KZ1000 LTD was B1, B2, B3, B4 (77-80). And so on.

The "KZ900" name was only used for one year. From 73 to 75 it was called a "Z1". Looking at the parts diagrams it shows a 1976 KZ900-A4. This would suggest that Kawasaki retroactively applied their letter-number system to the Z1 when they changed the name to Kz900. The LTD sub-model was new for 1976, so it got the "B1" designation.

Simply put.
B models are LTD's which have 16" rear wheels.
A models are the stock KZ style with 18" rear wheels.
There's other differences but that's the straight answer to your question without adding confusion.