Hello Everybody! :)

Being a new member to the site I figured I should probably introduce myself as I have already lurked A LOT of threads lately for information which has been VERY VERY helpful.

My name is Tylyr (yes, spelt like that) and I just picked up my first "real" bike , being a KZ440.



It's a project as of right now. When I first picked it up it ran.. very sluggishly.. the motor has 60,000+ on it. It leaked TONS of oil, the clutch was slipping, the bike just had a ton of issues which is expected with used items. ( as well as age being a factor too) but when the price is fair you can't say no lol. When we checked the compression we had 115 and 95. I managed to pick up a parts bike for cheap with a ton of other parts from another parts bike haha. I sifted my way through 4 harnesses to find one that was decent enough to replace the hacked up on that was on the bike.



We swapped a bunch of parts over from the parts bike, including a newer style clutch eliminating the old flawed design with the 12" pushrod lol. We also swapped a bunch of covers for the engine, sprockets, and some other stuff. Made all new gaskets by hand, pain in the ass but worth it being able to put everything back together the same day instead of waiting 2+ weeks for the gasket kit. After doing some adjustments we got the compression to 150 per side and it runs great now. I'm currently stripping it back down to do some welding on the frame and fix some of the previous owners mistakesm here is how she sits till the AM when I finish the tare down.

Welcome
Steve

Welcome. Bobbers aren't my thing and these types of projects usually end up either parted out or scrapped by those that don't have enough knowledge or motivation. Nice to see you are making a great effort to save this one from the scrapper.

I like the rough stripped down rat look though. The ammo box is a nice touch. Was it just storage or did it serve another function?

It takes a brave soul to dive into an abandoned project. Good on you.
Do you have plans for a small rear fender? A large bump might move you off the seat enough to wear a hole in you pants, or worse. :blink:
The rest of the time, the tire will be flinging crap from t he street onto your back, making puddles especially fun. Just a thought.

Welcome
Steve

Thanks!!

Welcome. Bobbers aren't my thing and these types of projects usually end up either parted out or scrapped by those that don't have enough knowledge or motivation. Nice to see you are making a great effort to save this one from the scrapper.

I like the rough stripped down rat look though. The ammo box is a nice touch. Was it just storage or did it serve another function?

Thanks, we all have our "cup of tea" so to speak. I have seen quite a few end up parted/scrapped and it's always a sad sight. I do plan to "revive" her so she is far away from the scrapper! I want to stick with a stripped down/ratty look if I can but my OCD might tidy a lot of things up. The ammo box was just storage but I have been thinking about using it for something else.

It takes a brave soul to dive into an abandoned project. Good on you.
Do you have plans for a small rear fender? A large bump might move you off the seat enough to wear a hole in you pants, or worse. :blink:
The rest of the time, the tire will be flinging crap from t he street onto your back, making puddles especially fun. Just a thought.

haha, never know what type of can of worms we are opening until we start. I do plan to make a shorty fender for the rear for those exact reasons as well as legal reasons. I want to keep it ratty but still legal to avoid as much hassle as I can.