New Member.

Hi.
I'm new here, but not new to motorcycles. Mid 50s guy, CNC machinist/programmer. My first bike was a 1984 GPz750 bought brand new n 84 at the age of 18. I've had a few H2s, and a few GS 1100 suzukis (dragbikes, hence the name) and a few other streetbikes (FZR1000, Hayabusa). I currently have a Yamaha FZ1 as my rider, and am finishing a restoration on an 85 Yamaha RZ350.

Oddly, I've never had a big Z series.

While looking at facebook marketplace the other day I was targeted as someone who would like to buy a shitty 1982 Lawson Replica, and of course I was. I was so interested I bought it. It is one of the (many) bikes I've wanted since it was released, so I kinda had to buy it. Its pretty rough. but it has good bones.

It has a 1170 kit, I cant determine manufacturer, it also has a ported head, oversize stainless valves, 410 lift megacycle cams, manual tensioner, 33 mm mikunis, calfab arm

15K mi. Last on the road in 1995.

It also has some broken fins on cylinder block and 1 on head. I have already dissasembled head and welded a fin on, it came out pretty decent. I'll fix the ones on the block in the next couple days.

My plan is to go through the engine and repair anything dodgy, The crank seems fine judging by the way the rod side clearance feels. I'll also powder coat frame before engine is reinstalled, then refurbish components as they are put back on bike. I'd like to add more period hot rod parts to the build so I will be looking for dymags and works/fox shocks as money becomes available, it is a little far gone to me for a perfect showroom restoration, I'm also a hot rodder by nature, so it'll never go back to stock as long as I own it.

I also have a 1986 GSXR750 limited edition (dry clutch bike) that was next on the list of project bikes, but it seems that it got bumped...

Welcome to KZRider and thanks for doing a proper introduction .
BUT WE still need pictures !!!!!!!!
Welcome again
Dave

Let’s try this

I fixed all your pictures for you .
Next time hit the insert / insert all button and they will all appear as they are supposed to
Dave

Welcome to the group of KZ fanatics!!!

Nice collection of two wheel toys. Love your shop too!!! Sounds like you can handle about anything when it comes to building and restoring bikes. I would kill for a shop like that. Its rare to find another member with a GSXR750 LTD too!!! Had mine since I bought it in a crate back in '86. Hope all of your dry clutch friction plates are in good shape??? For what they are worth, they should be made of real gold!!!!

There are all kinds of goodies out there to build a ELR into a S1 clone. All it takes is $$$$$$$$$ Yea I hear you on putting a bike like that back to a stock condition. I always looked at a new bike as a blank piece of canvas, and it was just a starting point to what I could build out of it!!!!! PLEASE just don't put any of those funky looking wave brake rotors on your ELR!!!!

Looking forward to be watching your progress on your ELR project!!!!

Don't have a ELR, but I do have a GSXR750 LTD like you!!!!

Come on Bob
Post a picture of your Kaw Racer ,,, Bike of the Year
Or I will have to
Dave

Street Fighter LTD wrote: Come on Bob
Post a picture of your Kaw Racer ,,, Bike of the Year
Or I will have to
Dave

OK, if you insist on a photo of my Superbike.

Maybe I should post photo of my old S1 I stupidly sold back in '88 instead.

OK S 1 too
Its even on topic

Street Fighter LTD wrote: OK S 1 too
Its even on topic

OK here we go!!!!!

My ELR (S1) I sold years ago before they were worth what they are today!!!!!


Funny thing, the Superbike I built was faster around a race track than my S1!!!

That is a beautiful Mk11. I’m a big fan of those as well. I’ve seen that LE on Facebook recently, I’m also a member of the LE group.

The VW in the background is an all motor street driven Vw powered car, it’s been on the verge of going 10s. It’s one of the quickest of its kind on the planet. If you look up Anthony Consorte on YouTube there are a bunch of videos of it.

The pile of parts I have already, I should be building a Suzuki. But when I saw the ELR for sale I knew I hard to buy it. It was ridiculously cheap, and it’s a bike I’ve already accepted years ago that I was priced out of buying. I literally dropped everything and went and got it, kinda like when my dry clutch engine showed up a couple years ago. The train was leaving the station, if I wasn’t on board it would never stop again.

I’ve had a few katanas, I’ve bought and sold a couple builders. They don’t do anything for me anymore,. So what would I build? I don’t want another dragbike, so that kinda eliminates 1150s. I don’t care for 80/81 E model. So that leaves an 83 ES... and I just haven’t been getting wound up about them. I recently almost bought an 83 750 ES to stuff an 1127 gsxr engine into and make a restomod out of.
I have a ton of Suzuki spares, a complete engine and 83 chassis in parts minus suspension, including a bassani pipe. The bassani is what is killing me, like I need to build a bike around that exhaust.

I am a machinist because I started working in a machine shop doing assembly and wiring work 30 years ago and while watching how things are made decided that would be a good way to get the skill set to build the stuff I saw in my head. It turned into a career. I have to do everything myself, I can’t afford to pay anyone to do stuff for me, lol

Couple old bikes

I like what you say about becoming a machinist. And having to make everything yourself. When I was building my Superbike, I became friends with an old time machinist who owned a machine shop. That was back in the late 70's when I could afford his prices!!!! Later on he looked forward to making my projects. It kept his son and him busy between jobs. He joked that I basically paid for his summer house he built on the lake front!!!! Since the 90's if it wasn't for a good friend who started doing machining in his garage, I could no longer afford all the fancy parts on my bikes. Plus I found a welder extraordinaire who again I became friends with, and my welding prices dropped almost in half!!!! Later on when I brought him customers, I would go to pay him, and he would tell me, don't worry about it, the customer you brought me paid your bill!!!!

Ever since Cook Neilson of Cycle magazine back in the mid 70's said that when you find a welder or a machinist that will drop everything to do your project on Friday night so you could go racing on Saturday. You bring him a bottle of his favorite liquor no matter the price on his birthday, and for Christmas!!!! That is one rule I still follow to this day!!!!