Hello from the Adirondacks in NY

Hey y’all,
Tim here, I’m a noob from the beautiful Adirondack mountains in Northern New York State. I’ve got 79 KZ400B in pretty good shape sold to me by a passionate old bike lover that felt it was time to move on. It’s not going to win any beauty pageants or drag races, but it’s a solid runner with tons of vibe. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and learn how to work on bikes from this era.
I’m also pro outdoor guide (fishing, hunting, backpacking, paddling, winter stuff… you name it). I’m always down to talk outdoor stuff and down to trade hunting and fishing tips for bike help! Anyway, I’m thrilled to be here and keep making progress with my KZ.
best,
Tim

Welcome. The KZ400s are cool, underappreciated bikes. The 1979 had the best looking tanks IMO. 
What are your plans? 

Hi Guy,
Yeah I agree in terms of looks and kz400s being under appreciated. I hadn’t necessarily set out to buy a classic kz400 but it kinda fell into my lap. The looks and simplicity are what sold me on it.
Initially I’m starting by getting the bike really well cleaned up and tuned. I’ll give the carbs a full rebuild and sync, check timing and points, change fork oil, lube everything that needs lube. Really anything that looks like it hasn’t been done in a while. The brake lines, disk/cal/pads and drum all seem to be in pretty good shape, so I’ll just monitor those and replace as needed. All the electrical works.
Aesthetically I’m torn between just cleaning the gunk/dust off the chassis and then letting the bike wear his 43 years of dents and nicks proudly. I actually kind of love the road wear and patina on it. I may also turn it into a resto project, but only getting it back to very clean, original looks. A only after he’s running like a top. I’ll share pics soon.
best,
Tim

Welcome. 
If the brakes have never been rebuilt they’ll need it regardless of how clean the fluid is in the reservoirs. Gunk builds up in the calipers and behind the piston seals that a fluid flush won’t get out.

Also, the adhesive that holds the friction material to the rear brake shoes deteriorates with age, regardless of use. It can look fine, then let go without warning. They are pretty cheap and not worth taking a chance on.
The routine maintenance chart in the service manual is an excellent list to follow to insure that everything is up to snuff. By performing all of those tasks, you will be sure that the bike is operating properly and safely. On a used bike, I would assume that none of the maintenance has ever been done, and proceed from there.

www.kz400.com/WorkshopManFrameset-5.html

A good strip and clean of the carbs is recommended. Probably dried gas residue in there. Use high E guitar string or stiff nylon brush bristle to poke all the tiny passages. Unless the jets are mangled keep them and clean them as they will be better than the lower quality ones found in carb kits. Replace the O rings as whats in there now are probably old and brittle.

When you get stuck into it there are lots of folk here who can point you to o ring and OEM jet suppliers.

 

Thank you all for the recommendations, especially the brake tips. The seller mentioned having a hard time finding certain rubber components for the caliper. Do y’all have any insights about caliper gaskets that are especially hard to find? It’s a 79 KZ400. Thanks again!

wrote:

Thank you all for the recommendations, especially the brake tips. The seller mentioned having a hard time finding certain rubber components for the caliper. Do y’all have any insights about caliper gaskets that are especially hard to find? It’s a 79 KZ400. Thanks again!

Ah yes, the unobtainable KZ400 caliper seal. I tried the very expensive eBay replacement  but am going to convert mine over to the EX500 caliper and Master. 

TexasKZ post=872038Also, the adhesive that holds the friction material to the rear brake shoes deteriorates with age, regardless of use. It can look fine, then let go without warning. They are pretty cheap and not worth taking a chance on.
The routine maintenance chart in the service manual is an excellent list to follow to insure that everything is up to snuff. By performing all of those tasks, you will be sure that the bike is operating properly and safely. On a used bike, I would assume that none of the maintenance has ever been done, and proceed from there.

www.kz400.com/WorkshopManFrameset-5.html

Wow, this service manual is VERY nice compliment to my Clymer manual. I’m pretty deep into the Clymer at this point and poked around of that website but hadn’t seen these manuals yet. Thanks a lot for sharing.

wrote:

wrote:

Thank you all for the recommendations, especially the brake tips. The seller mentioned having a hard time finding certain rubber components for the caliper. Do y’all have any insights about caliper gaskets that are especially hard to find? It’s a 79 KZ400. Thanks again!

Ah yes, the unobtainable KZ400 caliper seal. I tried the very expensive eBay replacement  but am going to convert mine over to the EX500 caliper and Master. 

No luck with the eBay replacement? I did see that out there… The seller told me at one point he found someone in Switzerland (I think?) that was custom making that seal. He even purchased a bunch of them, installed one, and lost the rest in a move across country. So it goes… I’ll be very curious how your conversion goes to the EX500 caliper. Thanks for all the info. 

Should fit to your KZ400 caliper, $24.00 USD

pyramid-parts.com/products/motorcycle-br...nd-seals-41mm-x-29mm

 

wrote:

Should fit to your KZ400 caliper, $24.00 USD

pyramid-parts.com/products/motorcycle-br...nd-seals-41mm-x-29mm

 

Wow that looks great, thanks!