Big Zed Build Thread......

[KTMboy]

Right, with all this spare time on my hands I thought I’d crack on with my big zed build and see if I can muster the patience to do a build thread as I progress....

The plan is turn this badly modified 1980 KZ1000G



In to something like this.....

[anonymous-user]

This sounds like a great idea good luck! Will be watching with interest, the bottom bike looks brilliant

[KTMboy]

This is the plan:

1. De-tab and powder coat frame - done by previous owner
2. Strip the top end and fit new pistons & rings, cam chain tensioners etc
3. Rebuild the head
4. Media blast the engine and enamel the whole thing satin black with perhaps a couple of silver casings
5. Mikuni RS34s and Kerker 4 into 1
6. ZR1000 Showa BP forks and triple clamps, bottom yoke with custom machined stem to fit in KZ Headstock
7. ZR1000 front wheel, radial callipers and braided hoses
7. Massive JMC braced swinging arm and decent shocks
8. ZR1000 rear wheel and rear brake
10. ZR1000 handlebars and controls
11. Digital Dashboard
12. Total rewire using M-Unit, LED lights and indicators
13. New seat
14. Genuine Z900 tail piece and side panels
15. Fancy pants paint job
16. Lots of stainless fasteners.....

[anonymous-user]

KTMboy said:

This is the plan:

1. De-tab and powder coat frame - done by previous owner
2. Strip the top end and fit new pistons & rings, cam chain tensioners etc
3. Rebuild the head
4. Media blast the engine and enamel the whole thing satin black with perhaps a couple of silver casings
5. Mikuni RS34s and Kerker 4 into 1
6. ZR1000 Showa BP forks and triple clamps, bottom yoke with custom machined stem to fit in KZ Headstock
7. ZR1000 front wheel, radial callipers and braided hoses
7. Massive JMC braced swinging arm and decent shocks
8. ZR1000 rear wheel and rear brake
10. ZR1000 handlebars and controls
11. Digital Dashboard
12. Total rewire using M-Unit, LED lights and indicators
13. New seat
14. Genuine Z900 tail piece and side panels
15. Fancy pants paint job
16. Lots of stainless fasteners.....

I'm keen to see how this pans out, I have always wanted to undertake a similar project but wouldn't know where to start

[Janluke]

Great, looking forward to this.

I have a very mildly modified Zed that we rebuilt

from this



to this

[littlebasher]

Can you imagine trying to kick that over!

[Stevemr]

Will be watching this with interest, having rebuilt a few Z1s
Couple of thoughts, re the engine, think about wiseco 1075 kit, gives useful extra power not so much cos of the extra capacity but also raises compression
Frame -I am not sure what the slightly later frames are like, but if it’s at all like the Z1 frame then brace it! If you don’t, it won’t matter what suspension you put on it won’t handle. You used to be able to kits, which you can use as a guide, but at very least you need tubes tying three top tubes together, tube across down tubes under exhausts and tube across rear frame tubes above swing arm. That’s a minimum really!
Swing arm, you don’t need it bracing, it’s just extra weight really. You’ll never get the frame stiff enough that it will help! I had a jmc swing arm on my last one, looked lovely, but they were awful to deal with! If you are going to get one, read my thread on Z 1 owners club first, search jmc swingarm z1 owners club. Unless they have seriously improved I would not use them again!

[KTMboy]

Yeah, won’t be doing any of that... I’m not planning on racing it....🏍

Already got the JMC.....fantastic piece of 80s go-fastery and completely over the top...

[Stevemr]

Fair enough. I think a nicely modified Zed is the best looking bike ever made! Wish I still had mine! Will follow with interest.

[KTMboy]

I’ve faffed about since last summer working out what i would do with this bike. Originally I’d planned just to lightly restore it, but then it became clear just how badly bodged it had been over the years, plus it had low compression on No 3, so I thought a full resto was in order. Then I thought I’d lightly mod it, with bigger forks and 18 inch wheels from the later Police models, so I bought all that stuff and got started. Then I realised that just how boring it is stripping paint off stuff ready to be repainted etc, so I though bugger it, I’m going to go full restomod.

I picked up a few parts and mocked up the rolling chassis....

[KTMboy]

Some of the nice things I found as I stripped it down.....

Firstly the wiring has been butchered and lots of melting going on.... full rewire from scratch will be required.

[gareth_r]

littlebasher said:

Can you imagine trying to kick that over!

You're only kicking over one little 250cc cylinder at a time.

[KTMboy]

Progress today......stripping the black paint from the engine .... horrible job....



Enamelled the sprocket cover

[mygoldfishbowl]

Shame that's a G and not a LTD or I would have made you a very sensible offer for the exhausts. I'm doing a 78 LTD at the moment and I like my old bikes to look original and used, but I have not been able to find a useable pair of exhausts yet.

Good luck with your project.

[Stevemr]

That looks superb. If you don’t mind, how did you strip it and what paint are you using. Will be starting my own little project shortly, for the same reasons, can’t ride it at the moment. Engine is black and needs a bit of TLC!

[KTMboy]

VHT paint stripper

Dremel wire brush

VHT engine primer - 2 coats - no more

VHT engine enamel - 2 coats - no more

Paint oven 100c for 30 mins

[Stevemr]

Thanks. Ugh lot of work!

[KTMboy]

Got all the paint off the engine, and noticed a few things to attend to before I get busy with the masking tape:

1) Took the oil filter out to change it and there was a lot of oily sludge in the bottom - reckon I’ll have to drop the sump pan and clean the bottom end and oil pump out
2) noticed a few of the seals were weeping on gearbox cover, so I’ve taken the cover off to pop some new seals in..... there was plenty of oily sludge in there too .... hoping I don’t ever have to delve deeper than this .....

[Wildfire]

I'd love a Z1000! My dad had a Z1000 LTD import when I was a kid but sadly it was lost in a fire.

[KTMboy]

As suspected plenty of sludge in the bottom of the sump, plenty of lumps of old gasket and silicone but luckily nothing metallic....



15 mins in the parts washer soon cleaned it up..... stripped the oil pump and chucked that in too....



So the plan is to enamel the main engine casing aluminium silver and then all the separate engine casings, the block, head and valve cover a nice black.... with new gaskets all round.....