mfats123
88254
1132
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The bike (1983 Kawasaki KZ550) was bought for $100 off of a neighbor who left it outside for about 10-15 years. Covered in bird crap, sap, rust, and filled with gunk. Only ran 500 miles and then sat.
Engine cleanup and stuff
Frame Painted and things taken for powder coating, wheels balanced, new tires, new shocks
Sorting out wiring issues
Pretty rusty
Front Brake Rebuild
Carburetor cleaning and rebuild
More carbs
Second carb rebuild lol
Re-sealing the forks
Good compression on all cylinders
Coming together!
Seat re-upholstered by yours truly
Finished https://youtu.be/79sZ3r05XJo
TShooter59
Good job on the restore. Now, learn the physics behind the machine, and live to tell the stories. https://youtu.be/pagriJOuH0g
HeadJamistan
Was expecting it to be made into a dining room table or a wooden pallet.
thisspecieshasamuzeditselftodeath
Replace fork bushings along with seals whenever possible. Youre already there and parts are readily available.
shiftdi3s3l
Someone get this man a set of Kawasaki decals.
morgdog
Neat
Ihatethenumber27
Love working on my little bike - would be awesome to do up an old project like this! Gorgeous job OP!
mrc11196811
Amazing work, love the attention to detail
ScratchyFaceMcScruffyBeard
If you don't paint thay purple and install an enormous Vetter fairing on that thing you're wrong.
inzane
My friend had a Honda CB750, one of the counterparts to these. How does it feel when the ground trembles after starting it?
mfats123
Pretty good lol its a big machine
acooper322115
I bought my best friends brothers 07 Harley Sportster he bought brand new and let it sit outside for ten years. Was in suprisingly good cond
acooper322115
Was 1000 bucks. I've spent another 900 ish in fixing little things wrong with it
AssGrapez
Fantastic job
xecs78
Ever seen One Week? Do that! Minus the cancer part of course
Clunky66
Good job man
rainnbowwarrior
oh my gosh! just got myself an old Honda CB to restore, but I have zero experience. so inspiring to see your restoration!
mfats123
Very similar bike! Theres tons of resources out there. Good luck!
jenileabedelia
That’s heartbreaking somebody did that. But it looks amazing!! Great job!!
withfrigginlasers
My first bike was a LTD 440. Great bike. Drill some holes in the back of the muffler for a smidge more cheap power.
EvilPoptart85
Awesome... I’m about to do the same thing to a Moto guzzi v7 sport
MongoOnlyPawnInGameOfLife
Very nice!
mfats123
Thanks!
thenamesAussieDrAussie
Cool, but remember, finished product first please, thanks and sweet ride!
Zipppit
Is that jake Paul
ssttyygg
I love a good bike restoration. I have it on the cards to do one day. Respect to you my man. That looks awesome!
domain951
Now ride it across a continent
Cozziechov
Now I have this idea in my head
iamlegendinjapan
That would be painful
thomar524
Yeah ride it across Antarctica
mfats123
Maybe ill ride it to the bahamas
ensensu
You'd need a boat with a paddlewheel that the tire can turn.
catskhiker
Nice....I paid $450 to have my seat re-upholstered alone.
KeiraWalker
You brought that thing back from the dead, man. Are you a wizard? I think you're a wizard.
walterPPK
Undeniably cool. Blacking out the chrome was a smart choice. You might want a front wheel fender for bad weather, though.
flintsky10
Smart as in good looking or smart for some purpose? Easier to prevent rust?? I prefer the chrome but it's very slick
walterPPK
Smart as in repairing the chrome properly would be expensive and get ruined in a couple of months use anyway.
mfats123
Thanks! And I had it painted but its all scratched now so i have to fix that first
withfrigginlasers
I left my front fender off when it got bent. Then it rained. Never again.
RenaissanceFaireMan
There's a fender in #1.
Baldgorilla
Spitfire in the background?
mfats123
Nailed it
spitfires2000
What?
Svalcati
Triumph Spitfire car
spitfires2000
Oh...
ChernoGamma
well that explains why he needs a complete workshop at home
MerToo
lawl could have been worse, coulda had a Cortina
hillarydufflebag
I have a Cortina :(
MerToo
Lots of people still have a Cortina in 2018! They're just a pain to mow under =)
hillarydufflebag
Hahahah so true. There aren’t many in the US though :/
TheFlyingB
Stagg acoustic in the background?
mfats123
Ibanez
TheFlyingB
Didn't nail it.
mfats123
beachbum273
DUDE. Was that a hot start or did it literally pop off after a half second, cold?
beachbum273
Gotta be hot, right? I didn't see choke.
mfats123
Yes hot start. But cold with choke usually doesnt take more than one turnover
mfats123
Its still a really tight engine
beachbum273
Sounds just like my old EX500. Shiny side up!
biblioteker
Condition of the tank, internally? How much rust was there, and were there any rust-through places that had to be fixed?
mfats123
Tank was destroyed i had to get a new one and make it work
biblioteker
Yeah, figured. Kawi tanks are usually shit and made of thinner steel than Yamahas. Good job with the resto, how many miles on it now?
mfats123
530
biblioteker
I resto'd an '82 KZ1100A3 that was in generally good shape, but it just couldn't get up & go like an 1100 should have been able to. Carbs.
LesLesVegetables
Gorgeous work! How much altogether? If you don't mind me asking.
CrispyJerky
Him or the bike?
mfats123
Money or time?
KoreanJesus
Both!
mfats123
I didnt keep track but id guess about 2000 total over the course of about a year of on and off work. It was a learning experience for sure!
astronomyisfun
2000 hours? holy shit and i thought i invested a lot of time into csgo
dothedu
No $2000
EllieAltie
Yep and a year of off and on money!