Category: Motorcycle Blog Posts

The KZ frame is all set and prepped for paint. I was going to do a bright red on it, but decided a standard gloss black would be more appropriate.

Hats are necessary when close-quarters grinding so your hair doesn’t catch on fire. The frame is almost ready.

I’ve made the modifications I needed to make by cutting off the unwanted parts. Now its ready to be hit with the grinder and sanding blocks. Then wire wheeled and prepped for paint.

This is a stock 83 kz550 frame. I’m building a street tracker out of the bike. So the rear of the frame as well as most of the mounts have to go.

It takes quite a while to tear down a bike, take pictures of all the parts, post them for sale, and package them up for shipment. But it gets done. The nice weather helps.

The motor from the 1980 xs1100 on the left next to a freshly painted 1983 kz550 motor from a restoration I am currently working on.

I purchased 2 complete XS1100’s. This is the 1980 standard model. The motor has a bad rod bearing on the #2 cylinder. Seeing as it would be a lot of work to get this baby in good visible condition anyway, I am just parting it for spares.

A few bikes we have kicking around here. From left to right. A 77 XS400 that is up for sale. A CB650 that has just been sold. And an xs1100 that was just returned to life and will be being customized and restored over the next few weeks.