1982 KZ1300 rescue and rebuild

That looks good, Stan. Forgive my ignorance, but what practical benefit does it give?

It's supposed to act like a brace, making the handlebar more solid and prevent flexing. I suppose this can be true especially with heavy bikes and 7/8" bars instead of 1". Many off road bikes have this type of bar connecting the left and right handlebar sides already welded, so there is some science behind it. Similar to frame braces.

Also, I can attach a phone mount to it or GPS if I have it one day. At the moment maybe just a case for sunglasses or reading glasses. This bar I mounted I got from China and it is very well made despite being cheap.

Good day today! Took the bike for a spin and the odometer passed the 10,000 mark. I did about 1900 miles since the rebuild. It's like a reset now for a new bike, it will be easy to monitor the mileage.

The bike had been sitting for about 2 months, in an outdoor open parkade, with fuel in the carburetors. No ethanol gas - no problem! Removed one bowl and it was shiny like new. Checked the battery - 12.7 Volts! It held the charge great without any charging. I haven't done anything on the bike as planned, and I wanted to check the carburetor as I had a bit of irregular idling when hot before. I think it was due to the quality of fuel plus addition of perhaps too much Sea Foam and Marvel Mystery 0il. I drained that fuel from the tank leaving probably just a couple liters in, then added a gallon of fresh no ethanol gas. I also enriched the fuel mix by 1/2 turn. That's all!

The bike started pretty much the moment I pressed the 'run' button! Very very happy

I also replaced the black airbox cover with the correct chromed one on one side. Looks great! The bike is even one step closer to stock.

Speaking of horns, one of the first things I did to my very first street bike (Suzuki GT380) was to replace the anemic stock horn with an automotive unit (high tone of a high-low pair from a 1967 Mercury) controlled by a relay.

In today's world, Harbor Freight has a high-low pair of chromed plastic horns for, as I remember, $10. I mounted a set on my 1977 Datsun pickup, and they sound great, and LOUD.

Visibility and audibility are two of the strongest survival traits for a bike.

Richard

I love handlebars with cross-bars. I came into motorcycles through a dirt bike, so to me they represent durability. For the full effect, mount a foam pad to the cross-bar! I also love dog-leg levers, for much the same reason. My new front master cylinder came with a dog-leg lever, so I'm half the way there on the Kwak already.

I mounted Denali SoundBomb on my Vmax. Whoaaa!!! I will too on the 1300 but no money to purchase another one right now. Like I said, a single Goldwing horn seems louder than two of the KZ horns. I suppose, since both stock never worked! hahaha :woohoo: But it is exceptionally loud in comparison to other bikes stock.

Now, where do I mount that Denali on a 1300 to keep it looking good... Hmmm.. That answer will come I am sure by the time I wake up.
r
The sponge on the handlebar cross - I will pass on that! That would look like a cross country motocross bike. And I see no practical purpose for it. The bike needs to preserve it's majestic image, keep clean and clear lines. Too much extras and bling would make it look grotesque, out of place, over the top and cheap. The key is to keep it simple. Like too much make up on a woman does not make her look classy!

I did install that cross bar to have a mounting base for any extra gadgets I'd need. Maybe reading glasses holder, cell phone bracket, or credit card for quick access when refueling? Time will tell. It looks alright as is bare for now.