Home
Welcome to my little Kawasaki KZ750 Twin info site.
To get started, click on any of the categories at the right side of the page or the links at the top of the page. Or if you need to find something more specific (like “service manuals”), use the search at the top right.
Enjoy! …and thanks for stopping by…
hi there! im hoping you can shed some light on this for me. i have an 83 kz750-k1 twin. It is in awesome condition and i love it. the problem im having is id like to find a drivers back rest for it to compliment the forward pegs i put on it. i cant seem to find any universal back rests either. If you know of anything that would help me out it would be greatly appreciated! thank you for your time, Joe Henning
@Joe
I’m afraid I won’t be much help in that regard either. With the ’83, you already have a mildly stepped seat I think, so there wouldn’t be much room for a back rest. However, I’ve seen luggage racks in the past that have like a sissy bar / backrest that had the ability to slide way forward. You might have to find one and adapt it! Or invent one, and sell them…
Make sure to drop by the Kawasaki Twins Owners Forum and ask that question there… maybe somebody who has one of those later models will know better than me…
heard you have vailable factory service manual for my unavailable bike. kz 750 ltd k-1, 1983. if this is so how can i proceed. trying to get on the road and now wityh spark and compression, it only leaves carb clean and maybe rebuild. they are mikuni bs34.
thanks for your time if nothing else.
KELLEY
@ kelley
Take a look over on the right side of the page, under Categories, Reference, Manuals. Or just click here:
http://kz750twins.com/?p=15
I hope that helps! And make sure to look under the “Forums” category too, and stop by the “KTOF” and we’ll help get you taken care of there!
Are you interested in any stock parts for 750???
Hi;
Just reading an article that I found at the mikuni carb web site.(Ian williams tuning). Its the basic principal of the cv carbs. It says if your pilot air screw is on the back of the carb it make the mixture richer if it is turned in. if its on the front of the carb , when turned in it makes the mixture leaner.
Is this correct?
This may sound really stupid, But. Which is the front of the carb, the air intake at the filter side or the air outlet at the manifold side.
@ Joe
…that’s funny. I assume that by “front”, mean the *functional* front, not the facing front. Either way, on the 750 twin, if you turn the pilot screw *in*, you are making it run more lean. Turning it *out* makes it more rich.
Hi, I have a 76 B1 and need a rotar and the starter gear, can you help?
thanks.chris
@Chris
Sorry, but I don’t have any spares of those parts. I’m sure you’ve already been trolling eBay for these parts. The only other options for such non-aftermarket parts are to ask in forums like KTOF or to find specific “breakers”/ “junkyards” with websites. Of course, maybe someone will see this and chime in to help out…
The commenter “gerry” above left an email address, I can send him a message and provide him your email address if you wish (I won’t do it without your approval), but I am in no way affiliated with him, nor do I wish to be involved in any transactions.
Hi there,
I think we chatted last year via the 440 forum. Couple of things; what do you recommend to do to winterize your bikes? i pull out the battery, drain the float bowls, spray some storage spray in the cylinders and put stabil in the fuel tank. Any thing else you can think of? Thanks.
Other question is, I have a KZ900 that I’m trying to get rid of. When I do I’m thinking of searching for a csr 750. My wife and I have 2 new motorcycles but we love the old 440 and I figure if I had a 750 that we could ride those bikes together more often. Any ideas where I could find a good one? Thanks, Andrew
@Andrew
Hi! I pretty much do what you did for winterization. I also lower tires to 15-20 lbs, put them up on centerstands and wood blocks, and put old wewlcome mats under the tires. I put about a tbls or so of motor oil in the plug holes. And, I almost always change the oil before the winter nap. I also do a few situational variations. For instance, I left the tank on one bike (with Sta-Bil-ized fuel) for rapid summer restoration, but otherwise I usually take the tank down to my relatively low-humidity basement with 2-cycle oil or something sloshed around inside. Of course, I toss and replace my fuel lines and filters every year too.
As for finding a CSR, I’m afraid I can’t me much help. But getting rid of a 900? I hope you’re not expecting 900-like performance…
Hello
I am looking for nos engine parts for a kz 750 b1.
If anybody have some please email me
Thanks
Philippe
@Philippe
The security of the site does not allow your email address to be exposed to other visitors, but if anyone sends me a note, I’ll pass it along to you.
In the meantime, make sure to check out the The KTOF site, where many fellow twin owners might be able to help you out:
http://www.armbell.com/forum/index.php?mforum=kz400
Ok, I give up!
What are ‘ReCoil kits” that you purchase from Maryland Metrics??
I looked around Maryland Metrics, tried searching with Google, and came up empty. Read about them on your 400 page.
Just curious
@ Steell
Ah… maybe I’ll make the links more specific on my other site page. But for now, here are some more specific links:
The Recoil-specific page at MDMetric:
http://mdmetric.com/recoil.htm
The pdf about the kits:
http://mdmetric.com/rec42_44.pdf
The kit came with a few inserts, and the tool parts, and instructions. You need to use your own drill, but they tell you which size. With 4 bikes, I ran out of the provided inserts after stripping out more than a few float bowl screws. My tip to you in that regard: insist on only Recoil-brand inserts, not a generic replacement. There *is* a difference.
It’s an awesome kit; cheap and effective….
I hope that helps!
Ah, I see!
You are one of the wire insert people, while I am a member of the bushing insert tribe
Hmm, link disappeared, I probably messed it up.
http://www.timesert.com/
I need some major help. I was recently given a frame and motor for a ’79 KZ750 Twin. I am wondering what wiring I need to do in order to get it started? When my budget allows I will be doing more but for now I just want to be able to start the engine to see how it runs.
@ Nathaniel
Hmm… not 100% sure… but if I had to guess, I’d say you need switched power to the coil from a battery, ground for the frame/engine… I guess you could do a “total loss” system for a while, anyway…
I encourage you to head over to the KTOF to ask the question there…
http://www.armbell.com/forum/index.php?mforum=kz400
I recently purchased a 78 kz 750 twin. The rear brake light only comes on with the foot brake, can anyone tell me if this is a normal function or is the hand brake also supposed to light the brake light. I hate to take it for its inspection only to find out it wont pass due to this problem. Thank you for your time.
@Tim –
That is definitely not normal I’m afraid, and will certainly fail any inspection…
There should be a little pressure switch unit mounted on the fork “triple tree” that is inline with the front brake line. It detects when the pressure rises enough to trigger the brake light to come on. Unfortunately, sometimes people replace the front brake line with a single piece of brake line and bypass this switch (not a good idea!!), so check that. Or, it could be that the two wires that connect the switch to the harness have been damaged or come unattached.
Good luck! And please joins us at the KTOF (see link above)…
Thanks I appreciate it. Will have to check that out
Hi, this is a re post of a question I asked on Kzrider.com, they encouraged me to look at / ask on your site.
Thanks
First off, I have a 1982 KZ750 csr-m1 (the twin)
with about 20k miles on the odometer and a slight oil leak out of one of the gaskets (very slight, maybe 1 litre per 400 miles)It always ran pretty well (maybe a little warm blooded, but it could easily accelerate fast enough and only topped out at what I would expect of a bike that age, maybe a slight hesitation around the 5k rpm range, but nothing major)
about two weeks ago, I got bored, ripped the stock airbox out (replaced it with two slightly used Standard (brand) Pod airfilters..) first off, I reconnected all of the breathing apparatus exactly as it was orig connected inside of the airbox (with the one open breathing port as well) and replaced one of the rubber tubes. (the one that connects to the top of the engine)
Once I did this, the bike still idled fine (with the stock 115 main jets) but wouldn’t rev about 5 k in neutral and if I tried to ride it bogged, (not due to too much fuel) but kind of stutters and stalls if the rpms goes above 3000. I tried to adjust the needle but realized that there is only one position for the clip.(so I would have to shim it?)
I checked the plugs and they looked black(and error in judgement on my part, they were black I suppose from stalling it) , so I went to a 105, which turned them white.
I then tried a 132.5, which made it a little better, which would let me rev to maybe 7k, and ride it to maybe 3500.
I went back to the store( north american warhorse) and they suggested that I try a smaller so I tried a 97.5 which made it worse, they also suggested that I try adjusting the clip (n/a) and the fuel / air mixture (is that the screw/ jet on the top of the carb?)
I am thinking of trying a 150 tomorrow (going out and buying another) and seeing if that makes it better/ worse.
I suppose my actual question is,
is there anything special I should do when I remove the airbox in regards to the breathing apparatus, and is there anyone with previous experience…
I have tried searching, but I don’t know the names of many parts/ techniques so I find it hard to find the right terms.
Thanks for your thoughts / help.
-Kieran
EDIT: I have the mikuni bs-34
http://www.wgcarbs.com/index2.php?option=com_co…p;do_pdf=1&id=27
specs on page 9 of this
@Kieran
Whoa! That’s alot to respond to… too much, perhaps in a blog-style format. I’ll pop in to KZRider.com forum and catch up with you there…
And not to make you chase too many rabbits around, but KTOF member “bountyhunter” (who has an “M” like you) was just recently posting about jetting the BS-34′s… he might be of help over there as well.
Hi all, I have a 1979 KZ 750 Twin import in top condition with Alloy spooked wheels.Thinking about selling it on… any idea of the value ? As I don’t see many around. Thanks
@ Robert
Looks like I’m at a triple disadvantage in answering your question: I can’t see it, it sounds a bit non-standard (wheels at least), and your writing style suggests you’re in the UK (so I don’t know local values).
I’ll have to pass on this one, in hopes that someone from the UK might have an idea. Of course, you can always go to the forums I mention here for further discussion and help:
http://kz750twins.com/?cat=6
Good luck!!
I have owned a 1979 KZ 750 B4 twin for 30 years, bought it when it was a year old. If you are into old bikes, it is very, very dependable. They don’t bring much money at all, for re-sale, as the bike was never popular, even when it was brand new. If you are selling it to make money, don’t expect much. I’ve kept mine because it’s dependable, smooth riding. One thing though, is this bike has always been a very cold starter, usually have to throw a little choke on it even in warm weather for a bit.
JMD
1965 Honda C110
1973 Kawasaki Z900
1975 Kawasaki Z900
1976 Kawasaki KZ900
1978 Kawasaki KZ1000
1979 Kawasaki KZ750 (twin)
Hello,
I have a 1978 KZ750B2. I live in Phoenix, Az, and when I ride it in the heat (105) the idle will not stay steady. I adjust, and adjust, and adjust and get the manual sated 1,000 rpm idle. Once I start riding, this changes (usually drops). Many times it will come to an idle, and then die a few seconds later. When it’s cooler out, this seems to happen less, but it has still died while at idle. I have adjusted in cool and warm weather, and when the bike is both cool and warm. When I’m driving, it runs and sounds fine. I ran the pilot screws out to give it more fuel and have adjusted the idle knob as well. That only resulted in popping and a whisp of white smoke out the pipe when I rev it after about a miute of idle (stop light). Did the opposite, no smoke, still dies. It is missing the decel cable on the throttle, but the spring is stout and it seems to close consistently every time. It has about 32,000 miles on it. I’m guessing the cable, fuel evaporating in a hot carb, or spark plug gap?
Any help solving this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!!
@ Merlin
I don’t think the heat is an issue itself… It sounds to me like you’ve got carb adjustment issues, dirty fuel passages, bad timing, or valve clearance… possibly weak spark, and maybe a bad coil…
Here’s the thing.. it could be any one of them, all of them, or none of them… But here’s what you do… start with the things that you can set scientifically…
1.) Set the float level to spec
2.) Set the pilot screws to the standard manual-recommended starting point (make sure you have washers, springs, and o-rings in with the pilot screws)
3.) If you have $40 – $70 bucks lying around, replace your coil (and wires) with a brand new one (do not get a used one)
4.) Do the “coil power mod” (see KTOF or KZRider.com for assistance)
5.) Pour 1/3 to 1/2 of a small can of Seafoam into your full gas tank
6.) Check valve clearance while COLD. Replace shims if needed
7.) Set timing using static method
8.) Set/check plug gap
…Note that all of that was before you even start it… Now, start it, and…
9.) Set timing with timing light
10.) Set carb balance with a manometer
11.) Adjust pilot screws as directed by the Manual…
…oh, and when I say “manual”, I mean the “Kawasaki Service Manual”, accept no substitutes…
12.) Now head on over to the KTOF, join, and ask for additional help…
Greetings.
I’m looking into buying ’76 KZ750 next week. I think the bike could be a good fit for me, but I’m not very fond of the tanks.
Is there something more similar in shape to the kz650 that is interchangeable with the 750? any tanks at all interchangeable?
Thanks!
@ JP
Don’t like the tanks, eh? I always thought that the early B model series (’76 is the first) have such a standard looking tank. What don’t you like about it?
But no, I don’t think the 650 tanks will fit without modification. The 750 tank is actually somewhat wide and shallow, with a wide channel for the goofy frame spine…
- ‘Toast
I own a Triumph Bonneville & my sons & I have done a nice rebuild on a Yamaha XS. we’ve been looking for another tall twin. Finally found a Kaw 750 Twin just like my dad owned for $350. went to look at it and it turns over. has compression. my only concern is it will only shift into 1st or neutral. I can do alot of my own work, but shy from gears & tranny stuff. any suggestions – maybe stuck?
@ Larry
Fear not! That is normal behavior for these Kaws. I think call it something like “positive neutral finder” or something; the point is, you have to be in motion (or at least at a certain rpm) before you can shift into second and beyond…
…and $350 is a pretty good deal, no matter how you slice it…
Hey! We went ahead and bought it for $300 – very excited. Working to get it started. Have a question about the Carbs. It’s an 82 CLR with a Vacuum Petcock and a single fuel line to a T between the carbs. Right in front of the Fuel T is another T between the carbs with nothing apparently missing. it’s just open. From looking at the assembly diagrams you reccommend, I don’t see what should connect. Any suggestions? I’m thinking possibly a fuel overflow?