1982 KZ1300 A4 rescue and rebuild
I bought a 1982 Kawasaki KZ1300 A4. What was supposed to be a cosmetic make over, turned out to be a full ground up restoration. The engine was completely seized, and everything else had to be completely rebuild.
I bought a 1082 KZ1300 A4. Many external parts missing. No seat, handlebar, headlight, no stop light, the whole rear missing, no blinkers, no right cover, toolbox and battery compartment missing, no mirrors. The list was long! The chromed engine covers all peeling off, all controls rusty and just hanging there. Oh well, I thought, having such a classic 6 cylinder bike was a dream of mine. The KZ1300 engine resembles big marine engines. For that reason, it had a real appeal to me. The odometer was showing a bit over 8000 miles. I was told by the seller that the bike was running when put up on a top shelf in a warehouse fifteen or so years ago. So I said, alright. I will go for it.
In the process, I found out that the seller was lying. The engine need way more than a total top rebuild. The bike was left, I am sure, in some very wet conditions with spark plugs loose, hardly screwed in. Water got into all the cylinders and all became very rusty. All the pistons were stone cold stuck.
So, here is my diary of this build, until a full resurrection. I can't call it other than resurrection, because basically this bike was pretty much a dead one and for good.
