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I just revived an '81 KZ440LTD that was collecting dust in my garage...
It's in pretty good shape, low miles (>13K), but needs some cosmetic help.
Basically, the bike belongs(ed?) to my wife's uncle, who used it to commute to work for a couple of years. It started running and starting rough, and a mechanic told him the carb intake boots were leaking. He parked the bike under his carport, ordered the boots, but never got around to doing or having the work done.
(As an aside, it turned out that the problem was a torn diaphragm, not leaky boots. Anyone have a spare Keihn diaphragm/slide???? I'll find out the size..... It's $175 from bikebandit!!!!!!).
The bike sat for about a year under the carport, getting misted on one side by the sprinklers every other day the entire time..... After we moved back up from LA, I offered to help him get it running again, so since then it's been lying dormant in my garage for the last two years. Parked and forgotten about....
Everything's now coming together, with parts en route from eBay, and most of the chrome will polish out, as will the paint on the side covers and tank (no dents!!). What chrome won't polish out can be cheaply replaced or easily sanded out and matte-blacked, but I'm concerned with the hard-water stains on the engine.
I don't want to use something so strong that it'll remove the clearcoat, as I'm going to use this bike as a trainer and definitely don't want to get into any polishing on the cases.
On the other hand, I want a sharp enough looking bike that paying customers (post-MSF one-on-one "confidence" training, novice mentoring, etc.) will feel like they're getting their money's worth (perceived value), along with the ease of mind that comes from throwing a leg over a bike that not only is well maintained, but also looks the part.
So, any suggestions? I've got some DiDi Seven that I'm going to try this eve, but am apprehesive about using anything as caustic as CLR, as I don't want strip the finish or tarnish the aluminum.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
-Q!
It's in pretty good shape, low miles (>13K), but needs some cosmetic help.
Basically, the bike belongs(ed?) to my wife's uncle, who used it to commute to work for a couple of years. It started running and starting rough, and a mechanic told him the carb intake boots were leaking. He parked the bike under his carport, ordered the boots, but never got around to doing or having the work done.
(As an aside, it turned out that the problem was a torn diaphragm, not leaky boots. Anyone have a spare Keihn diaphragm/slide???? I'll find out the size..... It's $175 from bikebandit!!!!!!).
The bike sat for about a year under the carport, getting misted on one side by the sprinklers every other day the entire time..... After we moved back up from LA, I offered to help him get it running again, so since then it's been lying dormant in my garage for the last two years. Parked and forgotten about....
Everything's now coming together, with parts en route from eBay, and most of the chrome will polish out, as will the paint on the side covers and tank (no dents!!). What chrome won't polish out can be cheaply replaced or easily sanded out and matte-blacked, but I'm concerned with the hard-water stains on the engine.
I don't want to use something so strong that it'll remove the clearcoat, as I'm going to use this bike as a trainer and definitely don't want to get into any polishing on the cases.
On the other hand, I want a sharp enough looking bike that paying customers (post-MSF one-on-one "confidence" training, novice mentoring, etc.) will feel like they're getting their money's worth (perceived value), along with the ease of mind that comes from throwing a leg over a bike that not only is well maintained, but also looks the part.
So, any suggestions? I've got some DiDi Seven that I'm going to try this eve, but am apprehesive about using anything as caustic as CLR, as I don't want strip the finish or tarnish the aluminum.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
-Q!
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