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The KZ Garage

THE RAHMAN LAB / CLASSIC KAWASAKIS

The KZ Garage

Old machines. New questions.

Welcome to the mechanical side of The KZ Lab: working on Kawasaki KZ motorcycles from the 70s-80s, restorations, and learning how parts work while repairing them.

Let the good times roll.

An old motorcycle gives you many reasons to stop and ask why: Engine work, electrical, carburetors, and 50+ year old paint each bring their own challenges. I run the YouTube channel @TheKZLab where you can find guides on repair & maintaining these classic bikes.

Meet the motorcycles.

1976 / KAWASAKI LTD 900

Ol’ Beasty

Ol Beasty is a BEAST!

Specs: 1260 cc WISECO pistons, welded crank, undercut gears, extended swingarm, Mikuni RS 34 flat slides…

Motor first built by Fred’s Cycle in the 80s (Phila. PA).

Zeshawn seated on Ol' Beasty, the weathered red 1976 Kawasaki LTD 900.

1978 / KAWASAKI KZ1000 LTD

Ol’ Beauty

Ol’ Beauty, the 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD, getting ready for first start with rebuilt ’75 Mikuni VM28 carbs.

Ol' Beauty with the tank and seat removed during mechanical work.

Ol’ Beauty’s tank: before & progress

Ol' Beauty's fuel tank stripped to bare metal.
Before: Ol’ Beauty’s tank, stripped back to bare metal before painting.
Ol' Beauty's black fuel tank with red and white pinstripes before clear coat.
Pinstripes laid out before clear coat. The same Ol’ Beauty fuel tank painted black with red and white pinstripes. The latch for the tank lid broke off, so this will be fitted with a racing type quick-twist cap.

1980 / KAWASAKI LTD 650

Lil’ Beasty

Lil’ Beasty, the 1980 Kawasaki LTD 650, with the black and gold tank (see below), original side covers, and chrome Kerker 4-1 exhaust. No baffle.

K&N Pods, 17.5 pilot; 117.5 main jet.

Dyna Green Coils, Dyna S ignition, Taylor silicone plug wires.

Lil' Beasty with its black and gold tank, original red side cover, and chrome Kerker exhaust.

Dyna coils

Two green Dyna ignition coils mounted along the KZ650 frame.
A pair of green Dyna ignition coils mounted on the KZ650 beneath the tank.

A closer look at the tank

Close-up of the black KZ650 fuel tank with gold pinstripes and a Kawasaki badge.
Close-up of Lil’ Beasty’s black fuel tank with gold pinstripes; tried to match Kawasaki factory style.
Opposite side of Lil' Beasty's finished black and gold fuel tank.
The finished tank from the other side.

1982 / KAWASAKI LTD 1000 J

To Be Named LOL

The black 1982 Kawasaki LTD 1000 J parked at Wawa.

A Wawa stop with the 1982 LTD 1000 J.

SCIENCE IN THE WORKSHOP

Chemistry lives in the garage, too.

Corrosion, combustion, lubricants, coatings, and the metal properties relate my work in the garage to chemistry in the lab…

At the end of the day, working on these bikes has taught me patience is golden. We have to make small continual changes in order to finish long term projects. Rushing simply doesn’t work (unless it begins to rain 😉 )

Explore the chemistry →

Learning by doing.

For me, restoration is a way to understand the machine. Each component has a job, each symptom offers a clue, and each repair teaches something useful for the next project.

The KZ Garage is a place to share that process—the observations, the setbacks, the small victories, and the pleasure of keeping classic motorcycles on the road.

Homemade gaskets

Hand-cut blue gaskets beside and fitted to a motorcycle carburetor on a wooden work surface.
Homemade gaskets, cut and fitted for the VM28 carburetors.

Carburetors back together

A bank of four assembled motorcycle carburetors fitted with red velocity stacks.
The 1975 Mikuni VM28 carburetor bank with red velocity stacks.

Got a Kawasaki story?

Connect about classic Kawasakis, restoration projects, or the machines that keep you curious.

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