{"id":28,"date":"2026-10-01T22:51:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T02:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2026-10-04T21:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T01:25:17","slug":"the-kz-garage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/the-kz-garage\/","title":{"rendered":"The KZ Garage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n

THE RAHMAN LAB \/ CLASSIC KAWASAKIS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The KZ Garage<\/h2>\n\n

Old machines. New questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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Let the good times roll.<\/h2>\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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Meet the motorcycles.<\/h2>\n\n
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1976 \/ KAWASAKI LTD 900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Ol’ Beasty<\/h3>\n\n

Ol Beasty is a BEAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Specs: 1260 cc WISECO pistons, welded crank, undercut gears, extended swingarm, Mikuni RS 34 flat slides…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Motor first built by Fred’s Cycle in the 80s (Phila. PA).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n\"Zeshawn\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n
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1978 \/ KAWASAKI KZ1000 LTD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Ol’ Beauty<\/h3>\n\n

Ol’ Beauty, the 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD, getting ready for first start with rebuilt ’75 Mikuni VM28 carbs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n\"Ol'\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Ol’ Beauty\u2019s tank: before & progress<\/h3>\n\n
\n\"Ol'\n
Before: Ol’ Beauty\u2019s tank, stripped back to bare metal before painting.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n
\n\"Ol'\n
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.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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1980 \/ KAWASAKI LTD 650<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Lil’ Beasty<\/h3>\n\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

K&N Pods, 17.5 pilot; 117.5 main jet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Dyna Green Coils, Dyna S ignition, Taylor silicone plug wires.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n\"Lil'\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Dyna coils<\/h3>\n\n
\n\"Two\n
A pair of green Dyna ignition coils mounted on the KZ650 beneath the tank.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

A closer look at the tank<\/h3>\n\n
\n
\n\n
\n\"Close-up\n
Close-up of Lil’ Beasty’s black fuel tank with gold pinstripes; tried to match Kawasaki factory style.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
\n\n
\n\"Opposite\n
The finished tank from the other side.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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1982 \/ KAWASAKI LTD 1000 J<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

To Be Named LOL<\/h3>\n\n
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\n\n
\n\"The\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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A Wawa stop with the 1982 LTD 1000 J.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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SCIENCE IN THE WORKSHOP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Chemistry lives in the garage, too.<\/h2>\n\n

Corrosion, combustion, lubricants, coatings, and the metal properties relate my work in the garage to chemistry in the lab…<\/p>\n\n

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 \ud83d\ude09 )<\/p>\n\n

Explore the chemistry \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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Learning by doing.<\/h2>\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n

The KZ Garage is a place to share that process\u2014the observations, the setbacks, the small victories, and the pleasure of keeping classic motorcycles on the road.<\/p>\n\n

Homemade gaskets<\/h3>\n\n
\n\"Hand-cut\n
Homemade gaskets, cut and fitted for the VM28 carburetors.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Carburetors back together<\/h3>\n\n
\n\"A\n
The 1975 Mikuni VM28 carburetor bank with red velocity stacks.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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Got a Kawasaki story?<\/h2>\n\n

Connect about classic Kawasakis, restoration projects, or the machines that keep you curious.<\/p>\n\n

Send an email \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n

\u2190 Return to The Rahman Lab<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE RAHMAN LAB \/ CLASSIC KAWASAKIS The KZ Garage Old machines. New questions. Welcome to the mechanical side of The KZ Lab: working on Kawasaki…<\/p>\n

Continue ReadingThe KZ Garage<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":36673,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36673"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions\/104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/therahmanlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}