First I'd like to say hello again to this awesome forum.
Ive read so many threads on all the topics and have come away with knowing I have a bike I can grow old with. 😂🤷🏼‍♂️😉
I bought this bike bone stock with 43,000 in the clock and in excellent condition. It's been garage kept by the original owner and Intoo will keep this bike in my storage when not riding.

This will be a sort of project bike and semi-daily driver for when my project car is under the knife.
I didn't have room for a second car so I bought the bike so I could get around while the car is being built.

The first couple of pictures are of the new bike and car together.

My loves. 😍🔥

Best booties ever. 😂🙌


Since this bike has never had the cct's replaced I've talked with Mr. Krueger and will be getting the mcct's so I don't have to worry about damaging the motor. 👍




I also will be installing the Coerce fork brace once it comes in. I'll be installing the fork brace and mcct's while I've got the bike up on the freshly purchased PittBull front and rear stands. 😉



Last I purchased a nice color matched belly pan for the 'Hawk to give it a bit more racy lines.
Ever since I bought, restored, and ride my 1973 KZ400 I'd wanted a sport bike. This liter bike suits my frame perfectly as I'm 6 foot at around 200lbs.
600's were too small so this bike was the ticket.
Here's what the bike will look like with the underbelly pan. 😍😎




Last since the bike had no rear fender to keep junk out of the chain area I got this one off eBay in yellow as it matches my last build project car which was bright yellow. The yellow is in memory of the little beast that was one of my most fun cars to drive.
Heck I learned how to heel/ toe shift in it and wound up having to change the clutch in it because of it. 😂😜




This will be a fun bike to work on and this thread will be where I update. Thanks for looking and more to come. 👍😎

 

I thought I'd post up a picture of my first bike the KZ400 I had years ago.
Basic commuter bike that was enjoyable to ride as a first bike but I quickly outgrew its capabilities.



The pictures are from the 'net but the bike and color are identical. 😍

I finally ordered some Mcct's for the bike from Mark Krieger and ordered a pair of block off plates from Motobits for the PAIRS mod I'll be doing.

Got the full set of front disc calipers and brake master cylinder from the F4i Honda and will be ordering the rebuild kits for all and stainless brake line.

Chain and sprockets soon with a 520 setup in a 16/ 43 gearing.
Should be fun doing all this but with the miles on the bike and the original owner not letting me know of maintenance on it I'll have a good running machine with good reliability. 👍
Ans so we begin on another project. 😂🤷🏼‍♂️

 

Still appreciate the classic looking bikes. 👍

 

They just get better and better looking don't they?

Welcome aboard!!!!

 

Wow it's been a heck of a month since I bought the bike, took it on it's maiden voyage, and now with all the knowledge base helping me learn a ton I'm on my way of a full rebuild.

Along with the mcct's I'm pretty much changing and modifying almost everything on the bike to make it better.



Modified PAIR air box.

16/ 43 520 chain and sprockets for better gearing.

CBR600F4i calipers, master cylinder, and levers for better braking. Even got a new reservoir cap. 😂😉




I'm going to chop off the rear foot peg retainers and smooth them out as I'll never have a passenger on the bike to worry about. Got these as spares from a member here for which I'm grateful. These should be fun and will look good once done.




2 bar radiator caps for higher boiling point and waiting on the red Samco hoses to arrive so I can redo the cooling system. Hadn't decided if I should use the factory hose clamps or get a set of Samco clamps. 🤔🤷🏼‍♂️

Front and rear wheel bearings and fork bearings too. Got some good lithium based waterproof grease to keep things nice and lubed.




Caliper rebuild kits for the F4i calipers and rebuild kit for the master cylinder kit too. New levers as well.

Yup got the R/R MOSFET thingamabob to help with the consistency of the charge and with my vast electronic background I'll be upgrading grounds and wiring as needed for a tip top electrical system. Bought 5 weather proof Bosch relay setups for various places and should be fun.

Love these PitBull stands so far and found if you put a 2x4 under the kick stand the bike is almost vertical and stable enough to use the rear stand to lift and support the bike without any worries.




Got my lower belly pan and it looks great. 😍🔥

Krieger mcct's and block off plates.

And finally my Coerce fork brace, shifter brace bushing, and race boy looking oil cap. 😂😜

This will also be installed on the rear and yes I'm keeping it Yellow. Love that color and will add a nice contrast to the sea of red on the bike.


So much to do but when you're gone for a month at a time this project will take a few months to do. 🤷🏼‍♂️
I looked at the front and rear rotors and even though they look ok there is a lip on front and back rotors that are having me look at some new rotors too.

Any suggestions? EBC's look good and do t really want to go back with stock.
Thanks for looking.
More updates next month or so. 😎🤟

 

Looks good, that's about it. Stock is good. There is better, at a price. If it's bling that you want, that's ok. I wouldn't use EBC. My $.02

 

Thank you for the advice.
I can tell you anything about car building but now it's all about this bike. I'm learning and enjoying the knowledge overload. 😂🤷🏼‍♂️😉

 

I figured it was time for an update so here goes.
More parts have arrived and the tear down of the bike has begun.
First the goodies from Santa via my wallet. 😂😉🤷🏼‍♂️


New frame sliders for that just in case. 😬😳

ProBolts wind screen bolts and fairing bolts in 7075-T6 aluminum. eBay bolt kits are junk. 🤮

Samco hose kit with a hose clamp kit for the steed. 👍

Mirror extensors so I can use the factory mirrors and not have to worry about modifying something to fit.

Yup after 22 years I figured why not.

Oh yeah and in a sexy red dress. 😍😉 Should smooth things out a bit.

I've always liked the EBC brand so I went with it. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤟

Front rotor sexiness with steel rotor and aluminum hub. Yup bling it is. 😍🤟


Got my work cut out for me. 😂😜

 

I finally did the baffelectomy and was easier than I would have thought.
I used a 2-1/2 deep 2-1/4 diameter steel hole saw and had no problems cutting through.
Once cut I used a very long 3/8" socket extension along with a few blows of the hammer here and there and out came the baffle. Again, easier than I thought.
Broke out the Dremmel tool with a barrel grind stone and finished up the pipe and it came out perfect.
Im very happy with the way it came out.


Fresh cut with the hole saw.

Finished product and looks so good. 😍

Side view and again looks great. 👍


I also wanted a different look to the pipe bracket as I'm never going to use the rear foot pegs and hated the mounting bolt and that silly looking extension.


This is the before.

And the after. Much cleaner looking.


Im also modifying a spare set of rear foot pegs with a peg delete and will be a custom look using the OEM brackets.
Im doing the work using files to smooth things out and here's a sample of what I've already begun.
Finished product will look mint. 👍


This is the spare set I got off fleabay for modifying. I'm keeping my originals just in case I need them. 👍

This is after cutting off the pieces I didn't want and started smoothing things out. Finished product will be sweet looking. 😜🤟


I did the rec/ reg modification using the Kawasaki MOSFET unit. Everything was hard wired, soldered, and heat shrunk so there won't be any issues with this setup.
I also added a couple of trucking industry led's for the rear as marker lights for better visibility and these led's are bright day or night.


Seat cowl approved as it fits well and no more issues with a reg going bad.

Led markers with a plate light delete as well. I'll be using plate mounting bolt led's for the plate light.

Here they are lit up and yes they're nice and bright. Visibility went up one level for sure. 😂😉


More to come. 👍

 

Here's some pictures of the tear down and how it's coming along.
I did the Pair delete using pair plates and I've also modified the lower air box to accommodate the factory air filter.


Naked rear.

Gas tank removed and marked all hoses and bungs with colored tie wraps so I know where the hoses hook up correctly. Fuel petcock will be rebuilt too.

Fairing removed and getting ready for fork tube removal so I can ship them off to DMr Performance for custom rework and all the best goodies to make them top notch. 😍

Bare as it gets. Now to remove the carbs, do the tps mod, and put in the mcct's which was the whole reason in the first place to tear it all down. 😉


Last bit of bling added to the bike is the oil cap with the tether so the cap won't get lost or come off.
Updates done for now as I'm back in the freightshaker for another month.


Brings out the boy racer in the bike. 😜

Way better than stock. 👍

 

That's a hook bolt at the muffler mount. You can hook something to it. Like a hook. Or, you could have, anyway.

 

Gotcha and now I understand why it's there. I still have them in case I ever need them and thanks for explains what they were. 👍🤟

Another update and first the bad news.
Upon removing the exhaust from the bike I also proceeded to remove the studs since I have new studs for this build. First three were easy to remove and then there's always that bad apple to ruin things.


Buster stud. 😫😭🤦🏻

So I've sprayed it multiple times with PBBlaster and when I get back home again in 3 weeks I'll resume bathing it in penetrating oil before I do the heat cold truck on it and try to remove it again. 🙏🏽🤞


Now the good news and that would be progress is being made and I'm getting excited. 😜
Original from and rear wheels are cleaned up, bearings checked and ok, and sticker The wheels to cover up aged blemishes so I can ride.
I have a spare set of front and back that will get new bearings, seals, and Dunlop Q3+ tires and a good powder coat but that won't happen until the bike is finished and I'm riding it again. 🤷🏼‍♂️


New EBC rotors and sprocket.

Sticker look good in covering the blemishes and go well with the black wheels. 👍😍

I removed the carb gaskets and ordering all new units along with the bands holding them down.
Got the wiring done for the coil over plug setup and just need to mod them for the install. New plugs are in, oil drained, and new Honda filter installed waiting for the fresh oil. Oil cooler lines cleaned up and newer used cooler coming to replace the original that looks a bit shabby with fins beyond repair.

Cooling system will be next in the list and this is how the bike looks with no clothes on. 18+ viewers only. 😂😜


I think I took this a bit too far. 😫😉😁

Ive already upgraded the main ground with a 4awg cable and added a new ground 8awg to the frame as shown in the picture below. You'll see it above the casing in the pic.
I'll also be rewriting the hot lead with 4 awg while integrating a battery disconnect switch similar to a race car. This is more for theft protection than anything else but also useful if ever needed in an accident etc.

You'll have to look carefully to see it.

Cut off switch like what I have in my street/ race car. 😍

Once the coolant hoses are out of the way I'll have all the room to replace the cam chain tensioners which is what started this whole project in the beginning. More to come and thanks for looking. ✌️😎

 

Progress looks great! Hopefully you are hiding this cut-off switch?

 

The switch has a removable key that only comes out in the off position. When in the on position it's locked in place. 👍
If Someone wants to tear off the body work to gain access to the switch then so be it. 😳🤷🏼‍♂️🤞
Ill have other means to lock the bike making the would be thief just forget it. Hopefully. 😂🤞

Thanks for the kind words btw. 🙏🏽

I just purchased a Curt trailer hitch lll be installing on the car.
I'll be reinforcing certain areas on the attachment points and bolting through the frame instead of just an access hole on the frame.
200 pound tongue weight for this class 1 hitch isn't a lot and considering I drive a subcompact car I'll need all the reinforcement I can get to haul the bike for track days.

Im getting an Atlas single bike trailer that weighs 300 pounds and the bike weighs about 470 pounds.
The car can haul that weight but it's the tongue weight I'm concerned with. 🤷🏼‍♂️
I'll make it work. 👍😜🤟

 

Trailer hitch is in ready to tow the steed when necessary.

It's been a while so I thought I'd post up to keep my membership here. 😂😝
Got the trailer hitch in for the hauling of the bike and will probably install near the completion of the work on the bike.

Got my front fork tubes back from DMrPerformance and can't wait to get the front end back together again.
Working on the bike has been on hold as I continue getting car parts for my engine swap and turbo build of the car.
Im having to prioritize between the bike and the car as both are important builds for me and when a chance is given I take advantage of the situation to do work.

So right now I'm back to full concentration on the bike and considering I'm at the half way point of the build things will finally start being reinstalled back to the bike as opposed to being taken apart.
I'll be working the tail end of the bike when I get home in a few weeks with the swing arm removal and clean up and installation of the DMr shock, new drive sprocket, freshly packed hinge bearings for the swing arm, and hopefully reinstalling the rear wheel back to the bike.

For now I've taken all my riding gear and boxed it up for next Spring where I hope I'll be riding again if all works out right. 🙏🏽🤞


Keeping it clean and ready for next year.

Looking forward to being home for the resumption of working on the steed. 🙌😁

 

Been a while an yes progress has been made but I'll post that up tomorrow if everything works right.

Since I bought this bike to ride and have fun and while I never knew I'd be this long doing cam chain tensioners I had to get back on two wheels.
Don't worry this 'Hawk will be a sweet ride when it's done but I couldn't wait that long.

Meet the baby Ninja I bought in October. It's a 2021 Ninja 400 non abs and it's a hoot.


She's already being modded and a blast to ride. I hope the 'Hawks not mad. 😇

This is exactly what I needed to help with the 2 wheel withdrawals.

This little Ninja only makes me want to finish the 'Hawk even more so even though it's not a Honda VTR it's what I needed to get back to riding and improve myself for the 'Hawk.

I'm also signing up for the Yamaha Champ School in October this year for a 4 day event at the Carolina Motorsports Park on October 13-14 for the school and on the 15rh and 16th N2 track days will be having a track day for that weekend.
It's a 4 day event in total so not only do I get to learn to ride properly but actually get to practice what I learned for 2 more days.
The Ninja will be my steed there at the school and track day.

I'm hoping I'll be finished with the Hawk this year or early next year so I can straddle the beast once more while being more confident in my ability to ride it properly.

Life's been good but times been short so you make the best if it when you can.
More Hawk updates coming. 🤟

 

Nice and clean and ready for install.


Got the swing arm assembly removes and man was it a messy greasy filthy time consuming clean up.
Kerosene works great for grease removal and got it looking good.

I pulled all the collars and checked all the needle bearings and considering the 43k miles on the bike they were in great shape. All were cleaned and re-greased using a marine grade waterproof high temp grease.
Collars were cleaned up as well and there should be zero stiction in this assembly now.

I also prepped the DMr shock for install as well.
Ive still got to do the clutch and rebuild the rear caliper and the rear of the bike will be done.

With me changing phones and going back to an Android phone I deleted a ton of pictures off the iPhone but did back them up to the laptop.
Id have a few more pics to add but can't at the moment.

Got a welder for a Christmas present from my best bud and will try welding a nut to that seized exhaust stud for removal. Hopefully that works and saves me a ton of time and not have to remove the head.

Lots to do but I'm past the 50% point and she's slowly coming back together. 👍

 

Finally got to actually do some work on the VTR and made good progress. 😁

I finished up both front and rear wheels by torquing to spec the rotor nuts, front and rear sprockets, and loctite them all for good measure.
The paint pen came in handy as well as I marked all the nuts and bolts to make sure no e come loose.

Axle collars were reinstalled and I taped up the axle ends to keep dirt and critters out until they're finally installed. 👍

Ready to go back on the bike again and one less thing to worry about.

Clutch cover removed and cleaned up for the new unit, front sprocket removed for the new 520 stock tooth replacement, and with all that done cleaned up years of filth that was not maintained by the previous owner. 🤢🤮

Kerosene works wonders for grease and gunk and it looks like brand new once more. 🥰






Last it's time to get the brakes ready for the bike and tore the rear assembly down cleaning it all up, removed the caliper piston and seals from the caliper, and was surprised how well it all held up over the years.

Put it all together with the proper brake component lube and bagged it until it's time to install. I did order another new master cylinder for it and will try to rebuild the old unit for a spare when I get back home again late this month.

No pictures of the rear brake work but next up will be modding the CBR front calipers, rebuilding the CBR master cylinder, and rebuilding the stock calipers for spare parts for that just in case.

Doing some final prep on the Ninja for my upcoming Champ School and N2 Track Days at CMP mid October and that also finalizes any and all work to be done for quite awhile.
She's done so now time will be spent on the VTR so stay tuned and thanks for looking. 🙏🤙

 

Looking good, except those auto's.

 

Autos? 🤔🤨
Thanks and yeah extremely slow progress like watching paint dry in the tropical forest. 😂🤦

 

Automatic cam chain tensioner. Tic toc.

 

Well I no longer have the SuperHawk and found it a new home to my brother from another mother.

Why you may ask?
I bought another bike that will be an icon in years to come the Kawasaki Ninja ZX4RR.


Off the showroom floor.

Ready for the ride home.

At home ready for the tear down and getting it track ready.

Here is the bike going to 'Snake' the new owner where he will be finishing what I started.
He's got decades of experience with bikes and is the perfect one to finish my baby.



Loading her up with Snake as the new owner.

Locking it down for the ride.

I think I shed a tear at this point. 😔

At her new home.



Thank you to all that came along for this journey with an amazing bike I had no time to work on.
Being a truck driver keeps you away from a lot of things.
My new journey has begun wit my Ninjas and what a ride they are.

I can't thank everyone here enough for the wealth of knowledge that is here.
I've learned so much about bikes again and ever growing in this two wheeled sport.

Many blessing to each and everyone of you all and enjoy the ride. 🤙🙏🏽👍