kz1000 Chopper

I bought a 2001 kz1000p (as it was when the police had it)- I got it pretty cheap but still could have paid more than it was worth - who knows! After looking at it for a day or two, I started to wonder what I was thinking when I bought it. It was a bulky fairing toad without any sentimental value and about 8" of play that slapped the chain around a worn out sprocket. But on the other hand, it was the first motorcycle I ever had that I felt casually hopeful that I could change the looks of with no real plan. I took a reciprocating saw with a metal blade in it to the back end that held the radio box and and stripped off all the bags and bars and fairing and about two five gallon buckets full of wiring, and rewired it to accommodate a small tail light, a bucket that's about 4" above the stock handle bars on homemade brackets and the few essentials to start it and keep it going. No gauges, blinkers, horn (though I may get one later) or anything else other than running lights. After that I cut the shocks down to 11",(a impractical approach) I may buy shorter shocks yet; cut the seat pan down to about 9"x13" and sounded pitiful enough at the upholstery shop that the fella gave me some foam and enough vinyl to cover so it would be low and narrow. I put on some new sprockets and a chain and

got rid of the air box and put on the individual filters - I lost the front fender and cut the rear one in half attaching it with struts made from the flat stock of a broken wood clamp, mounted the tail light and was just wondering if flat black was a bit too flashy for what was looking more and more like something out of a post apocalyptic "B" movie, when I realized I was having a lot of fun - It's still not low enough and it sounds like a sewing machine, but it's pretty simple and fast. in lieu of stretching it, I would like to get a bigger front (perhaps a whitewall) tire, flat bars with risers that bring em back far enough so as not to break my back and do something with the four into two megaphones that wouldn't greatly reduce back pressure, and drop the ass end just a bit more - I may want to throw in a good oil press gauge on the motor. I have a little over a thousand into it now, including the purchase, and would like to keep it cheap. I don't think its the kind of mod that would bring any money back for resale, because apparently there are folks that like em better with a couple hundred pounds more crap on em - i don't know, i was invited to tell a story and i did - kinda new to the whole online mode , but if you can read it through. Thanks.