TOPIC:

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. Before I submitted this question, I read the FAQ in its entirety, and combed all threads on this site that I could find on the cam chain tensioner topic.

biltonjim asked me this:
"Please tell us about what motivated you to become a KZ1300 owner.  Also, some photos of your bike would’ve nice to see, along with your experience of ownership. Thank you."

I have attached a photo of my KZ1300. I only recently purchased this KZ1300, the first I've owned. I have several original hard-copy magazines containing the initial 1979 tests of this model, to include Cycle, Cycle Guide, Motorcyclist magazines, and I have been searching for one since these tests were published. As you may surmise, I'm not very fast, but I am persistent! I own an eclectic mix of two-stroke, four-stroke and rare v-twin motorcycles, to include a Series D Black Shadow and a Ghezzi-Brian Folgore. Over the past month, I've put several hundred miles on the KZ1300 and I can say that I don't think I've ever encountered a smoother motorcycle engine.

Thanks again for the information. I'm still undecided as to how I'm going to mitigate the risk of the apparently poorly designed cam chain tensioner.


 

Thank you for the photo and reply.
It was around 1980 that I first had the desire to own a Kawasaki 1300.  I had gone to the annual motorcycle show at the NEC in Birmingham, England, travelling by car with my girlfriend.  As we were leaving the show, in the parking area near our car, I heard a very distinctive sounding motorcycle engine being warmed up by enthusiastic twisting of the throttle. It sounded wonderful. I discovered the bike was a Kawasaki 1300. The seed was planted - I wanted one 
Your 1300 is, I think, a 1980 KZ1300B2 Touring - or at least it has the fuel tank from that model, but minus fairing and luggage.  The front calipers look interesting.
I’d never heard of a Ghezzi-Brian Folgore until now!  What a fabulous looking bike. Is it a Moto-Guzzi engine?
Please could you show us your Vincent?   I have such admiration for those bikes. In the late 1970’s , a friend bought a Black Shadow, and one evening he and I went out for a run - him on his Vincent, me on my 1978 Yamaha XS1100. I was astounded at the way the Vincent hurtled towards the horizon when ever there was a clear road ahead of it. The engine seemingly produced huge torque at very low revolutions. The bike appeared to be superbly engineered, with many neat features to the design.

Regarding the cam chain tensioner, I think - when I - IF I - reach that stage of my restoration, I will now choose the ZX11 tensioner, but with the spring swapped for a lighter one.