1983 KZ 550 F1 spectre

I'm based in the UK , passed my full bike test a couple of weeks ago and have just bought my 1st bike over a 125cc and have plumped for a cheap 1983 KZ 550 F1 spectre. (Well cheap for rip of Britain that is!! - £350, with 12 months MOT, 3 previous owners and 13,000 miles on the clock - probably not genuine)

Not too sure about availability of spares to the UK either. The F1 spectre wasn't released in the UK - assuming the LTD is pretty much the same??

Fancied a shaft drive despite the suposed loss of power. What BHP does this bike produce?

Would be interested in peoples opinions about this type of bike and similar.

1 question that springs to mind is economy - how many MPG does this type of bike typically get?

Anyway - here is a pic of the bike. I havn't actually picked it up yet, so the pic and a few words is all I had to go on in buying the bike. I work in Computers and am not too practical, so will no doubt be asking for advise at some point in the future, especially if it's a lemon!





Post edited by: screwfox, at: 2006/12/23 18:04

Hail Screwfox and welcome. I have read the Screwtape letters any relation? (JK) Looks like a nice bike! I had a 550LTD. Good power and I don't imagine the shaft pulls it down all that much. But it should pay out cause no chain or sprocket headaches. They are really great bikes and I wish you luck with yours!!! BTW this place is great for new scoot owners!

Hi SF and welcome to the forum. When it appeared in 1980 the KZ550 was the first of the really potent middleweights . They're light, quick, smooth, reliable
and cheap to ride. Your bike is similar to my M1 and uses the same service manual, Kaw p/n 99924-1041-01 which you can obtain on eBay. The US model produces 55HP at 9,000RPM at the shaft. I get between 50 and 60 MPG(Imperial)on highway rides and mine easily reaches 93MPH when passing while still accelerating. You'll love the 6 speed transmission and 10,000RPM redline. I hope you enjoy your bike as much as I do:)

Welcome screwfox:
The picture makes it look like you picked up a real nice 550 and I'm sure you will enjoy it. Congratulations on passing your rider test. What do you have to accomplish in the UK to receive it?
From the picture, it looks possible that the mileage on the clock is original to your machine. I am always suprised at how many bikes languish around unridden and sometimes unmaintained.

To answer your question neilage66, I took the Direct access course in the UK whereby if you take the bike test on something over 33bhp and if you are over 21, you can ride any bike automatically.

Test lasts about 45 mins and consists of general riding and observation skills. You have to do a u turn without putting foot down on tight road an emergency stop, and a couple of other bits and bobs. Pretty basic really.

screwfox: Your UK experience sounds similar to what is required here. Way back when, when I took the written and riding tests, the license was divided up by cc's. You could get a license for 500 cc's and under...or if you took your test on a 550/750/900 etc you were cleared to ride "any" size bike. I took my riding test on a mildly chopped 1973 Harley XLCH 1000 and somehow managed to pass. :laugh: Later traded up to a 1976 Honda 750 Four and then to a 1975 Z1 900. I had way more fun on the Honda and Kawasaki than I ever did on the Harley.