hi all! im new and need a quick responce please!

ok so I'm brand new here and just found this forum tonight. for a while I have been wanting to buy an old CB750 or KZ750 and get it running and build a simple bobber out of it. So I started looking for one to buy. Well tonight I was looking on craigs list and a guy listed one in my city that he has to get rid of in a hurry and I am going to look at it tomorrow morning!

heres the deal... he wants $100 for it!!! it is a 1978 KZ750. he says it was running before it sat for 4 years but now it still turns over but doesn't run. it is a complete bike but since I have never worked on one before I am wondering how hard it is to get an old one going.

I would appreciate any quick help so I can know weather or not to buy it. like I said its in the morning. most of me says, its 100 buck just buy it, but I dont want to get into a hole that will be hard to get out of.

thanks again for any help or replys.

Look forward to hearing from you!

-Jason

Buy it. If you have a little mechanical ability, and a manual you can fix just about anything wrong with it. I hate to mention this, but if you cannot get it running and lose all hope you can make 100 on ebay easy by parting it out.(i made $300 just by selling the excess parts from a chopper project) Dont like seing perfectly good bikes get parted out but it is definately an option. Also, if you are building a bobber you can sell alot of the stuff you dont need off of it and you now have made a profit.

Hi jason, welcome to kzr. Yes buy it, it is fairly easy to get these old girls running again. Since he says it turns over, i would say the carbs need a good cleaning, new spark plugs, drain the old gas out of the tank, check and clean the points, get a new battery or just kick it over. There are many knowlegable people here on kzr that can help you out, just ask. I bought my 74 z1 900 in 2004, it hadnt ran since 1989, so it sat for 15 years and i got it to start.

A list of things to replace:

1. New tires(the old ones are probably rotted from Ozone).

2. New brake lines(again rubber that has rotted).

3. A good cleaning of the fuel system(draining the gas tank and clean the crud from the carb float bowls).

4. The carbs will need a good cleaning as the old gas has tuned to a jet plugging "varnish" and will need removing mechanically.

5. The carb ducting/rubber tubing is prone to vacuum leaks and be maddening to trace.

6. A new battery as the old one is probably sulfated and ruined.

7. Get the seat recovered as the vinyl/leather has probably cracked from weather exposure.

8. The electrical system will need a good cleaning as corrosion will make systems not work. All green crud needs to be removed from connectors,and switches.

9. The control cables(throttle,brake,and clutch might need replacing or lubrication.

10. The ignition system will need replacement sparkplug wires and sparkplug caps as they all deterioate with heat and time.

11. The ignition coils may need replacement as vibration and heat can cause them to fail.

12. A factory shop manual for troubleshooting can be found at: www.onlinefreebooks.net , www.repairmanual.com or at www.carlsalter.com/motorcycle-manuals.asp

This is not a bike you can put gas into and go for a ride. I'd estimate a good six months to a year getting the parts together to get back on the road.

Just a few thoughts...........

Thank you all for your quick replys and helpful thoughts. I'm not gonna lie, daylight savings time got me so im up an hour early to go look at this bike lol! crap. oh well. ok well ill let you all know what happens.

thanks again!

-Jason

well crap. i got up this morning, called him, told him i was on my way, and he said "his mom sold it"! I was like dont ever put anything on craigslist until you learn proper business skills. so now im stuck. i want to build a bobber like the one in the link, but on a low budget. any ideas?

thanks again for the quick help this morning!

-Jason

picasaweb.google.com/davidjohnsnyder/Cus...#5095734458604377234

if it was me i would buy it.its worth more than that in parts.i buy these old kaws not running all the time.%90 of the time its just a carb cleaning a set of spark plugs and a clean fuel tank and i get them running in no time.all you need is a service manuel. you may have to replace other parts on the bike but there are tons of parts for these old kaws on ebay.if you get it post some pictures i would like to see what you got.

well that sucks:angry: but there are lots of these old bikes on ebay,and alot of them in sheds and garages that people just dont ride anymore.dont give up youll find one:)

You have learned a very good lesson. When you hesitate on these old bikes they will dissapear overnight.

Murphys law at work. When you have the money you can't find the bikes and when you don't they are every where.

There was a h1 for sell here locally for $400.00 and i was broke. Now that i have spent my funds for the drag bike they will start coming out from under the rocks.

Roy