New Member - '81 KZ550 C

Hi everyyone

I am a new member here, I just picked up a 1981 KZ550 LTD last week.

Has a few miles on it, 27K, but runs great. I drove it home about 30 miles from where I bought it.

It has a 4 into 1 Kerker exhaust on it. This type of exhaust acutally wraps under the frame from the left side and out the right side. There is no centerstand on the bike but the mounts are still there, does anyone know if this is due to the exhaust system? or did the previous owner just lose the stand?

Outside of the aftermarket exhaust, the bike looks stock. Heres some things Ive spotted so far:
- 2 Orange LEDS on each side of the frame. Provides better visibility at night I guess? They are hardwired into the circuit of the bike.
- Yellow ACCEL plug wires
- Chrome crash bars (these might be stock, I am not sure)

My plans are just to enjoy riding this bike, and get it into/maintain outstanding condition. There is a leak on the left side of the crank case, which I have a new gasket coming to me.

Im coming from Suzuki GS's, but I look forward to enjoying the community here, making some friends, and getting some help and advice.

This is just a quick photo off my phone. YOu can see the orange aftermarket leds towards the front and rear of the frame.

Does anyone know if Silver was an original color? The backs of the side covers look like factory paint, so I think so, but info on these bikes is limited.

I would say that the previous owner probably had to remove the centerstand in order to mount the Kerker, but am not 100% sure. I love KZ550's and have 21,000 miles on mine.

Robert

Pardon my manners, I forgot to tell you that you have a nice bike!

Robert