looking at a kz400, what should i pay? new rider

hey everyone. ive been looking at getting a kz400 for my first bike. ive never ridden before but always wanted to. it was between this and a ninja 250 as a starter bike and these seem to be much cheaper which is a plus. what would you guys say is a fair price to pay for a running kz400. i found one at a local auction. its a '74 w/ 13k miles. it has no major cosmetic flaws but i have never owned a bike and wonder how much work would go into maintaining a 35 year old motorcycle. i went to check it out today and it looked better than i thought it would. seemed to have a dead battery though. lights/electric start didnt work. the auction said it "runs and drives" i noticed the front tire looked pretty rough. rear one looked good. it had surface rust on the frame and there was no damage to the tank/fairings/seat area. anyones opinions would be greatly appreciated.

about me, im 27 and have never ridden before. i really am more into sport bikes but for the price i think these old kawis are great deals plus they have a sort of classic look to them.

I agree, old kaws are great deals. Some seem to command a high price, but there are good deals to be had for under 1k.

For a kz400 I'd look to spend around maybe 500-800 so long as it's good running condition. Should be a fun go getter bike. If you can find a kz750 that would be more ideal I think even if you are just starting out.

Take it easy on the throttle at first and you'll have a blast...then once your experienced you'll be glad you skipped the kz400.

Being that it's at an auction you might be able to get it cheap. See if they can hook a jump box to it to get it running. If it seems to run ok try to stay around $400-$500.

thanks for your comments guys. another question for you. how tough are these bikes to work on. i have zero experience wrenching on motorcycles but have done a fair amount of work on cars/trucks. also how hard to find and how expensive are parts for these bikes?

wigglesrewind wrote:

...the auction said it "runs and drives"...

You better get that in writing.
Everyone selling a non-runner says it runs: liars abound.

These old bikes are easier to work on than a car or plastic rocket because everything is accessible.

They're not too hard to work on and most parts can be found. However, if they can't actually start the bike so you can hear it run I wouldn't offer more than $250. That way if you find out the engine is toast you can recover most or all of your $ by parting it out. Ed

My 400 was a great starter bike....only two carbs to work on and you don't have to deal with shims when you adjust the valves. I paided $600 for mine and it was running (sort of), had to work on the carbs a lot. Sold it for $800 and got a kz750 a year later.
Good Luck!

thanks for the input guys, they have inspection this afternoon and my brother and i are cutting out of work a little early to go check out the bike and some other auction items. i'll see if they can run it for me this time.