Possible new KZ owner

So here's the short end of the story-

Went into a motorcycle shop a couple months back; fell in love with all the bikes on the showroom floor. A visit back to reality and i quickly realized that even the "starter" bikes ran around $5000 USD. Wife wasn't going to have 2 cars, a house AND a motorcycle financed.

Fast forward a month or so; many hours of research on motorcycles has been done. Real people will never use what a modern 600cc I4 bike has to offer, even the 500 and 650 twins are more than legal. My dream bike has dropped from a Hyabusa (waay too big a bike) to an R1 (100mph in 1st?!) to a ZX-6r (when do i need to go 150mph?) to either a Ninja 650r or SV650SF (dream bike being what i want to work up to and EVENTUALLY own). So armed with knowledge of current motorcycles i hit craigslist and dealerships.

Couple weeks later it is painfully apparent i am NOT getting much for my wife's $1000 price limit. Back to the drawing board for me [quick rewind: several years ago when i was a young(er) lad my father owned a 1980's KZ650 Custom. My first bike was a Honda CT90, so i have a slight soft spot for "vintage" bikes"]

About a week ago, reality is setting in again. Scrubbing through craigslist and local papers i see that sportsbikes are out of the question for the price as most are totaled and/or "stunt" bikes. Cruisers (Harleys, Honda Shadow) just look so darn big. Then the sub $1000 "classic" bikes start showing up. Honda CBs, Yamaha XJs, Suzuki GSs and Kawasaki KZs.

Now to the current-Armed with little to no knowledge of late 70s and early to mid 80s bikes, i hit Google on research about the big 4. Yamaha is poor quality, check. Honda has bulletproof engines, check. Suzuki is shaft driven, check. Kawasaki looks the best (and seems to be kept the best) check.


*Breath* Ok, so here's the "beef" you've all probably not been waiting for- the choices I have. With a cool $1000 comin my way soon i'm looking at a
1983 KZ550-looks good and runs, close by. $900
1978 KZ650-supposedly runs, looks good in pictures, about an hour away $900
1983 CB450-looks damn good in the pictures, 2 hours away $800
1984 GS850L-only bike ive seen in person, looks alright (could use some lovin) runs $800

You guys are the knowledge of older bikes im looking for, so which would make a better bike. it's going to be my first "street" bike/commuter and i do need it to do interstate. (dont worry about the MTF and gear shpeal- heard, will obay and preach regularly to others looking to get into the sport)

Thank you for any help you guys can offer
-rain

KZ650. Nuff said.

KZ550

KZ650

Nighthawk 450

The Zook is being sold by a guy at work so i dont have a link for it. (and the honda is 900, not 8...)

The KZ650 would be my top choice but I'm a little partial and you are posting on a KZ forum. . Check them all out, take your time and base your decision on the history and overall condition of the bike.

Check out www.bikez.com for specifications to compare the two.

Hope this helps.

Brian

I would get the kz but hold out for a 900 or 1000 if possible. I always found the 650 to be a "pleasant" bike to ride around town on but if you like to go fast get a bigger bike. Kind of like comparing a big block Chevelle to inline six Chevelle.

I had a kz550 and I wouldn't win any races with it, but I can tell you it was really fun, and great on gas. Only problem with it was that for around town it was a bit weak on low end power...maybe it's cause I am fat but it was lazy below 5000rpm. On the open road though it was a blast, at 6000rpm you get into the power and she opens up, and to be honest I think it sounded better than my 1000...so don't count it out

That 650 looks pretty nice! Looks all original except maybe mufflers. The 550 looks pretty nice too and it's newer. The 450 looks really nice (my son lives in Murfreesboro) and he says it's in great condition. If your just starting out riding bikes I'd say go for the 450, but if you want to have some fun on the weekends then go for the 650! P.S. Lose the luggage rack!

So far it seems like the 650 is winning (but im not ruling the 550 out) And i know this is a KZ forum, but there is a chance some of you have owned other bikes than kawasaki and may be able to tell me why NOT a honda or suzuki.

Rainfox wrote:

So far it seems like the 650 is winning (but im not ruling the 550 out) And i know this is a KZ forum, but there is a chance some of you have owned other bikes than kawasaki and may be able to tell me why NOT a honda or suzuki.

Many of us here are biased...unnaturally biased. I am no different but I have owned Hondas and Kawasakis. My cash flow is currently tied up in Kawasakis and I really don't see that changing anytime soon...I like the history of the company and I think they make (made) a quality product. At the time (late 70's and early 80's) the big Japanese 4 were fiercely competitive and if one manufacturer were markedly worse than the others, then they wouldn't have sold as many bikes as they did. So, bottom line being, they were all roughly equivalent ... personal choice plays a role. That said, I'd rate (for the 1970/1980 era) Kawasaki first, Suzuki second, Honda third, and Yamaha last in terms of desireability. Quite frankly, if I fell into a sweet deal with a GS1000 or a CB750F, I would not hesitate. There is a strong support group (in terms of advice and parts) for antique Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Honda...less so for Yamaha. This last factor should also play a role in selecting your bike...for example, I might really desire a Benelli 900 Sei...and I know where I can get one (and I really do desire one) ...but parts and manuals are damned rare. It should all boil down to which bike will require the least amount of post-purchase work and which bike will maximize your pleasure.

Maybe this will help. Take a look at the road test done when the KZ650 was new:

Cycle World KZ650 Road Test

BTW, donthekawguy, I don't know of any inline-6 Chevelles that will run the quarter mile in 13.2 seconds. :laugh:

The stock KZ900 and KZ1000 were faster in the quarter mile by a little over 1 second (a lot if your goal is to drag race stock bikes) and their top speed was about 132 mph vs. 119 mph for the KZ650. Nonetheless, the KZ650 is plenty quick. Most folks don't run above 119 mph on a regular basis or have a need to run a quarter mile from a dead stop in less than 13 seconds very often. Ed

I have rode and owned all kinds of bikes. Of the ones you are looking at the 650 would be my choice. The 550 second. I think the 650 is easy enough for a beginner and tough enough for an experienced rider. They are really sweet bikes. Great handling, performance and classic lines. The one you are looking at looks to be mostly stock and I would buy it if it was closer seems like a good deal. Plus the fact that you have about a million collective years of knowledge right here on this forum to tap. Seems everywhere I go on mine it draws a great crowd of people who want one or owned one and want another. GLuck

I know this is a Kaw site but I have a Suzuki GS1100 shaft that is almost identical to the 850. I also have a KZ650 and a Z1 900 Kaw. The 650 is a damn good bike and fun to ride and parts are plentiful. The Suzuki copied the KZ as far as how the engine is set up which makes it reliable also. I believe the KZ is a better quality than the GS and that is not because I am on a KZ site. Either one will be dependable if they are not ragged out to begin with. I say 650 or 850 and you will not go wrong.