Hello from Calgary

Morning all

I am a recent import to Canada from Scotland and I have recently passed my bike test here. I rode a Katana in teh Uk but funds are much tighter here right now and with the short riding season I cant justify a lot of cash on a summer toy.

I have a chance at what I think is a 1978 KZ650 thats just about within my price range but I know very little about bikes in general and nothing about bikes this old. While trawling the net trying to find out a bit about this bike I landed here.

Thanks in advance for all the useful info here for all.

Heres a pic (I hope) of thebike I am looking at



Tom

Welcome to KZR. Those 650's are pretty dependable little bikes hope it works for ya

So Haggis, does the bike in question run and have a clear title? If so I say get it. It's a little rough, but it looks to be all there. I would ride it for the summer, and then you can fix it up over the winter. If the price is right.

BTW welcome to KZR!

PS I had a little look in your photobucket album. Those are some serious looking airguns there. Do you shoot competitively?

Hi Thanks for the welcome,

It does have a clear title but it doesnt run right now. It was a daily runner last year but after some maintanance (changing the points) its been having electrical issues. I am hoping its just the points wiring/fibre washers issue that seems to be common. Ideally that would be the plan get her running enough to properly assess her and then tart her up over the winter ready for next year.

I had to leave my rifles in Scotland but I did shoot competitively there. I even represented Scotland once.

Tom

Be careful when buying a non-runner...you have very few ways to verify that the bike is in decent salvageable shape...I have personally fallen victim (more than once) to the non-running motorcycle scam ..."should run well, has been sitting but ran just fine last month (trust me)...the bike is an easy fix", etc. etc....and welcome haggis...personally I like haggis...Robert Burns Day is a favorite w/neeps, tatties, and a fine single malt.

Hey Mcdroid

I can take or leave haggis but my kids kkep asking for it they really miss it and you just cant get it over here, health laws apparently lol.

I take your points about non runners the slight advantage i have here is its the bike of a nephew of one of my colleagues at work and he runs and restores classic race cars so he knows a thing or 2 and the bikes at his place so he knows its history. I am still cautious though which is why I have not pulled the trigger just yet.

Thanks
Tom