First time motorcycle owner/rider. Have some experience riding dirtbikes and 250cc scooters. I've talked myself out of buying a bike for about 4 years running, but finally bit the bullet last week.
Just bought a 1980 KZ440A from my neighbor for $600. He has a garage full of old bikes and tools that he said I could have full access to while maintaining the bike. He also threw in the Clymer shop manual. To top it all off, he said that if I grow bored of it and want a bigger bike down the line, he would buy it back from me! I couldn't turn the offer down.
The bike is definitely not in beautiful shape, but it runs well enough. The original owner's wife (the guy before my neighbor) flipped it while learning how to ride. It now has a new chain and sprocket. New speedometer and headlight. Tachometer is original, but doesn't work. Apparently there is something with the float bowls(?) or a gasket(?) in the carburetor that occasionally leaks gas. I still have yet to see this problem. Lots of things have obviously been fixed in an improvised fashion - irregular bolt sizes, zip-ties, electric tape, etc. The clutch doesn't feel perfect; it slips a bit when you really try to crank the throttle.
On the good side it starts right up from a cold start. It takes a little while to idle, but I've heard these bikes are a little cold blooded. Once I ride it a few miles and bang it through the gears it idles fine. The transmission seems to be fine besides the clutch. I've gone out on a few rides now that I've got my learner's permit and it feels and sounds pretty good.
I've been going through and trying to learn how to do all the regular maintenance under my neighbor's mentorship. As I come upon any bigger stuff, I may call on all the smart folks on this forum to help me out.
1980 Kawasaki KZ440A
