First Bike 82' KZ305 CSR amazing condition.

Greetings from south-east TN. I am the proud owner of a 1982 KZ305 CSR that I purchased for a mere $750 a few days ago. I had been looking for about a year now for a beginner bike, something that actually looks like a motorcycle, nothing against sport-bikes or cruisers but in my mind the classic standard bikes have always been the definition of what a motorcycle should be. I got on craigslist just to browse and the add for the bike was the first one I clicked on and I immediately e-mailed the seller. The bike is in amazing condition with just under 16k miles. The owner was one of the nicest people I've ever met and had kept this bike in unbelievable shape. The bike cranks and runs beautifully from a cold start and thus far everything works without a flaw. I'm thrilled beyond words to have found something in this type of condition for the price that I love the look and feel of as much as this one.

welcome first
very nice looking older bike i hope you dont chop it up thats a classic

Not a chance, I almost feel bad to ride it.

Congrats on buying the bike - it is really nice! I’m pleased to hear you appreciate the condition of your “new” bike (they are rare that nice) an plan to keep it that way. I have 2 recommendations that may be helpful.

1. Buy a Kawasaki Service Manual for your specific model/year. They contains tons of valuable info ranging from regular maintenance, to trouble shooting , to total rebuilding of the various systems. Plus, they explain how each of the systems works so you will gain a sound understanding of your machine. No one has ever regretted buying one, but lots of folks have crated serious problems with their bikes by not using one.

2. Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. Here’s the good news – you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer “rocks” back and forth in the screwhead. The first picture below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. The second and third pictures below shows DeWalt # 2 and # 3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don’t list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here’s their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my home made modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

650ed wrote: Congrats on buying the bike - it is really nice! I’m pleased to hear you appreciate the condition of your “new” bike (they are rare that nice) an plan to keep it that way. I have 2 recommendations that may be helpful.

1. Buy a Kawasaki Service Manual for your specific model/year. They contains tons of valuable info ranging from regular maintenance, to trouble shooting , to total rebuilding of the various systems. Plus, they explain how each of the systems works so you will gain a sound understanding of your machine. No one has ever regretted buying one, but lots of folks have crated serious problems with their bikes by not using one.

2. Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. Here’s the good news – you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer “rocks” back and forth in the screwhead. The first picture below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. The second and third pictures below shows DeWalt # 2 and # 3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don’t list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great.




Brilliant. I already ran across this problem with the master cylinder when I flushed it out, luckily I used a large enough drive to avoid screwing them up. However I'm going to go out and find a donor to put on the wheel right away. The PO actually included a factory manual in the sale, I was quite pleased.