My Into to KZR

Hi all, from Central Nebraska. I'm a 42yo guy who hadn't ridden since my teens and even then, only dirt bikes.

A few months back, I started riding the dirt again with my own children at a friends farm. He has a flat track and small moto set up for his son who races and teaches kids to ride in his spare time. Needless to say, I got the bug again... I finally took the time to get my motorcycle endorsement and am signed up for an MSF course this weekend.

Through Craigslist, I found an 82 KZ440 and was able to get the seller down to $800. She's got ~21k miles but still runs good with no major issues and had been ridden regularly. An old school friend who is the service manager of the local Kawasaki shop set me up with new Dunlop 404's, plugs, a service, and a general checkup. With a clean bill of health and the new tires (which made a world of difference on handling) I'm enjoying the ride.

I was really encouraged to find the site and the number of KZ fans in general. I had no idea there was such a following. It's very cool to read through the forums and seems to be a ton of great advice here.

I found a 300 page PDF service manual online that appears to be the correct one and I'm reading through. Never really tried my hand at any mechanic work on a bike so it's all a learning process. At the moment, I'm having fun, putting together a list of things I'd like to work on over the coming winter, and dealing with grief from my HD riding friends, lol.

PS, the avatar is my 10yo son on an 80cc Yamaha at the flat track

Welcome and Have Fun !!!

welcome...you'll be hooked on Z's now for sure...

killer pic of your boy...excellent

Welcome tons of good solid info here

Welcome centralnebraskaguy, 440's are a fun ride.



I find myself taking my wife's 440 on little trips " just keeping the oil circulated, Dear".
The 80+ MPG ain't to shabby either.

Jim

Welcome. Glad to have you. You tell your HD buddies that for the price of a used HD you can purchase, add upgrades, take a trip and still have money left over.

Thanks for the welcomes all! Very kind.

I figured the 440 was a good beginning street size and it's awesome so far running around town. I have a feeling that I will be wanting something larger soon, but for the moment this does the job just fine.

Highway travel is so-so. The super light weight, plus no windshield can be rough. I've been looking into possibly adding a smaller shield like in RainMan's photo but still researching those. The smaller ones don't look terrible to me, but I also don't know how effective they are.

Looking for a shock gauge/pump right now. My friend said the front shocks were empty and he aired them up to 7.5lbs (I believe?) last week but they seem overly soft to me again already. Not sure how difficult a fix this will be if they're leaking.

My learning continues...

centralnebraskaguy, Windscreen view from the front


the windscreen is a Slip Streamer Spitfire Sport Shield - clear.
15" above the the headlight and 17 1/2" wide and about 6" of flat at the top. Dennis Kirk and J&P cycles both have it listed at a little under $70.

Also the bars have been changed for a set from a 550 standard (she likes the angle better) as well as the brake MC (79 750 Twin - single disc).
The front countershaft sprocket has been bumped up one to 16T and it lowered by about 400 the RPM when cruising in the 55/65 MPH range with no noticable acceleration problems.

Jim

Awesome, Thanks for the detailed info sir!

Brian

progressive fork springs are cheap and make a world of difference....

Progressive springs do sound nice. Good idea. TY.