1983 KZ 750 LTD Shaft Drive - New Member From Nebr

Customize It wrote: I would not let that one go.

Truthfully, I was stunned to find an "old" bike in this nice of a condition.

The photos that I added are from the day I towed the bike home and washed off the small amount of dust that had accumulated on it. The previous owner had stored it under a cover in his garage and had done a nice job of taking care of it over the years.

Once I get it polished, waxed and detailed I'll post some additional pictures.

Gary

Del_Herring wrote: Well, I have a 750 Spectre. And just looking, you have the same seat and grab bar as me. The Spectre's are also shaft drive's and were 82 and 83. I'm guessing the LTD Shaft has a lot in common with them, it certainly looks that way. As for engine parts there are a lot of similarities with the other 750 fours.

One of our tips is always that kawasaki.com has parts lists (with exploded assembly views) that you can lookup by bike, and then they show what other years and models used the same stuff, which is astoundingly nice resource.

Del:

Thanks for the tip on kawasaki.com. I'll have to check that out.

Gary

Customize It wrote: I would not let that one go.

The irony in this whole situation is that while I had the bike out in the driveway washing it, my neighbor stopped by to see it. We talked bikes for awhile and I asked him if he was ever going to sell his first bike (a 1976 Honda CB550 with 15K miles on it that's been stored in his basement for the last 8 years). He said he would and asked for $200 for it.

So I bought it from him this last weekend and gave it to a friend of mine from Kansas City that came up and worked on/supervised the work on the KZ 750 LTD. The irony here is that his first bike was also a 1976 CB550 that he owned while he was in the Army in Germany.

He currently has the bike back home in Kansas City and has the carbs apart for a thorough cleaning. He was able to get the bike running when he first brought it home, but it wasn't running well enough so he knew it needed more cleaning/work.

Finding him a bike like the one he owned 30+ years ago was really something special.

Here are a couple of photos of the CB550 sitting in the basement.





Gary

So what part of nebraska are you from?

wireman wrote: So what part of nebraska are you from?

I'm in Omaha which is along the eastern border.

Gary

Nice '83, I have the same model I paid $100 for, and it looks like crap compared to yours. Someday I'll get it going, it's torn down in the garage now. Good for you on giving that Honda away, karma has a way of coming back to you, right?

OKC_Kent wrote: Good for you on giving that Honda away, karma has a way of coming back to you, right?

Kent:

That's what I'm hoping for. It's always nice to have Karma on your side.

My buddy towed the CB550 home on Monday and had it running yesterday. It was running well enough that he could take it for a shakedown ride.



Good luck with your '83.

Gary

upncummr wrote:

wireman wrote: So what part of nebraska are you from?

I'm in Omaha which is along the eastern border.

Gary

I bounce between omaha and louisville on a daily basis,sitting in carmel california right now fow another week enjoying the sights before returning to hell! :woohoo:

wireman wrote:

upncummr wrote:

wireman wrote: So what part of nebraska are you from?

I'm in Omaha which is along the eastern border.

Gary

I bounce between omaha and louisville on a daily basis,sitting in carmel california right now fow another week enjoying the sights before returning to hell! :woohoo:

wireman:

Enjoy Carmel. It's really beautiful there.

Gary

Welcome, Gary! I'm relatively new here myself. I had an '80 KZ750 LTD years ago, and recently purchased an '82 KZ1000 LTD with 16,000 miles on it...found it in Hastings. I'm from Fremont, so I'm fairly near you. You stumbled across quite a gem there...I thought my bike was clean, until I saw the pictures of yours! I found a shop in Gretna that will work on our "old" bikes, should you ever need anything done. I can do some of the maintenance work myself, but there are certain things that I need to farm out...and these guys are quick, reasonable, and good. Again, welcome to the group!

Hi litespd:

Thanks for the welcome.

I have a friend that lives in Fremont so I spend a littel time there on the weekends every now and then. Maybe we'll get a chance to ride together.

Is the cycle shop in Gretna that you were referring to Gretna Cycle? They were recommended to me by Dillon Brothers Cycles in Omaha after Dillon said their internal policy was to not work on bikes older than 10 years old.

Now that I'm wrapping up the work on the bike, I may take it out there to have their guys double-check everything and give it a good once over.

Gary

By the say, I'm looking for a replacement speedometer or a black speedometer housing in very good condition. If you know of one, please let me know.

kzrider.com/forum/24-wanted/556535-1983-...edo-or-black-housing

Thanks!

Gary