Hello from Toronto

Been lurking for a couple months now drooling over projects and making plans in my head :woohoo:

No KZ yet, leaning towards a 750.

Any advice on KZ specific things to look for when going over a used machine?

Thanks.

Hey Joey, I was just in Toronto for a couple of weeks in July. Love going downtown. I would stick with the Z-900/KZ900/KZ1000's. I think you will find these as the most common bikes out there and therefore the easiest to get parts for. My current '80's make/model bike project was only produced for three years from 81 to 83. Getting parts for it is very hard. Some parts are like chasing after the Holy Grail. So the more years a bike was produced and more interchangeability between models will give you cheaper and more accessible parts.

Aside from which bike to get, the condition / price you should aim for totally depends on what your plans are. If you want more of stock bike, then I would say spend as much as you can within your budget for the nicest low milage bike you can get. From experience I can tell you that buying a very inexpensive restoration project (< $1000) will probably end up costing just as much or more to restore in the long run than if you were to purchase a bike that is till in good shape or has been restored already ($3,000 to $3,500 range). And in the long run, you you have the benefit of riding instead of wrenching.

On the other hand, if you plan on turning the bike into something other than stock and you plan on tearing into the bike anyhow, then I would think a cheap donor bike will do. As long as the most of the parts are there. Try to at least get a runner. You can sell what parts you don't use to help fund your project. Keep in mind, a bike like this require a lot of labor. In all likelihood, every part and bolt needs to be de-rusted or wire wheeled or polished or painted, etc...

joeyb wrote: Been lurking for a couple months now drooling over projects and making plans in my head :woohoo:

No KZ yet, leaning towards a 750.

Any advice on KZ specific things to look for when going over a used machine?

Thanks.

Welcome aboard! You mention"drooling over projects and making plans in my head." This leads me to believe you plan to customize a bike. If that is the case, be sure to follow KZJOE900's advice and buy one that already has been modified from stock. My rationale is this - why pay a premium for a bike that has been carefully maintained in stock trim and then start cutting on it? The first cut will decrease its value a bunch, and each subsequent mod will reduce it further. BUT if you buy a bike that has already been modified, the changes you make will most likely increase its value. So when you're finished not only will you have the bike you want; it will be worth more than you paid for it. Ed