Hi Guys

Hi Guys -

I'm a longtime lurker - longtime KZ owner.

July of 1982 I bought a brand new GPz550 (KZ550D1) and I rode it until Nov 2, 1982, when it got ran over by a Buick.

July of 1983 I bought a new KZ750L3, I had it until 1987, when finances forced me to sell it.

I didn't have a bike for a while, until Feb 1992 I was walking through Reiters Kawasaki and I saw a pristine 1979 KZ1000 MKII, and I bought it for $1200, and rode it 7 years, and by then I had 3 kids, and hadn't ridden the Kawi 500 miles the last year, so I sold it.

I really missed not having a bike, but I never seemed to have the time or the money to replace the Kawis, until 2011, when I ran across a very nice Suzuki - (forgive me) - a 1983 GS1100E, which I bought for $1850 and hauled home from Riverton, Wyo., and I fixed it up.

Then last fall, I was looking at CRAIGSLIST, and I saw an '81 GPz550 in Sheridan, Wyo, for $100, so I jumped in the pickup with the son-in-law, and drove two hours, and I bought it from a couple of teenagers for $120.00, with no keys, no title, nothing, it had sat outside, and was rough, but it was all there. Drilled open the seat, found an old registration, contacted the guy, and he STILL had the title, because the guy he had given it to years before had never asked for it, and he notarized it, and sent it to me, refusing payment. It's sitting on a motorcycle stand in the garage, slowly being fixed, as I find parts. I still need a decent seat.

Then in January, I kept seeing an EBAY auction for a 1982 GPz1100 - in nice shape. I saw it sold/relisted, etc., and I finally got a hold of the guy, and asked him what he would really take for it, got a lot of detailed pics, and bought it sight unseen, and shipped it from Florida to Montana. I always wanted one of these, and although she was a looker, she wasn't in shape, long term storage wasn't good for her, as she needed all new cables to start with.

It is a Canadian Model, with no US emissions, and had 33,000 KM on the odometer, with a nice KERKER KR series pipe from 1982.

Now it has some nice AVON's on it, the piston rings were a little worn and rounded, so it got bored from 1089cc to 1136cc, and the compression bumped from 8.9:1 to 10.25:1, the injectors cleaned and balanced, and she runs strong now. I discovered that 30-year-old clutch springs aren't able to contain the extra HP it puts out, because the clutch starts slipping at 8,000 rpm in the higher gears, and the started labors when it's hot now, so my winter projects ae the new clutch springs/plates, and a higher watt starter.

I'll be asking questions guys - so be patient.

Nice man, looks like your a big fan of the kawasakis, those are all sweet and clean.

Very Nice!!

Welcome to KZR...and I also love those GPz's.

I see lots of red in that garage. Reminds me of mine!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to this site and I like your new bike.

"I see lots of red in that garage."


Yes - I'm a big fan of 'Arrest Me Red' paint -

When I first got my '81 GPz550 I swear I could get sppeding tickets while washing it in my driveway - you know - probable cause.

The paint shop calls it 1991 Mercury Cardinal Red - Code EA - but doesn't 'Arrest Me Red' sound better ?

Welcome Eric.
Nice bikes.