New 81 KZ550 LTD owner in NE Ohio! new to KZs!

I am new to KZ bikes, but not much new to riding. Last year, I had an 81 yamaha xj650 Maxim. I did a fair amount of maintainance and some body work to this bike. How does my KZ550 LTD compare to the maxim? I expect it to be slower and maybe not handle as well. But then again, we'll see! my KZ is in better shape then my Yamaha was. the yamaha is now somewhere in CA, if it's still on the road. haha.

Bought a Non-running KZ a few months ago with about 7000 miles. Supposedly all it needs is a battery and tune, and some basic cosmetic stuff. I also noticed that the steering bearing is very loose. I haven't started it yet, it's sat in my parent's over-crowded garage because it's snowing. haha.

I plan to make the bike my DD starting this spring throughout the summer!

Anyone else in the Northeast Ohio Area? I'm in Garfield Heights.

Welcome aboard! Here's some info you may find helpful in working on and maintaining your KZ. Ed

kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/589649-...r-savannah-ga#594587

If you need a manual, loudhvx here has some helpful links in his signature. His motorcycle stuff page has a lot of info regarding the KZ550, including manuals. Note the clutch adjustment procedure link he has for the 550 - some manuals are either wrong or ambiguous.

You may already be aware of this, but if you don't know the age of the rear brake shoes, replace them. The adhesive that binds the linings to the shoes can fail, so a lining can come loose & get jammed between the shoe & drum, locking the rear wheel. It happened to me, so it does happen. It is an age issue, so you can't tell by looking - my 30 yr old shoes looked good.

good link! thank you! I just bought a workshop manual on ebay.

and also thanks for the tips! I thought this forum was more dead but I already have realized the opposite- there is a wealth of useful information to be had! And many knowledgeable and helpful members I'll check out those brake shoes. do the kawasaki dealers still sell parts for these bikes?

thank you again for the good information!

ive got a 81 550 as well and was doing the research earlier today for breaks and partzilla has them.
here is a link brake shoe
and just in case u want to do the front ones too here are the pads

cool stuff! i'm doing a bunch of preventitive maintainance before I run the bike it's coming along good, but dang OEM part take a long time to receive. I've already ordered from partzilla and bike bandit, and actually got my package faster from partzilla. Which still took ten days, that's a long time. haha. bike bandit took 12 days. oh boy. lol there has to be a better way.

im finding this site, and the kawi service manual to be very helpful when used together thank you all.

surprisingly, kawasaki.com website still has part diagrams and OEM parts numbers listed with the diagrams for my bike. most of the parts are still available OEM as well, which is very nice.

wakeboardr42393 wrote: cool stuff! i'm doing a bunch of preventitive maintainance before I run the bike it's coming along good, but dang OEM part take a long time to receive. I've already ordered from partzilla and bike bandit, and actually got my package faster from partzilla. Which still took ten days, that's a long time. haha. bike bandit took 12 days. oh boy. lol there has to be a better way.

im finding this site, and the kawi service manual to be very helpful when used together thank you all.

The better way:
Click here > www.z1enterprises.com/

Good Fortune!

Welcome
And photos are alwyas appreciated!

and if you can afford it, get a Scorpion AGM battery from batterystuff.com. That's probably the best battery for that bike... no vent to spew acid and no maintenance.