New to KZ and motorcycling

Hi All,

Recently purchased a 1981 KZ550 LTD as my first bike as an adult rider. Purchased the bike from the assumed 2nd owner. The bike runs well and is nearly all stock from what I can tell (save a new fuel line, tires, and a larger rear sprocket). The odometer reads just shy of 2,400 miles, which I was told are all original miles. The first owner stored it in a barn for most of its life and the seller bought it last year to satisfy memories of a bike from his younger days. He worked to get it running again and put about 300 miles on it before moving on to a bigger bike.

The bike could probably use additional carb cleaning, but otherwise is in amazing condition. No noticeable rust, all lights intact, no obvious dents/scratches, and seat is in great condition. I drove it about 50 miles this weekend and looking forward to driving it more in the coming weeks. When I originally went to look at it, it was to be the basis of a project bike in the future to entertain me while my wife pursues a doctorate. After purchase, the condition was much better than expected and now I think it might be better served in original condition.

Thoughts? Questions?

Welcome to the forum. Don't mess with this one. It does look like a stock bike. Very complete and nice. Gr8 find.

Welcome aboard! Very nice bike! I would definitely leave it as is and enjoy riding it. Original bikes are sweet and are getting to be very scarce. It would be a real shame to corrupt something that has been preserved for 33 years. Sort of like peeing into a bottle of vintage port. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Below is some info you should find useful in maintaining your "new" bike. Ed

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

Welcome aboard! Very nice bike! I would definitely leave it as is and enjoy riding it...

Except for the handlebars, maybe? ... assuming they're about the same as the 650-CSR... those are the worst & could possibly be a safety issue, as the handling isn't that great when your elbows are shoved into your ribs. :pinch: ... Swapping handlebars can be a chore, though. :pinch: :pinch:
Flanders BMW Med Tall Street bars are a good match for the Ltd styling.

Rear brake shoes. 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 over time, so a lining can come loose and get jammed between the shoe & drum, locking the rear wheel. It happened to me, so it does happen.

Good luck & Welcome to KZRider!

The stock bars were a lot easier for me to learn on. I found the riding position of the clubmans I used to have to be uncomfortable for anything over 20 minutes of riding. The handling from the stock bars around town isn't great but it's perfect for the highway Your 550 is definitely in a lot better shape than mine

Thanks for the input. Tons of great information on the site, looking forward to learning from everyone.

I've thought about the handlebars and seat a little bit. I don't want to make any changes that aren't somewhat reversible, but I'm 6'3" and a little more room for my arms and legs is always appreciated. The bars mentioned would appear to offer some more room and I've been thinking about looking for a bolt on after market seat that is less contoured to give me some room to sit further back when cruising.

The photo below shows the BMW Med Tall Street bars installed on my CSR. They're good for speeds up to 60-65 mph or so, but any faster or on long rides at those speeds, the upright position isn't so great. I have since installed Emgo Euro bars. The Fr Br mc is slightly angled now, whereas it was level w the Flanders set.

welcome and i vote to leave it stock
shure is nice looking

one other thing is i see it has engine case guards on it try a set of highway pegs on there might help