First KZ and I think I'm in love.

I'm new to owning motorcycles and quiet young. My first bike is a 1978 Kz650 C2 and to be completely honest, I love it. It needs a little love and some cosmetics but it runs like a dream. I just wanted to know where do I start. I have an experienced friend at my disposal and I'm personally a me cu a nice in training. Tell me what you think!

Welcome to KZR! Nice score. They are quite easy to fall in love with. Start with getting a genuine Kawasaki repair Manuel. Then a tune-up valve lash cHeck and overall inspection to see how everything looks.

I actually have 2 bikes, not sure what the other one is but it came with the first and it's a parts bike. The motor runs just missing street legal requirements. Hoping to pick it up next weekend and start seeing what I have to work with. I love the C2 models paint job. It's perfect.

Yep get a manual, Clean all electrical connectors, make sure no rust is getting through gas, inspect tires for wear and cracks, inspect brake hoses and then shoes and pucks, do a compression check as it's always nice to see where an engine stands.. You do have a nice bike there and with a little TLC it could be a great bike. Make her safe first then make her yours. GLuck..

The bike pictured is 100% safe and ready to rock and roll. The parts bike, which ive yet to see, depending on its condition may get worked on and made rid able so a friend of mine can buy it and we can ride together. If it isn't worth it I'm going to keep it for OEM parts and a spare running engine. I'm going to school for auto mechanics but I'm starting to gain a liking for the simple yet complex combo of a motor and a bike. I rode BMX when I was younger so it seems as if I'm applying the knowledge of both bikes and cars to this. We'll see where it takes me!

It runs great? Where to start?

Wash it and ride, ride, ride!

Just take care of basic maintenance. Oil change, clean/lube the chain, make sure your tires and brakes are safe, maybe lube your cables. Then get out on the road!

It's all insured and ready but the DMV in Kansas is a real struggle. It'll be a couple weeks before I have my liscense and can "legally" ride her. I take her round the neighborhood for daily jogs though. I'm just eager to get her out on an open stretch of road. I plan to visit some neighboring cities as soon as I'm clear to go!

Take a look at the info in the link below. It should be helpful. After you get the Kawasaki Service Manual read it carefully, get the right tools, and work on performing maintenance on the bike as described in the manual. Assume the previous owner neglected all maintenance. If you perform all the maintenance you will establish a baseline from which to set your maintenance schedule just as if it was a new bike. If any of the stuff is confusing ASK HERE FIRST before breaking anything. Remember - there are no dumb questions. We all started from scratch. Ed

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

Thank you very much for the link! It contained some very good pointers I might of missed otherwise. Since I have a week or so before I can get out and start riding I have been spending my evenings on the forums here trying to swallow as much information as I can!