Might be joining the club Saturday with this...

I am possibly getting this on Saturday. 1981 750 LTD Just under 10k miles, new tires, chain, seat recovered, and new front and rear sprockets. I am interested in people's opinions on one question. Keep it stock or do a few things to make it better. I browsed this site and so far have not seen many like it with changes. Rear wheel to 18 inch? Modern rear shocks? I am all ears for suggestions!

Vince

I'd change the bars and maybe better shocks.
Steve

First, I would do all the routine maintenance - oil and filter, valve lash check, fork oil, et cetera, to be sure it is in tip top shape. Only then would I consider modifications. This way you will know for certain if you need to dump some time and money into repairs that you did not anticipate.
I'm with SWest on the bars, though you may find them comfortable. The factory shocks were nothing to brag about when new, and have not gotten better with age. Hagon and Progressive make some reasonably priced upgrades. Ohlins and Penske are at the top of the food chain, but are not necessary on an otherwise stock bike of that vintage. New springs in the forks may also be in order, as the stockers may have sagged a bit.
A genuine Kawasaki factory service manual and some JIS screwdrivers are priceless initial investments.
Welcome to the madhouse :woohoo: :silly:

I loved the 550 LTD but those bars sucked. I felt like I had little or no control. I had some years ago on mine, my back hurt even though I thought it would be more comfortable. I like the ones I have now.
Oh and welcome.
Steve

New tires, chain and sprocket - That's a good thing. Usually those are the first things that need to be addressed on a used bike. That one has a 4 into 1 exhaust but still has the stock air box, that's another plus. If it has a newer battery then you really can't go wrong as long as it starts runs and drives. Most of the common maintenance stuff is already been done.

I agree, shocks, maybe fork seals and oil, and defiantly handlebars. I hate the LTD bars with a passion. You can get the stems to mount the turn signals from head light bucket too. The handlebar mounted signals look kind goofy to me...

It looks to be nice bike that you can ride away on, if it runs and the price it right you found a good one.

I like mine on the bars. The ones on the headlight looked like elephant ears to me. :whistle:
Steve

They look like crossing lights hanging from the bars....

Eh elephant ears, crossing lights, what ever it's a matter of choice. Steve your bike look Purdy the way it is...

Hey Vince welcome to KZR, let us know how it turns out. Condition is everything in used bikes, so take note of the little things like cables, the battery, oil leaks, carburetor leaks, and so forth.... and haggle accordingly.

He's asking 700 so haggling seems futile but who knows? :laugh:

See if the starter makes noise while cranking it. Fixing it isn't easy.
Steve

Tyler wrote: You can get the stems to mount the turn signals from head light bucket too.

Do you have a link to this? Thank you.

As stated earlier here - Welcome to the madhouse - :laugh:

I guess it's just me being a relative newb here too but I love the looks of the LTD and wouldn't change a thing if I found one in that condition. Personally, I found those bars to be comfortable, especially for long cruising but maybe it's just my size - I'm under 6' tall and weigh less than the engine by itself most days (Thanksgiving/Christmas excluded! :whistle: )

Definitely follow the advise to get a factory authorized manual for your model. There simply isn't a better bang for the buck in all the purchases you'll make for it.
One thing I will say about doing the service - valves, forks, carb syncing - do them sooner than later. The very thought of these made me nervous and so I delayed them on other bikes but the after-the-fact, reality is the tasks are pretty easy (if you follow the FSM) and by doing them sooner, you benefit from two things: (1) knowing more about your bike. (2) enjoying a better ride/performance sooner.

Have at it man! $700? That's totally fair in my opinion for a running and maintained bike with low miles.

Ok so he sent a text this am wanting me to before I drove 4 hours each way that the speedo cable was busted and it will need clutch pads. Any reason the clutch pads might be gone if it supposedly has 10k on it? With a busted speedo cable I am starting to wonder accuracy if the mileage