Super cheap KZ750 twin Daily Driver.

Hey. New member here. Just said 'hey' in the new member area.

Long time motorcycle collector, and if you guys are anything like me, I love a good, sad, humorous, motorcycle story.

So...here's mine:
Been looking for an old KZ for awhile.
Its the usually story. Waaaay over priced, hacked 1/2 finished 'cafe' jobs, or junkers in boxes.

Well, I come across a 1978 KZ750B that the owner says "needs a transmission".
That catches my eye, because I've never seen gearing go out.
Maybe a single gear will go bad. Like 2nd gear, and you just go from 1st to 3rd.

Anyway, I go to see it, and he tells me, "when I let the clutch out it dies'.
So I ask him to show me what he means.

Its about 11deg out, and the KZ starts instantly! Ok, we're off to a good start!
He gets on it, begins to let the clutch out, and it dies.
Duh! I'm thinking to myself "come on...you need to give it gas, right?"
He also says, 'it sometimes slips when I'm riding it.'
I'm thinking 'thats weird, its only got 8K miles.'
Unless someone doesn't know how to use a clutch (which obviously he doesn't), or is drag racing,
the original clutch should last way longer than 8K miles?! Right?

Anyways, I keep all this to myself, and agree the 'transmission or clutch is shot'.
Decided long ago, not to argue with sellers. It never works.
Has anyone ever had luck pointing out what's wrong with a bike, when you're trying to buy it?
I never have.

So we make a deal for $450.
Comes with vintage chopper style 2-up seat.
Also has original flat seat.
Vetter fairing with lowers.
Highway / crash bars.
A brand new in the box, spare 2nd battery.
Original owners manual, and workshop manual.

I don't mention it to the seller, but while I was looking it over, I see what his 'transmission'
problem is.



I get it home and proceed to remove front & rear sprockets and the chain.
You think this sprocket has any more miles left?

Wish I would have taken a 'before' pic of his chain tension.
Chain was about an inch off the ground. Had about 4" of slack!
Lucky it didn't throw the chain, and toss him in the ditch!

So, doing the basics now.
Oil change, cam chain adjust, valves, etc.
I hate oil drips, so ordered a few misc. o-rings, seals, (tach cable seal, shift shaft seal).
Put a new front tire on. Back will last me another season, maybe two.
When I pulled the rear wheel to remove rear sprocket, the rear bearings looked spotless.
So, can't see the need to even do wheel bearings.

Figure I can get it 'coast-to-coast' road worthy for a total of $250 over purchase price.
$100 for the front tire, so I've only got $150 left I can spend!

Here's what it looks like. (Cam with sheepskin seat cover, which I've removed).




Chrome polishing up nicely.
Side covers and tail piece are not painted correctly.
My brother has been an auto-body painter for 20yrs, so I'll have him paint those 3 pieces.
Brakes are good, and fluid looks fresh.
Can't really see much to repair, replace.

Got to admit, I've never seen a carbureted motorcycle start so quick in 11deg weather.
Idles real nice.
Pretty torquey motor. Way diff than the 4cylinder bikes I'm used to.
Oh...and no 'transmission' issue!
Besides the shot chain and sprockets, the clutch was way out of adjustment.

Looking forward to putting some miles on it.

Good score! Is there a back story to how the PO came about in possession of the bike? Can't see him having had owned it for very long or since it was new; considering the otherwise great condition. Someone had to have took good care of that bike before he got it. Looks like he basically treated it like a disposable maintenance free motorcycle. You would think in the age of the internet, he could have first done some research to at least try to determine what his issue is. Well, I think it is now in better hands. I'm sure it will last for many years to come.

The mid-30's kid was clueless, but 'knew it all'.


Here's a couple other funny things he said:
I asked him about maintenance:
His response was he chained the oil. Well...@ least he did that.
He thought Japanese bikes were supposed to be bullet-proof.

I'm thinking, 'Yeah. But bullet-proof doesn't mean you don't do anything!'.

I was sitting on it, checking out the switches, lights, etc., and see the red 'stop lamp' is
lit every time I apply the brakes. I tell him, 'think a bulb might be out'.

He says, 'oh no! That light is supposed to go on, to tell you the brake light is working'.
Could barely contain the laughter.
Well...he was right about one thing. The brake light worked.
Tail light didn't!

He tells me he got it from a buddy in South Dakota who was doing construction on an elderly Lady's house, and this KZ750 was sitting in her garage, and he bought it from her. (old copy of title does confirm mileage and South Dakota ownership).
He rode it very briefly but didn't like it, so sold it to the guy I bought it from.
From what I can see, I'm guessing he couldn't have put many miles on it.
And asking him about what kind of riding he did, he says that he like to do weekend cruises.
Rode it for 2 summers. 2009, 2010, and maybe 1 or 2 times in 2011.

Ridden a few low mileage bikes, and they are real nice.
Steering is rock tight, engines sound new.
This one feels the same.

If it just had a little better care, it could have looked amazing.
Do the upkeep and they shine for many many miles, eh?

That's a real find. Looks like the original exhaust which is damn near impossible to find now. Look underneath to see if the cross-over pipe is there. If so you've got the original exhaust, if not it's an aftermarket.

I actually think he's right about the brake light indicator light. That's how mine works and my brake light and tail light both work.

I've got a '79 750 twin and love it. Nice score and thanks from all of us for rescuing a great bike from a future of neglect.

Congrats!!!! That bike (except IMO the seat) looks really great, and I'm happy you got such a great deal on it! The previous owner was too lazy to spend 5 minutes diagnosing the problem which tells me he really had zero interest in the bike, so I'm glad it was sold to someone willing to take proper care of it. Ed

Topper wrote: I actually think he's right about the brake light indicator light. That's how mine works and my brake light and tail light both work.

I agree with you Topper, mine works the same way. I like it because it lets me know that the cages behind me are seeing my stop light.

If while cruising along, the subject dash light is blinking on and off, it's warning that the brake light won't come on when brake is applied (often due to a blown brake filament in the rear bulb, or a loose connector in wiring to the rear brake bulb).

Good Fortune!

Thanks for the replies.

Yup. Original exhaust.
Crossover intact.

The chrome is really shining up nice!



You guys are right about the bulb / stop lamp light.
My mistake!
I quickly assumed it was like the other Japanese bikes I've got, where it only lit up, if a bulb was out. Then I again assumed that to be the case, because the tail light part of the dual filament actually WAS burnt.

Just went out to the garage, and checked.
Yup, guess that's the Kawasaki warning system.
Cool.

Was thinking....the bike itself was only around $250.
-Whats an original flat seat go for on e*bay? $50-100?
-Then a 2nd new battery? Around $30-40.
-Vetter fairing with lowers? At least $25-50 on craigslist.
-Original tool kit? $25?
-Nice set of crash bars? $25-50.
-Shop manual? Even CD versions are $20-25.

<<< The previous owner was too lazy to spend 5 minutes diagnosing the problem which tells me he really had zero interest in the bike,>>>>

I know, right? Never understood the lazy owner. Sure, not everyone needs to be meticulous about every little thing. But just follow the basics.
Here's a pic of what the loose chain wore down!



Only other deal I found like this was last year. From local CL, I bought 2 1982 CB650's for $275 each. Wanted to prove to a buddy that you don't need a $20K Goldwing to successfully travel across country.
So, decided to see how cheaply I could get one of them road-ready and road trip with it.
Spent no money except oil / filter. Didn't even change the plugs, tires or chain. Everything was worn, but still had some life left.
Cleaned and tuned it as far as I could, with no out of pocket $$.
Then rode it 3 days, over 20 hrs., from Omaha NE to my brothers place in Phoenix AZ.
**Although chain, tires, sprockets, etc...all got replaced when I got there!!

Ran perfect all the way.

Guess, you gotta love the lazy sellers, sometimes.

It looks like the previous owner goofed when he (or his ace mechanic) mounted the front wheel. There should be zero gap at the front of the axle clamps. You should remount it properly; be sure to use the appropriate torque specs for the axle and clamp nuts. Ed

wow you rescued this one

That's on my list.
The front wheel is coming off for front end service before spring riding season:
(de-glazing of rotors and pads, check or replace wheel bearing seals, change fork oil and new fork dust boots).
Figured I'd do it then.

Good eye on that one!

never mind.... didn't see the other comments. doh.