Two Bikes for Free. Lucky Me!

Good Evening Everyone,

Had a pretty awesome night as a cheapskate/bargain hunter. I received a text from my father last week saying one of his students had an old Kawasaki KZ that his dad was looking to get rid of. He needed the space in his garage and it was his older sons abandoned project and had since gone off to college. I am always skeptical on situations like this unit it is in my possession. Well, tonight he called me and said we can go pick it up! I meet my ol' man and we head over. It is a 1978 Kawasaki KZ650. Odometer reads 18XXX. It is in pretty rough shape. I kicked it over and it seems to have solid compression. Supposedly, it ran good three years ago, and then they tinkered with it. He also had a 1988 Honda Hurricane that was transformed into a stuntish bike. He wanted that gone too! So I loaded them both up, thanked him as I shook his hand, then started the 5 mile journey back to my house. Hahaha.

Here is what the lovely ladies look like:

I am re-wiring the basement right now. I worked on it from 8-6 today. It is an old farm house with a very nice size basement that hasn't been utilized in 50 years because there has been so much junk in there. Just. Junk. I will have the lighting done tomorrow. Then on to outlets.

Once I am moved into the basement, that will be the bikes new home.

My questions to you, is what would you do with these two bikes? Lets hear it!

Thanks,
Josh

Keep the KZ and sell/part out the Honda to fund the KZ project. Perhaps keep a few of the Honda's parts to use on the KZ.

azman857 wrote: Keep the KZ and sell/part out the Honda to fund the KZ project. Perhaps keep a few of the Honda's parts to use on the KZ.

+1^^^^^^
Ed

That is what i am thinking. I kind of thought about possibly the hurricane front end and swing arm on the kz frame?

I'd make the KZ stock and ride the piss out of it.
Steve

swest wrote: I'd make the KZ stock and ride the piss out of it.
Steve

That is exactly what I was thinking too! Ed

Mikie had one. It was beautiful, Mags and all. 4/1 V/H cold blooded as hell. Blue head pipes. Wanted me to tune it for him. Didn't want to spend any money. I told him he needed larger jets and the valves needed to be adjusted. Wouldn't go for it. I put it on my mercury gauges and it sucked up some at rev. That thing was like new. The next time I saw it, it had a big dent in the top of the tank. He punched it because it wouldn't start. I didn't see him for a while and he was walking when I did. He told me he traded it for a 8/ball. Never spoke to him again.
Steve

I Think i am going to part the hurricane, and ride the KZ. Could any of you point me the direction of the absolute minimum wiring diagram i would need to get this ol' girl running? Before i spend money fixing it up, i would like to hear it run. I don't need the lights to work (yet). i just would like to know the bare bones I would need to get it running.

Thanks!

Just search for barebones kz wiring, should pull up a huge thread by loudvhx on here, has what you need.

Too bad the hurricane is stripped down already, they're getting hard to find in good nick.

Get a battery first. :whistle: