Why did you get a KZ?

I cant wait to get it together with the new zx parts.

Because they didn't make my Coyote anymore

KawasakiBob wrote:

Because they didn't make my Coyote anymore

I know I'm dating myself but I remember those when they were new. I used to break them out of the crate assemble and prep them. I always hated doing the Coyotes because they required more work to assemble than the MT-1's. IIRC they came shipped 2 to a crate. Man I haven't seen one of those in ages.

My father-in-law is an auto mechanic and owns his own business. So about 10 years ago he had a customer that came in and was telling him about a bike he had bought for his wife. She dumped it and he told her she was giving up riding.The guy asks if my father-in-law wants it, with title, for free. Now he's a Honda owner and didn't really want a Kawi, but it was free. Two years pass and he calls me at home and asks if I want "that junk bike under the tarp" in his shop? I say what bike? He say's if I don't come and get it it'll go in the dumpster. It was a KZ750 twin. With a little cosmetic help and a good cleaning of the carbs I had a running bike. Fast forward about 5 years and I find this KZ1000 in a local little bike shop for sale. So I sold the Honda Magna that was my daily ride and buy my second Kawi. Still own both Kaw's and am completely hooked.

In 1980 I was looking for a new bike. Owned three previously-all 2 cylinder Jap. Borrowed friends KZ650 and loved it. Next day went to dealer where the sales d00d said they didn't have a KZ650, but there was a KZ750E2 to arrive in two weeks. Looked at a brochure and gave him a deposit. Two weeks later went back with a check. Still ridin da bastid and love it. Silver paint. All original stock. Have never seen another one in person.

KawasakiBob wrote:

Because they didn't make my Coyote anymore

Holy smokes I havent seen one of those in a while.
That looks like the bike I started riding on at 6 years. My father had made some training wheels for me but they kept bending. Finally he said forget the training wheels and took them off. Wouldnt you know I was a natural.
Mine was lime green, with a royal blue, square seat, and a 3.5 techemsi engine.

Post edited by: Snakebyte, at: 2007/06/07 07:16

:laugh: Mine was the 2 stroke, that I seized countless times until we ended up putting a Tucumseh 2.5hp motor in :laugh: :laugh:

UH!!..... :dry: I couldnt afford a Harley!!:ohmy: Opps ! Did I just say that outloud? :blink: That otta bring the house down!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

because it was free and I wanted something to tinker with while I didnt have a drivers license.
I wanted something to keep me busy while waiting the time out until I could drive again.

one day i posted on a fishing forum wanting a project to keep my brain occupied. one of the members posted a photo of a beautiful moss covered GPZ550.

I jumped on the idea and brought it home, i still cringe at the memory of the look my wonderful wife gave me as I rolled it out of the brothers truck that day.

thus the mossbeater was born.
see link below.

While I was growing up, the older guys were riding Kz's. Every now and then one of them would let you ride one. Later on in life I wrenched on the East side of Town and the local bike gangs would roll thru, same thing every now and then One of them would let you rip a ride. I always loved the kz900's and 1000's Turned out the Kz I could afford has protection for my riding. Since I hadn't ridden in way too many years. 1978 Police Kz1000. Crash bars and hard bags are a good thing, I like having the floor boards and windshield also. John

well it turns out I have 2 free ones over the years.
The first one was an early 80's GPZ 550 that I was given by an uncle who had leased some land to a guy to put a junk yard on. After a few months he dissapeared in the middle of the night and left the bike in a she along with other cars etc. I got it to run but since this was pre Ebay I couldn't find the parts I needed to finish it. I sold it to some guy for next to nothing because he had one with a blown engine and wanted to do a motor swap. And yes I regret that decision to this day. (Gonna have to get me another one of those)
Fast forward to a couple of years ago. I stopped by a motorcycle repair shop trying to find a frame to fit a 20 horse Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine I just happend to have lying around in. The owner told me he didn't have any frames but he had a whole bike in the back he was fixing to send to the scrap iron dealer. I could have it if I could load it in my truck. He said somebody had brought it in about 4 years before and never came back. I went out back and there it sat. It was love at first site. Because ther was a frame with enough parts on it to rip off and sell on ebay to pay for building my B&S Frankenbike project. Of course when I got it home a buddy of mine came over on his Road King and helped me try to get it to running just for grins and giggles. Within 15 minutes we had the motor hitting, after a few more minutes fiddling it actually idled. Now 2 years and $400.00 later it takes me where ever I want to ride it, gets between 40 and 50 mpg and is constantly commented on by older knowledgeable riders who usually start the conversation with "I remember when these things...." I try not to stop for gas unless I have an extra 15 minutes to kill listening to to the gawkers who come up.
I guess I didn't pick my KZ. It waited patiently for me for 4 years to finally show up. Now I have a hankering to find and rebuild a vintage motocrosser.

My Dad knew a guy selling a bike in 1975. I forgot how much I paid but it was a nice KZ400. I learned a lot about riding on that bike. I enlisted in AF in 76 and was stationed at Holloman in NM. I became friends with a couple of guys that both had 76 KZ1000s'. I originally wanted to get a sportster but they were AMF crap back them and I was really impressed with the 900. Back then you didn't see dual overhead cams and that bullet proof bottom end on anything but a race engine. When I went back home to Ohio on leave in 77 I was riding the 400 when it started to rain. I stopped at a Kawasaki dealer and saw my first KZ1000 LTD. I asked the first saleman I saw a question about the bike but he must have figured I was just getting out of the rain so he blew me off saying "its real fast" and walked away. That really pissed me off so when another saleman asked me if I needed help I bought the bike from him making sure the first guy knew he blew a deal. I had them put a kerker on it right from the showroom. It cost me $3200. I rode it back to NM. and all aroung the country and I just finished adjusting the chain and washing that same bike today. That bike always got me home. I will ride it until I can't ride anymore.