Why did you get a KZ?

WAIT!!!!!!!! You forgot that they handle like a saw horse too...... OK, everyone can continue.

NickW900LTD wrote:

Why? Cause Harleys are oversized, underpowered, overpriced and sound like lawn mowers.

I recently bought a used 79'KZ650 because my very first bike at 18 was a 76'KZ650. Now that I am 49, I believe that a KZ will be my last, call it symmetry...

Why a KZ

Its reasonably quick, so am I.
Its reliable, so am I.
It was attractive to most folks 20 some years ago, so was I.
It doesnt cost much to keep it happy, neither do I.
If its ready for a mid life crisis, so am I.

It was $500.00 and 5 days before my friends with cruisers road tripped from Norfolk, VA to Chicago. It had 4 layers of flourescent rattle can paint, a 1970's 3" shag bucket seat cover and a rusty chain. Oh, and it was the only bike in the group that could keep up with the leader's 2002 Gold Wing.

Okay, Reader's Digest version (not enough space for the full length version). Started riding at 4, racing at around ...ummmm ... 8 or 9. When I was a high school senior I picked up a 440LTD (stay with me here!) and I got what I thought I wanted...until a guy rolled into town with a '75 Z-1 with drag bars and a Supertrapp...holy-muther-of-pearl...two months later he let me pull the trigger on it:dry: mistake...or not:evil: ...bought it at the end of that summer and I've never looked back since. :whistle:

By-the-by: went to a friend's house to ride one early 80s evening and saw my first Z1-R:ohmy: ...had one two years later;) ...still got itB) .

...same thing happened with my first ELR ...is a pattern developing?:blink: :silly:

Bad Kaw wrote:

Okay, Reader's Digest version (not enough space for the full length version). Started riding at 4, racing at around ...ummmm ... 8 or 9. When I was a high school senior I picked up a 440LTD (stay with me here!) and I got what I thought I wanted...until a guy rolled into town with a '75 Z-1 with drag bars and a Supertrapp...holy-muther-of-pearl...two months later he let me pull the trigger on it:dry: mistake...or not:evil: ...bought it at the end of that summer and I've never looked back since. :whistle:

By-the-by: went to a friend's house to ride one early 80s evening and saw my first Z1-R:ohmy: ...had one two years later;) ...still got itB) .

...same thing happened with my first ELR ...is a pattern developing?:blink: :silly:

Hey Bad Kaw do you want to come over and ride one of my 650's? :evil: :evil: :evil:

The Gringo wrote:

Bad Kaw wrote:

Okay, Reader's Digest version (not enough space for the full length version). Started riding at 4, racing at around ...ummmm ... 8 or 9. When I was a high school senior I picked up a 440LTD (stay with me here!) and I got what I thought I wanted...until a guy rolled into town with a '75 Z-1 with drag bars and a Supertrapp...holy-muther-of-pearl...two months later he let me pull the trigger on it:dry: mistake...or not:evil: ...bought it at the end of that summer and I've never looked back since. :whistle:

By-the-by: went to a friend's house to ride one early 80s evening and saw my first Z1-R:ohmy: ...had one two years later;) ...still got itB) .

...same thing happened with my first ELR ...is a pattern developing?:blink: :silly:

Hey Bad Kaw do you want to come over and ride one of my 650's? :evil: :evil: :evil:

I'm just gonna buy a sword and throw myself on it...:lol:
...ya know, as cheap as those things go for (from time to time) and with the collection that I've got, it seems totally illogical that I don't have one in my barn! It's either that or this is the price that I pay for having the rest of my sleds to play with...:dry:

A friend stopped by with what is now my 79 1000LTD. It was a little rusty, leaked a bit of fuel while standing, sputtered some at takeoff, and needed lots of TLC. He cracked the throttle, and the 4-1 Kerker is what got me hooked. I thought, I gotta have it ($500)...I CAN REBUILD!!!!
So,2 yrs later, it's in buckets and boxes waiting for me to bring her back to what I hope she will be.
In the meantime, I picked up a 77 650 on ebay too cheap to let go($150). A tune-up, a few parts, and she purrs like a kitten. I'm hoping to bring the LTD back to life by spring, unless another deal comes along. All I know is that I am hooked:woohoo:

My brother & or I have had different bikes thru the years starting with an old yammerehamer twin jet 100.
About 5 yrs ago a guy who lives up the stret needed to get rid of his 82 1100 spectre,that he bought new, put 9,000 mi on & then let it sit outside for 8 yrs.You could poke your finger thru the tank even though the paint looked ok?? Weird huh. Anyway, when I got that thing home $200. later, I got a tank from Annie's cycle salvage here in Houston. When I got it fired up it would run pretty good with the choke on & my right hand grabbed the front of my jeans & I said I LIKE IT!!! You guys all know the sound I'm talkin about.
Started looking into what all it was gonna take to just get it rideable. TOO MUCH$$$ Found a bike on E-BAY exactly like it That looked like it was about a year old.I won the bid at $2250. My wife & I road tripped to Kansas city MO over the weekend & picked it up.(note- I thought the roads were bad in TX until We drove thru OK.Now the first one is the parts bike.
I have put 20,000 plus mi on it with just tires,brake pads & batteries.40,000 on the clock now. I gotta tell ya I know people who bought new bikes & didn't get service I've already gotten.100 hp & two wheels, pretty simple math huh?My brother recently spent $30,000 building a harley based chopper that looks ultra cool, but we have yet to go on a ride as the custom hand fabbed tank needs refilling every 20 mi.Well gotta go now as I,m gonna send those case guards to TJHIGGINS today. I PROMISE Thanks for Your patience TJ,& thanks to KZR for all of the help I found here. The coil mod comes to mind here,thanks to WIREDGEORGE.

Post edited by: outatimeoutlaw, at: 2007/11/24 09:37
I also wanted to say that this is the coolest forum subject to date in my little pea-sized brain.

Post edited by: outatimeoutlaw, at: 2007/11/24 09:41

Here is my sad story. It all started in 1982. My first street bike was a 72 H1. I rode the crap out of it for 2 years until I blew it up. I hate to admit it but after that I strayed for a while. I bought a 78 CB750 at a police auction for $60. I rode that bike for a while till I got tired of it. So what did I do? I sold it for $500 and bought a 73 CB 750 from a local fireman. It was fire engine red and in mint condition. After a day of lapping a local parking lot oval I wrecked it on the way home. There must have been an accident where I crashed because the road was covered with sand. I went down and the bike was sliding gently down the road on the way to the grass on the other side of the street. Everything was going to be OK, a few scrratches but ridable. Then a car coming in the opposite direction smashed into it, breaking evey single piece. There was nothing I could save. Now my tale really goes downhill. A nieghbor of mine was moving away. In his garage was a bike that he never rode in 10 years of living there. I asked him if he would rather sell it than drag it down to DC to sit in his garage for the next 10 years. Now comes the bad part. He said yes. It was a 72 BMW R75/5 Toaster Tank. I paid him $200 and rolled it down the street to my house. After about 2 weeks and $500 it was ready to go. I could not stand it. Slow as could be, wobbly as hell. The only good thing was the wheelies (shaft drive effect). The for sale sign went up in about a week. I did manage to turn a nice profit as I sold it for $1500. I probably could have gotten more but I just wanted it out of my garage NOW. Now comes the good part. I found a 76 KZ900 for sale. I went to look at it and it was beautiful. I paid $900 for it and I was in Kaw heaven. It was fast and handled well (in 1988). Everthing was right in the world. I rode it for a few years and then blew it up. As good luck would have it my brother in Syracuse was getting rid if his 80 KZ 650 LTD. I bought it from him for $600 (on credit no less). I had it for a few years and loved it. As bad luck would have it the tranny went. I couldn't get out of first gear. I didn't have any money to fix it so I sold it to my wife's uncle for the cost of the new tires I had just put on it. I was bikeless for the first time since I was 18. It sucked. After a year my wife's uncle bought a new bike (Shadow 600) and asked me if I wanted it back. I said "how much?" he said "come and take it away." I did. That was about 3 years ago. I rode it daily and did lots of work to it (I recently posted all my mods here). While I was waiting for the final piece of the 650 puzzle (jet kit) I happened across a 2000 ZRX 1100 for sale. I bought it and it was a revelation to me. So there it is. I now have the 900 (still in the garage waitng for a cash injection), the 650 (still gets ridden occasionaly, but retired from eveyday use) and the ZRX. It's a happy ending after all.:laugh:

Here is my sad story. It all started in 1982. My first street bike was a 72 H1. I rode the crap out of it for 2 years until I blew it up. I hate to admit it but after that I strayed for a while. I bought a 78 CB750 at a police auction for $60. I rode that bike for a while till I got tired of it. So what did I do? I sold it for $500 and bought a 73 CB 750 from a local fireman. It was fire engine red and in mint condition. After a day of lapping a local parking lot oval I wrecked it on the way home. There must have been an accident where I crashed because the road was covered with sand. I went down and the bike was sliding gently down the road on the way to the grass on the other side of the street. Everything was going to be OK, a few scrratches but ridable. Then a car coming in the opposite direction smashed into it, breaking evey single piece. There was nothing I could save. Now my tale really goes downhill. A nieghbor of mine was moving away. In his garage was a bike that he never rode in 10 years of living there. I asked him if he would rather sell it than drag it down to DC to sit in his garage for the next 10 years. Now comes the bad part. He said yes. It was a 72 BMW R75/5 Toaster Tank. I paid him $200 and rolled it down the street to my house. After about 2 weeks and $500 it was ready to go. I could not stand it. Slow as could be, wobbly as hell. The only good thing was the wheelies (shaft drive effect). The for sale sign went up in about a week. I did manage to turn a nice profit as I sold it for $1500. I probably could have gotten more but I just wanted it out of my garage NOW. Now comes the good part. I found a 76 KZ900 for sale. I went to look at it and it was beautiful. I paid $900 for it and I was in Kaw heaven. It was fast and handled well (in 1988). Everthing was right in the world. I rode it for a few years and then blew it up. As good luck would have it my brother in Syracuse was getting rid if his 80 KZ 650 LTD. I bought it from him for $600 (on credit no less). I had it for a few years and loved it. As bad luck would have it the tranny went. I couldn't get out of first gear. I didn't have any money to fix it so I sold it to my wife's uncle for the cost of the new tires I had just put on it. I was bikeless for the first time since I was 18. It sucked. After a year my wife's uncle bought a new bike (Shadow 600) and asked me if I wanted it back. I said "how much?" he said "come and take it away." I did. That was about 3 years ago. I rode it daily and did lots of work to it (I recently posted all my mods here). While I was waiting for the final piece of the 650 puzzle (jet kit) I happened across a 2000 ZRX 1100 for sale. I bought it and it was a revelation to me. So there it is. I now have the 900 (still in the garage waitng for a cash injection), the 650 (still gets ridden occasionaly, but retired from eveyday use) and the ZRX. It's a happy ending after all.:laugh:
I have no idea why this came out twice

Post edited by: madderkaw, at: 2007/11/24 09:46