Should I stay or should I go

Bought a '76 KZ900 late this summer. It's in relatively good condition, but needs a little work -- runs a little rough (29M carbs, Dyna ignition), needs tires, front caliper has begun to sieze and exhaust (old chrome pipe with no baffle) very loud (thinking of replacing).

I have $3,000 invested in the bike.

Dill'emma -- I realize now that I am a technology junky. Up to this point, I have always owned current model sport bikes. I really love high tech stuff... and endless power.

Unless some grand transformation occurs, the bike is gone come summer.

Would you fix and sell for market value (in my area around $3,500) in current condition, but fully repaired, OR would you sell discounted (thinking this route might be kinda slow and full of lowball offers).

Problem with the laters is personal repair hours = money and time away from the family.

Just looking for opinions. I do like the bike and love the looks, I just have to be honest that I like focusing a lot more on riding and less on dealing with old designs (yes, I know this is character).

Thanks guys
Phil

First a question. Your post says the bike has 29mm cabrs but you signature says 28mm smoothbores (no such thing by the way). Which is it? That will make a difference on the price. Don't just measure the carb bore because 28mm carbs actually measure to closer to 29mm. Now onto your question. It kind of depends on your mechanical skill level. If your skill level is high then you should have it running great within a few hours. Since it is running right now it only needs to be dialed in, air leaks fixed and so on. A skilled mechanic could have it purring in a afternoon. If you level is not so high then you might do more damage than good. If you are a novice wrench turner than I would sell the bike as is right now and be done with it. You could spend the money on parts, spend time in the garage and still not get it running right so cut your losses. It would be worth around $1700-1900 right now if it does have 29 smoothbores, depending on how it looks.

All I gotta say is that's a nice reference to The Clash.

Under no circumstances should you replace tires -- high money and adds little value (not sure why, that's just how it is -- maybe buyers figure they'd rather pick their own new tires). You're bike is very desirable based on the motor and year. Front caliper -- just disclose the problem. Running rough, who cares? The fact that it's a runner at all adds thousands. Anybody who buys a 30-year old motorcycle anticipates spending some money cleaning carbs and getting it up to speed. In fact, that's part of what makes it our bike when we buy it -- fixing her up. Not many people who don't wrench will buy (intelligently) a 30 year old bike. They're just a different animal than the modern, turn-key, oil-change-every-6,000-miles type of bike. So don't worry about it, run some Sta-Bil through the tank and carbs, and sell it when the weather gets good. FWIW, I'd pay about $1800 - $2200 for your bike in its described condition. Maybe more if the original paint was pretty good - that's hard to find.

I tend to agree with Siggy Javotnik. His profile of the potential buyer is just too close for comfort. :pinch:

The alternate profile is a kid still young enough to you can get something for nothing... a $10K bike for $1-$2K. :whistle:

Both may suffer from the same sickness... just seasons-out-of-time. :blush:

Best of success.