Tell me about the KZ750 twins!

I have a chance to pick up a 1978 KZ750 twin,titled project bike for $300.00.

I would look to put some Cafe style bits on it such as drag or clubman bars,cut down seat(but keep rear tail),small turn signals,bar end mirrors,smaller tail lamp,

It needs a lot work of course,but I was just wanting to pick up some pros and cons of this unique KZ model. I believe they were only made the the U.S market from 1976 to 1978.

I know they don't make much power(about 55 H.P.)and are quite heavy for what they are.

I do like the fact that they have both electric and kick starters(just seems uh..right.
They have a nice standard(U.J.M.)style and lend themselves very well to the Cafe treatment without too much trouble.

Post edited by: coolatula, at: 2008/01/12 16:48

Good bikes, i think they brought them to the US from 76' to 82' but i am not sure on that.
Bet you a dollars the electric start does not function well and if it does it will soon break. parts are not the easiest to find iin general, Z1 and and ebay being your best choices.
there are quite a few twin owners here, myself included.

I replied to you on do the ton ,, Looky there:)

I think your right on all the twin model years,but I think the "Old school look" model "B" w/wire wheels I'm interested in is a three year deal.


Kinda like the Hondas when in the later years(late 1970s before the "F" models)they tried to transition into the 80'S and hung on to the old styling as long as they could and the bikes ended up looking a little odd.

They did it a little better I think than Kawasaki though. When they jumped in they jumped in whereas Kawasaki had some strange looking "Frankenbikes" there for a while.

That's why I think the wire wheel KZ650s are so popular and sought after. They just have that classic LOOK and there's nothing added on or made to make it look more MODERN than it is.

That's how old classic bikes SHOULD look,no excuses and not fancied up to "Fit in" with the times!

That's not to say you can't retro-mod/street fighter them as I've seen some fantastic renditions on the various forums. It's just that when the factories were changing over they didn't have the hindsight or great parts available that the builders of these bikes do now.

Post edited by: coolatula, at: 2008/01/12 17:59

Shoe48 wrote:

I replied to you on do the ton ,, Looky there:)

Thanks I'll check it out. Love the look of your project bike BTW,it's Kzantastic!

I've been wondering about the 750 twins myself. I love the look that Shoe is getting with his but I also like the stock/early look as well as the later LTD style. My question would be performance. How would they stack up against my KZ750-4 cylinder ... how do they compare to say .. a early Yamaha XS650 ??? I have quite a bit of experience with the XS650's ... not real fast but stone cold dependable !!!

Here's a site with a bunch of info on the twins including roadtests:
www.lonesometwin.co.uk/

1976-1979 KZ750B (1-4) all look alike, wire wheels ect, but there are differences.

1980 KZ750G look almost like a 76-79 with mag wheels, but 16" drum brake rear wheel and no centerstand (along with a few other small changes).

No 1981 model 750 twin.

1982 KZ750M CSR was the last chain drive model 750 twin, and the first with electronic ignition.

1983 KZ750K Belt drive was the last 750 twin imported to the US.

1984 KZ750 was a belt drive and sold in Canada but not in the US.

My current 79 KZ750 twin before I installed the 80 tail that matches the rest of the 80 body parts (Dealer installed option Morris Mags, 82 motor).





I would post a current pic, but I have crashed it since that one was taken and haven't got around to fixing it yet

Post edited by: steell, at: 2008/01/12 23:52

C'mon Steve, post a picture of it. The bars aren't twisted up THAT bad...:laugh:

coolatula wrote:

I have a chance to pick up a 1978 KZ750 twin,titled project bike for $300.00...

Welcome!

Yeah, there's lots of info and history in this forum from us twin owners...

Do a few searches, and you'll find tons of posts about these beasts...

But let me first say... if you're looking for a racer to beat a four, you bought the wrong bike!
:lol:

I don't know how they compare to the Yamaha twins, because I've not had one... yet...

I had one some time back. Top-heavy, and the handling was *horrendous*. I'll never know how I survived my time with that bike. I don't even remember what I eventually did with it.

The handling would probably be significantly affected for the better by modern rubber.

The newest sport bike I heve ridden is a 85 GPz750 Turbo, so I don't have much to compare the 750 twin to in the modern world (650 Triumphs, BSA's, and 750/850 Nortons count?), but the bike seems neither top heavy nor ill handling to me. Too me, the 750 twin is a great daily driver, a great way to get from point A to point B, as long as it's a reasonable distance. I spend a lot of time on backroads, just chugging along and enjoying the scenery, and the 750 is great for that purpose. It's not a Sport Bike, or a racer, but it is a fun relaxing ride.