Vintage KZ650 film

Ahhhhh, just what I needed at this time of the year.

www.truveo.com/Kawasaki-KZ650-1976-Motorcycle/id/1519192510

Yes, that was pretty nice...but to be honest, I'd be happy with any of those bikes, not just the 650:)

Cool film. Back in 77 it was fun showing any 750 your tail light.:evil:
Mark

Kawasaki claimed back in late 1976 "that right out of the box, the new Kz650 will outperform any 750 in the world." This claim rang true for only a few weeks as Suzuki soon introduced the GS750 which was more powerful and faster thanks to the extra 100 cc's.


Anyhow, excellent video. It put a smile on my face this cooooollllllldddddd winter afternoon when I am getting ready to take out the Zamboni at our outdoor rink. Wish I was riding my 650/810 instead:(

Cheers - Colin Firth-Ontario Canada

Such a sensible bike! :evil:

Everything in that video is true. I didn't find a fib one in it.

Thanks for that, old650. Great video !! Of course we all know what a great bike the 650 was and is, still to this day.
There was, however, one naysayer back in the day. Cycle Magazine in its Nov 1976 issue had its say in "First Test-Kawasaki 650 Four. If The Z1 Is King, Could This Be The Prince?" as it was titled on the cover.
(BTW, this issue has a gorgeous pullout brochure for the 650 in it)
After 10 pages of pics and writing about their exhaustive testing, etc etc, they came to the conclusion at the end of everything that:
"....no one was wildly enthusiastic about the KZ650....in part because the machine didn't-and couldn't-deliver on its advance performance billing. The KZ650 is new without being new. That really doesn't matter. But it's also new without being exciting. And that does matter."
Unfortunately for the 650, most of the guys on the masthead of this mag were dyed-in-the-wool Kawi stroker fans....so the 650 left them underenthused, to say the least. It's too bad they viewed the 650 through "H2 tinted" glasses. I think they would have honestly rated the 650 much more highly if they had been more impartial.
I've got both of them and the 650 is far more multi-dimensional (if you will) than the H2.
That's the way I see it.....and Cycle can kiss ma grits.

You will also note that Cycle is no longer in business having been absorbed by Cycle World sometime in the late '80s/early '90s. It was after I let my first subscription run lapse in '86.

Karma is a ruthless mistress.