I researched them for 3 years:silly:
Found this somewhere on't web:
Kawasaki Z500
I was initially going to buy a Z650 but entering my local bike shop I instantly fell in love with a new Z500B2. Black with red and blue pinstripes. This was way back in 1980. I traded my old and totally thrashed 400/4, signed the HP forms and rode away on my new mount. After the old dog, the Z500 was a breath of fresh air....apart from the pogo-stick back end - soon solved by adjusting the suspension to the hardest setting.
The triple disc set-up was also a major improvement and I could find nothing wrong with the four cylinder middleweight, save that it was a touch too civilised. After a couple of weeks the bike was run in and the performance proved adequate; I was pleased with the bike except for the washing machine exhaust note!
I immediately set about constructing my own 4-1 exhaust out of some old pipes I had hanging about. Result, it looked like a Kerker system and sounded like a proper motorcycle should. I rode the machine for two years like this without any problems, except for numerous police chases from which I always escaped.
Then I suffered a pretty bad accident on the bike. I was overtaking a line of cars on a dual carriageway, having passed the last car I proceeded to pull into the inside lane when all of a sudden there was no bike underneath me. What had happened was that the front tyre had managed to pass over the horrible shiny tar they put on the edge of the road repairs but the back tyre hadn't. The fact that I was travelling at 100mph and that it was raining obviously didn't help matters.
The bike was a sorry sight, even the alternator rotor and the end of the crankshaft had gone AWOL, so it was to the shed for a rebuild after my broken arm had recovered. I went the whole hog, a secondhand GPz550 motor, new Laser 4-1, bellmouths, bigger jets, S & W Street Strokers, Dresda box section swinging arm, taper head bearings, stronger fork springs, rear-sets, cut down seat, etc. The old Z500 was to be transformed into a fire breathing, giant slayer.
Some months later man and machine were back on the road. It was much better in every department, capable of an indicated 130mph, incredible wheelies and of blowing much bigger bikes into the weeds. For four years the Kawasaki performed admirably, only on two occasions did it let me down.
The first instance was when I was on my way home from Amsterdam, the bike went on to two cylinders. I guessed it was the electronic ignition so decided to carry on to Zeebrugge. The Z would do about 65mph, two-up, so we eventually made it back to England more or less in one piece. In London I purchased a new black box, they being very rare in breakers, and away we went again.
The second time I was riding through Worcester City Centre and noticed that the inside of my legs were getting very warm. I looked down, to my horror, saw flames belching up from under the petrol tank. I stopped, unlocked the seat, ripped the tank off and managed to quench the flames with my gloved hands. Part of the wiring loom was burnt out so I purchased a secondhand one form the local breakers and was back on the road again. I'm not sure what caused the fire, maybe some insulation had corroded away or a couple of wires had chaffed through, as there was a small amount of secondary vibes present at 70mph, a good excuse to go a bit faster.
I always did my own maintenance regularly as I had a lot invested in the bike and wasn't going to let neglect ruin such a fun machine. The engine needed valve shims, carb balancing, new plugs and an oil/filter change every few thousand miles. I went through large quantities of bearings, sprockets, tyres and chains.
After four years of abuse the engine was beginning to use loadsa oil and I had decided that after the holiday I'd rebuild the motor. It was during this Welsh holiday that the engine developed a loud knocking noise. I decided it was the big-ends but wanted to see if the bike would last the holiday and get us home. Much to its credit, it did.
After stripping down, I found that only one big-end shell was out of tolerance, so the engine was treated to new shells, a rebore and new valve guides. The motor was generally easy to work on but a bit of a bugger to haul in and out of the frame.
Back on the road again, the Z was running well. I rode in all weathers, every day and can recall one bitterly cold winter. The temperature dropped to -22 degrees one night, which wasn't sufficient to stop my mate and I riding to the pub seven miles away. We did not see one other vehicle on the road that night and to say that we were cold after the journey is an understatement, even our leather boots and jackets had frozen solid. But the Kawasaki ran and ran, as if its makers had intended it for the arctic circle rather than the Orient.
One morning, not long after the rebuild, I was going to work when I applied the front brake, the front end of the bike seemed to travel away from the rest of the machine. At first, I thought it was loose steering head bearings but after tightening them down the problem persisted. Handling had turned distinctly queasy as if the bearings were worn out or the tyres deflated. The Z had never been a perfect handling bike, but even with the excessive power of the GPz550 motor it had never become frightening until then. I could well do without turning every ride into a suicide mission.
I took the petrol tank off and found the cause of the problem. I gasped and clutched my heart when I saw that the top frame tube, the one that runs from the top of the headstock down underneath the tank had sheared right through! I felt grateful in the extreme that the rest of the frame had held, that the whole chassis hadn't collapsed on the way home from work. Whether the failure was caused by the earlier accident, the non-standard engine and the much higher road speeds or just plain old age and corrosion I have no idea. I had the frame welded, still had sufficient faith in the machine to look forward to many more enjoyable miles.....
Then I had a collision with a blind car driver. He pulled out of a sidestreet backwards, apparently without a care or thought in the world. I couldn't avoid him, hit the car at about 40mph with a massive detonation that, if it'd been a fair world, would've stopped his heart dead. I went straight over the car, had enough time to scream some abusive words at him before I crashed into the ground; ended up with two smashed knees and the bike with a totalled front end. At least his insurance paid for everything. I was back on the road within three months with two huge scars left on my kneecaps not to mention some painful memories. Why he couldn't have waited until I'd gone past, I don't know, but that's life.
Altogether, my Z500/550 held out for ten years, being used almost every day, constantly thrashed, bashed and crashed but I loved it as it was a fast, good handling, economical machine. I reckon I averaged about 20,000 miles a year and after two engines, one major engine rebuild, and lots of other maintenance I can say I was very pleased with the way the bike took the punishment. Total mileage must've been close to 180,000 but even that didn't finish the old girl off as she's still going strong in a mate's hands three years later. I ended up with a Z1000 Mk.1 after spending six months without a bike.
Richard Eveson
£42 
