WANTED: KZ 1000 LTD 79-80ish

At the age of 15 I cut my teeth riding on my older bro's '81 550 LTD.... absolute bliss. Have spent the last 15 years in the dirt- all types of bikes.

Returning to my roots after seeing my bro's '79 1000 LTD restored to it's old glory. I have a kz bug so far up my ass it's killing me. ANYWAY....... been seeing some shit online (craigslist, ebay ) and I realize these bikes mean a lot of things to a lot of people HOWEVER what are some realistic $$$$ numbers for fair-excellent condition kz'z of this vintage (79-81). Seems to be $1500- $3500+

More ??? to come, thanks

The prices you listed are about right. The LTD's seem to be around more than the a2's and MKII's. Where do you live? Sometimes location is also a factor.

I live in mass., originally from LI, NY. I will travel to wherever for a good machine.

****Bro's friend in IN just sold an '80 LTD w/<2000 mi (original tires!!!!!) for $1500- needless to say I shit the bed & I'm gonna slap his friend when I see him!

I assume you desire the 1000 LTD body style...be advised that not all LTD's are created equal...the difference between the '79 and '80 (KZ1000B3 and B4, AKA LTD's) is that the '80 KZ1000B4 has the MKII motor (different crank, etc.) while the B3 (externally identical motor to the B4) has the older style crank. Because of that, the B4 may be less common than the B3, but generally this disparity hasn't been reflected in the price. It's certain that more 1977 and 1978 LTD's were produced than 1979 and 1980 LTD's.

you could always pick up a 77-78 A model bike and put some ltd parts on it if you can pick one up cheap enough,i wouldnt worry too much about the mkII motor in a streetbike.

Also 80 was the first electronic ignition in the KZ1000LTD. Of course you can add a Dyna to the 79 also. LTD was always one year behind in upgrades. They used all extra parts they had laying around that were obsolete to build LTDs. :laugh: No offense LTD guys, but the A and ST are a better machine.

If you're seriously looking you could put wanted ads on your local craigslist and kijiji type sights. That's how i got my Z1

Thanks for the info, any issues with the crank on these models (B3 vs. B4)?

Funny, my bro's '79 ltd came w/ elec ign.... anyway as far as type of machine everyone has their preferences, what are some of the reasons the A, ST are 'better', thanks for your time.

Mcdroid wrote:

I assume you desire the 1000 LTD body style...be advised that not all LTD's are created equal...the difference between the '79 and '80 (KZ1000B3 and B4, AKA LTD's) is that the '80 KZ1000B4 has the MKII motor (different crank, etc.) while the B3 (externally identical motor to the B4) has the older style crank. Because of that, the B4 may be less common than the B3, but generally this disparity hasn't been reflected in the price. It's certain that more 1977 and 1978 LTD's were produced than 1979 and 1980 LTD's.

Are you serious?????
That would be very interesting to know. Are all the 80 ltd's the same or did they put the MKII motor in the later production models. My motor looks exactly like the 80 and runs the same no difference in acceleration to me. I know the obvious differences: sealed beam headlight to removable bulb (much nicer), rear master cylinder is different better set up than 79. Electronic ignition but you can't mess with the timing I swapped out the timing advancer and electronic ignition for 79's ignition advancer and dyna coils and plate. Lessee the front cover on the 80 is nice as it covers the front junction for the brakes. Adds a little bling to the front. Oh the carbs shall I forget are 28mm instead of 26's but they have the pumpers as well which I don't personally see the point of. What else? I thought everything else was about the same. The crank? I was told that the MKII motor wasn't much different than the regular motor. Overall they improved the bike since new. Although everyone drools over the older bikes. I would like a z1 I was told the 80 was much more refined. Oh well. It still is bullet proof. I haven't had any trouble with either bike and I ride them like a kaw boy should ride them. I haven't had any troubles with gears or anything and I ride my bikes like I stole em.

I have a 79 LTD parts bike I picked on it a bit. It could be restored. There is no title. You can have it.......that is if you want to travel that far.:lol: