TOPIC:

Can you guys take a look at this bike and give me some feedback? It just got listed- I absolutely love the bike, BUT after dealing with my 440b for the last 6 months I'm worried about sourcing non existent parts etc... just read a thread from a guy that was having probs with his rear caliper and it sounded like he was totally screwed.
It looks like it's complete, but what parts am I NOT going to be able to find?
Is he asking too much? (lol) I gotta ask.
dallas.craigslist.org/dal/mcy/d/1983-kaw...z550/6768473705.html
Thanks for anything you guys can offer.

The carbs will be very tough to get diaphragms and pilot-gallery plugs for. I had to actually make some from scratch out of acetal rod using a small lathe. You can convert to later carbs pretty easily if you can get the carbs.

Sounds like that bike needs another tank. It might be ruined with the tank liner. The one we have (my buddy and I went in on it together) also was ruined with a tank liner. Now the carbs get gummed up with tank-liner goo after a few months. We will be looking for a new tank. Note on the stripes, an 83 tank would have black over silver. It currently has graphics from an 82.

The 82-83 Kz550H model Gpz550's can have issue with rust on the rear suspension linkage and frame bosses, so you will want to inspect that area very closely for rust bubbles or anything that looks bent or weak. A few have been known to collapse/break. If the bike was stored indoors and rarely got wet, it won't be an issue.

The front fairing on that bike looks good, but an 83 fairing has matching stripes on the sides (black over silver). The windscreen should be dark smoked. That one looks to be a light red tint and not quite the right shape. No big deal... only for sticklers.

That bike looks to be in about the same overall condition as ours, but we got ours for $500 (which is an unusually good deal).

If it starts easily and runs really well, then $2000 is not a terrible price, but with the tank issues $1200 to $1500 would be a more realistic price especially at this time of year. A good deal would be $800 to $1000. (So yes, I think he's asking too much, at least for my area around Chicago.)

The seat was re-covered. Check it out for quality and workmanship. The new cover at least looks good in the photos.

One big plus is the stock exhaust looks decent. They are getting harder to find intact.

From the above craigslist ad in case the ad goes away...

Sound advice from Loudhvx.
The tank can probably be saved. I've had to rescue a couple of tanks from RedKote failures. It just takes copious amounts of acetone and patience. It can be removed and replaced with a good two-part liner like Caswell or POR15.

Whatever you decide the GPZ550s are fantastic bikes.

Use MEK = Methylethylketone to remove RedKote.
I use POR15 fuel tank kits for decades and never have any issue

Thanks guys- I'm still on the fence about the bike. It's still there, but I'm gonna have to sleep on it for a few days- hard to decide if I want to go neck deep in another project when I'm still not quite done with my last one. At any rate I'll keep you posted on the purchase.