stock hp rating on a 79 kz1000

Hi i have a question my boy is 17 and is wanting to buy a bike he found a good deal on a 79 kz1000 im just wondering if that may be a little to much bike for him he rides my 750 twin which is 55hp just wondering were the 1000 stands and if its advisable for a kid

Anywhere from about 80 to mid 90's.

86-93 hp depending on the model. As for whether its too much bike, that just depends on your son

my boy is 5-11 220 pretty big boy im sure im just being a little over protective he has been riding dirt bikes for about 7 years but only been riding on the road about 3 mo i thought the hp would be a little higher than that it doesent seem to bad guess maybe i dont want him to be able to out run me

it's a hard call cause he's your boy.....hate to see anyone tell another about a bike......he should be fine...and he'll dig it...they are big strong bikes that give you decent feedback if your doing wrong stuff.....great bike,we like em....not too much bike by any means....freddie spencer was 17 when he won at laguna seca on one:cheer:

Thank God I have 10 more years, my boy is just 6. They grow too fast.

yeah i guess i have to let him get it just make him ride with me for a while and see how it goes its really to good a deal to pass on bikes in very good shape with 11000 on it for $1200 hell if nothing else ill ride it

These numbers are measured at the Crankshaft, and you would deduct 15%-20% from that number as power is lost through the drive line, and back to the rear wheel.

if he is riding your twin with no problems then i'd let him go for the thousand they have a bit more power but it is really usable power not light switch type. the cool thing is he wants to ride the same type of bike as you. the alternative is that you say no and he goes out and buy's a 600 or 1000 cc sportbike that makes gobs of power and at his age you cant really do anything to stop him. so i would let him get the 1000 for sure. and when he's not using it maybe he'll let you ride it sometimes. i remember when i was told i couldn't have a street bike at 15 i left home so i could buy one and nobody was stopping me from doing it! so those are your option's.

timebomb33 wrote:

if he is riding your twin with no problems then i'd let him go for the thousand they have a bit more power but it is really usable power not light switch type. the cool thing is he wants to ride the same type of bike as you. the alternative is that you say no and he goes out and buy's a 600 or 1000 cc sportbike that makes gobs of power and at his age you cant really do anything to stop him. so i would let him get the 1000 for sure. and when he's not using it maybe he'll let you ride it sometimes. i remember when i was told i couldn't have a street bike at 15 i left home so i could buy one and nobody was stopping me from doing it! so those are your option's.

Ditto what timebomb said

I like hearing the younger generation enjoying the bikes most of us cut our teeth on. In my mind that means the old beasts will be around another 25 to 30 years. Once you own one, or two, or three, you will never forget them. Just remember, Old Bikes are like electricity, You don't have to be scared, but you better respect them, or they will put you on your ass

i was 15 years old and 100 lbs. 5'7" tall when i got my 1978 kz1000 z1r.my dad told me and my brothers that when we could pick up any bike(of his) we could ride it.so i tried a few times before i could do it,but after that i wasn't going to stop.now i am 38 years old and still have the same z1r(in need of a resto).
my vote is let him get it.

leon holmes

Well I have an update we went out and bought the bike has been taken very good care of we took it for a ride put 120 miles on it over 2 days starts first crank and runs great so now I feel much better about him having it he handled it fine i just dont like the fact that he can out run me know