1979 Kawasaki KZ650 C3

new to the motorcycle world and really like the look of the kz650. i found one for sale but the guy that is selling it it tells me that its not currently running, he said that he was installing turn light and then the bike wouldn't turn over but the engine has compression. he also told me that most likely the bike will need an electric started to be fixed. i know cars but not bikes. Does is the issue common, and is it a doable repair.

That sounds totally bogus to me. However, here's an extremely easy test - just start the engine using the kickstarter. Ed

Sounds fishy to me. At the least you have an electrical problem(s) and/or starter problem. Maybe an engine problem. How does he know the compression is good? Does he even own a compression gauge? Gotta be a better option somewhere.

He told me that it does have conpression

Don't believe anything the guy says. people forget, don't know & just lie.

For a non-runner, you should get it as cheap as possible,

ps: if you want to ride, you can get a fairly modern motorcycle that actually runs for fairly cheap, less than $3K.

Anybody got any ideas of good bikes for bigginers? Im more into the cruiser style and not a sports bike

Maybe a KZ400 LTD if you can find one in good, original condition. Enough pep to ride safely, but not so much as to get you into immediate trouble. Here's a picture of one. Ed

Ed that's an interesting photo you posted. It appears to be a European spec LTD 500 from what I can see on my phone. I've had several US spec LTD 550's bit they all had a drum rear brake, no passenger strap on the seat and a much shorter rear fender. Where did you get that photo?

By pizano14: Anybody got any ideas of good bikes for bigginers? Im more into the cruiser style and not a sports bike.

I would look into a Vulcan 500. or Ninja 250 or 500 or other similar offerings from Honda etc.

Another model worth considering is the Vulcan 750, because you can probably find one of those for cheap. It may not be suitable for a beginner, though, as they're kind of heavy. almost 500 #. The VN750 has a shaft drive which would be nice.

The Gringo wrote: Ed that's an interesting photo you posted. It appears to be a European spec LTD 500 from what I can see on my phone. I've had several US spec LTD 550's bit they all had a drum rear brake, no passenger strap on the seat and a much shorter rear fender. Where did you get that photo?

I did a Google image search and found it at the link below. Ed

magnusjson.blogspot.com/2013_07_21_archive.html

650ed wrote: Maybe a KZ400 LTD if you can find one in good, original condition. Enough pep to ride safely, but not so much as to get you into immediate trouble. Here's a picture of one. Ed

I didn't think the 400-fours came in LTD form. It's definitely in that 400/500/550 four-cylinder family based on the carburetors.
Looking at bigger version of that photo online, the side cover clearly says "400".
The FSM only shows a 550 (Kz550C) in the LTD form with that early style motor and those Tk22/Tk21 carbs. Maybe I'll check the supplements.

Here's a bit more info on the KZ400 LTD. Ed