Hey guys. First bike '78 KZ650SR

Howdy,
Never ridden a bike before, but it looks like a load of fun, so let's have at 'er!
My friend's dad had an old 400? cc KZ kicking around his barn that I always liked the look of, but unfortunately it had no papers to go with it, so I bought my own.. it's a 78 KZ650SR. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it looks pretty cool..

Here's some pictures I took before work..



What do you guys think? Decent starting bike?

Jared

Love is grand...then it becomes an obsession...then you turn into some sort of mutant Kawasaki monster...welcome to KZR

ModularLettuce wrote: Howdy,
Never ridden a bike before, but it looks like a load of fun, so let's have at 'er!
My friend's dad had an old 400? cc KZ kicking around his barn that I always liked the look of, but unfortunately it had no papers to go with it, so I bought my own.. it's a 78 KZ650SR. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it looks pretty cool..

Here's some pictures I took before work..

What do you guys think? Decent starting bike?

Jared

Hello, Modularlettuce, and WELCOME to KZr!
The bike of choice for many veteran riders.
Gonna' need some parts, such as carbs and points cover.
Best advice right now for a young man new to bikes -- take a motorcycle riding course.

Good Fortune!

I totally agree on the Riders Course. When I got my first bike I had been riding dirt bikes for years and was scheduled for the course since I had to have it to ride on base. I figured what the hell I'm going to ride anyway. Right up until a car ran a stop sign and my rear wheel hit sand resulting in a high side. I learned a lot in that class that would've come in handy in that situation. Now here in FL a riders course is mandatory. If you don't pass the class you don't get your motorcycle endorsement. It's a lot different than the take the written test get your permit we'll see you in 3 or 4 months if you survive to take your riding test days. Not to mention that with most classes you just take your certificate to the DMV and have the endorsement added to your license. Oh and a 650 is a great bike for a first bike.

-

Welcome to KZR! Those pipes are cool!

I'll second, third or whatever the suggestion to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. It's well worth the weekend, and I actually enjoyed my course. I had a good instructor.

Might want to add a pair of new tires to your to do list. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the tires look like they could be "vintage." Don't ride on old tires no matter how much tread they have left.

Got a chance to play around with the bike a little bit last night.. and thanks for the responses.

When I bought the bike the seller said that everything was 'in the box' ..and it is. I tricked a friend into helping me last night and got *most* of the electrical issues worked out. Except why the rectifier wiring goes up in a cloud of smoke when it's connected to the battery (charging?) side. :evil:

Through the carbs on and squirted some gas into the cylinders. Fired up first kick. YES!



Why all the hate on my tires? They're brand new!


I'll get back into this later tonight, I've got to pick up a new headlight and some hoseclamps before everything shuts down in the mighty city of Langley.

regards,
Jared

dejavoodo41 wrote: I totally agree on the Riders Course. When I got my first bike I had been riding dirt bikes for years and was scheduled for the course since I had to have it to ride on base. I figured what the hell I'm going to ride anyway. Right up until a car ran a stop sign and my rear wheel hit sand resulting in a high side. I learned a lot in that class that would've come in handy in that situation. Now here in FL a riders course is mandatory. If you don't pass the class you don't get your motorcycle endorsement. It's a lot different than the take the written test get your permit we'll see you in 3 or 4 months if you survive to take your riding test days. Not to mention that with most classes you just take your certificate to the DMV and have the endorsement added to your license. Oh and a 650 is a great bike for a first bike.

im glad that when i got my motorcycle endorsement back in 86 all we had to do was a written test and a run around the course in the back of the drivers license office.

Bam. That was fun while it lasted. The 90* fitting blew out of the petcock when I was riding and I'm guessing the fuel hit the exhaust. I dropped the bike as soon as I could stop it and tried to put out my flaming pant legs. For what it's worth, there was an extinguisher nearby..

Want to thank you guys for all the help and info I got off these boards
Jared

ModularLettuce wrote: Bam. That was fun while it lasted. The 90* fitting blew out of the petcock when I was riding and I'm guessing the fuel hit the exhaust. I dropped the bike as soon as I could stop it and tried to put out my flaming pant legs. For what it's worth, there was an extinguisher nearby....

Glad you're okay!

If it's any consolation, this particular situation wasn't covered in any of the rider's courses I've taken.

Good Fortune!

One of the worse flame paint jobs I have ever seen! :ohmy: :whistle:
Sorry about your ride. Glad you are ok.
Extinguishers are very undervalued things until they are needed. I have one in all vehicles.

are you going to get it working again?