Why a Kz before another motorcycle?

The first bike I owned was a used 1974 Yamaha RD350, nice light fairly quick bike to learn on. I soon got tired of the ring a ding since I was using it as my main transport.
A friend of mine was a mechanic at a Kawasaki/Honda dealership so when I was in the market I went to look at used bikes, my choices that day were between a 1978 KZ650B2 or a 1979 CB650. I took a short test ride on both of them and hands down it was the Kawasaki for me!
Since then I have only bought and owned Kawasaki except for a Honda Z50 when I could not find a Kawasaki mini bike to save my life
For me it was the sound they make, they are distinguishable by ear from other makes. They are easy to work on and built tough.

sf4t7 wrote:

In 1979 (when I was 24) I owned a Honda 750.  One of my buddies had a 74 Z1A and one day we traded bikes for our ride.  Holy shit, I've gotta get one of these!  Soon after that I bought a 1974 Z1A.  Over the next few years it got a few modifications, including a wiseco1015 kit, mildly ported head, Andrews cams with slotted gears, superbike bars etc.
So 43 years later, several other motorcycles have come and gone but I kept the Z1A all this time.  Then life got in the way and it hasn't been ridden for 15 years.  Now retired, I'm reviving (not restoring) it.  Should be riding later on this summer.  Whenever I see a Z1 or kz1000 I still think "that is the coolest motorcycle I've ever seen!"  Really looking forward to riding it again.

Scotty

~~~>>> Who would make such a statement without posting up a pic?
 

blipco:
Sorry not real good with this newfangled computer stuff yet, I'll find out how to include pictures from one of the grandkids
Picture a black tank and covers with plenty of patina over everything.  I got my patina the old fashioned way - by letting it sit for about 15 years
Scotty

I was recently graduated from HS in 1981 and working in a convenience store. In the magazine rack there was bike magazine with the new GPz550 on the cover and I was hooked. I was not a motorcycle fan at that point but something about that black engine, firecracker red paint and bikini fairing did it for me. I eventually bought my own '82 GPz550 with a student loan and that became my sole means of transportation for a couple of years in college. Flash forward a couple of decades and there's a badly painted '82 GPz750 on eBay and I bought it on an impulse. The rest as they say, is history. 

Finished restoring this young lady in 2020. (1981 D1)

What a sexy little thing she is, and such a joy to ride!
Her nick-name is Pussycat!


 

sf4t7…
Thats how it goes. You fiddle around for an hour or two and get nowhere. Your grandson will do it in less than one minute. Then the look they give you afterward is priceless.

howardhb wrote:

Finished restoring this young lady in 2020. (1981 D1)

What a sexy little thing she is, and such a joy to ride!
Her nick-name is Pussycat!

 

Looks fantastic!

blipco - here are some pictures

Like I said earlier - I got my patina the old fashioned way:  I let it sit in a damp garage!

Scotty

There is a great bike hiding in there, you just need to "let it out" 

After a Yamaha RD125 when I was sixteen and trading it for a Z500 when I turned eighteen back in january 1982. Before the season started it was painted in Gpz550 paint scheme.

Then it happened. The 1982 March edition of Cycle World arrived in my mailbox and I was sold. Before the summer ended the poor Z500 had been replaced. I sold that Gpz750 in 1990 and was without bike until 2015 when I bought what was to become the green kwack.
I don't need a new bike with 150+ hp. I just want the grunt, therefor I just stay with old Kawasakis.

/A
 

Wookie - it's not hiding, I just need to go in and get it

sf4t7..
I see. Thanks for the pics. It certainly needs a little TLC but it’s doable.
Another member here posted up some "turd polish" that seemed to work miracles on another member’s bike. Maybe he’ll chime in.