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Z3n posted:Ok, that's a lot of work, but it's all doable by a new rider. What Z3n said is pretty much bang on but I'd also like to add that your stalling at idle might be clogged pilot jets in the carb. Likely its disgusting in there and a disturbing amount of people will ride a bike doing no maintenance until the carbs are clogged and then sell it because its "broken". Can you keep it from stalling by turning on the choke?
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| # ¿ Jan 6, 2009 12:10 |
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| # ¿ May 18, 2013 11:51 |
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Simkin posted:Oh, and 1k miles is pretty much not even broken in. Who the gently caress sells a bike after only 1k of riding? I was going to say that maybe the previous owner tried it out and decided bikes weren't their thing but its an 05' which makes it even weirder. Its like someone bought it and immediately put it into a garage.
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| # ¿ Jan 7, 2009 17:38 |
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Anyone note any trends in my interests that should point me towards certain models? There is always the RD350, a sprightly utilitarian two stroke made by Yamaha in the 70's. They weight next to nothing and have a stupid amount of power for their size.
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| # ¿ Jan 17, 2009 02:42 |
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Zadmaster posted:Thanks for the info! Yeah, the fact that he worked for HD had me taking a few grains of salt, it was just stuff I'd never really considered. The most important point about bike displacement that a lot of new riders seem to miss is that even a lowly 250 can go really goddamn fast. Fast enough to get you in trouble. I own a 250 from the 60's and I can break 75mph all day long. If it was jetted correctly and had better compression I'm sure it would go even faster.
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| # ¿ Jan 26, 2009 12:07 |
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Nerobro posted:The 1200cc sportster is not suicidal for a noob. It's got the same power as a SV. On the other end of the scale, 500cc's of royal enfield won't get you 15hp. I just looked it up and realized the 1200cc Sportster engine only puts out 70hp. How can an engine so big put out so little power  For comparison my 1977 650cc Kawasaki is rated for 64hp.
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| # ¿ Jan 26, 2009 17:59 |
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I don't think you could go wrong with the Versys. Its a beautiful standard.
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| # ¿ Jan 29, 2009 12:06 |
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wormil posted:I don't know why there are so many Sportsters for sale. Maybe they suck, I've never ridden one but I didn't like the way they sat at the bike shop. Because a lot of people impulse bought them on finance and are trying to dump them now that the economy is sucking.
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| # ¿ Jan 29, 2009 16:56 |
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If I had bags of cash and was looking for a standard daily rider I'd be on the Moto Guzzi V7 Classic in a heart beat. Then again I'm a sucker for old looking bikes.
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| # ¿ Jan 29, 2009 21:07 |
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Nerobro posted:I wonder how many times we'll need to say "your weight doesn't matter" Almost any bike you look at is going to be 400lbs or more. 40-60lbs of rider weight isn't going to make or break the bike. You obviously haven't tried a two up on a 42 year old two stroke 250. Nothing like revving to 4500 rpm just to get moving. That said you're correct. On a modern bike with a decent displacement your weight doesn't really make that much of a difference.
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| # ¿ Feb 3, 2009 04:17 |
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Gnomad posted:If that was all that needed doing, why couldn't he do it? Or, maybe he started and found out that there was a reason that the last guy sold it to him soooo cheap. This is a hard thing to gauge. The KZ650 I bought for $300 had a fine engine and drivetrain. The previous owner had gotten as far as getting the engine running, cleaning up the carbs, and even painting some of the covers and then just sort of gave up.
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| # ¿ Feb 5, 2009 12:15 |
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wormil posted:In my area people ask $1500 by default for any turd that will turn over. If the engine is seized then it'll be $900 FIRM!! SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY!!!. If it runs then $4000, even if the bike is ten years old and originally cost only $4000. This is so true. However the "show" price often comes crashing down if you show up with cash, especially when you look at their Kijiji history and see that they've relisted the bike like clockwork every week for two months.
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| # ¿ Feb 9, 2009 16:14 |
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sedated posted:I can still pick up that seca 650 for $100 or there is this cb500 available for $150. You can do better. I picked up a 77' KZ650 for $300 with some rust but not nearly the amount that poor bike has. Picture below. I've posted progress so far in a thread if you're interested in seeing what its going to take to get it fixed up and ridable. Thread here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3010293 8ender fucked around with this message at Feb 10, 2009 around 02:10 |
| # ¿ Feb 10, 2009 02:07 |
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FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:Haha, why would somebody offer more than the list price for the bike? I was going to mention this. Almost every time I've tried to buy a bike or car I've had the seller pull the "Well someone's coming to see it tomorrow / offered me my asking price / took a look and is calling me back" sales ploy but I've never heard of someone saying they were offered more than their asking price. When I bought my project KZ I lowballed the seller with $300 and was told that someone had offered them $400 and just wanted to take a look at the bike the next day before buying it. The plow blew up on him though because I walked. Low and behold I got a call from him two days later because suddenly the bike was available again, and at the low price of $300.
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| # ¿ Feb 13, 2009 16:08 |
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Stoic Commie posted:Welp the Ninja 500 got sold out from under me, but I found this Well sweet, between this and the KZ440 guy we're building a geriatric KZ army here in AI.
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| # ¿ Feb 21, 2009 04:23 |
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:sup bros i got an 81 kz440ltd i'm refurbishing too I get to be the leader then because my KZ650 is the fastest 
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| # ¿ Feb 21, 2009 04:37 |
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goku chewbacca posted:I'm know very little about the RD's, but this deal is too good to pass up. If I had the money right now I'd snatch it up myself. Goddamn someone buy this poor bike and rehabilitate it. If I was anywhere near Scranton I'd be all over this.
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| # ¿ Feb 26, 2009 05:30 |
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Stoic Commie posted:Fair enough. In other news I found this. It's the 1983 one year wonder apparently. Doesn't look too bad. You might have to clean it up a little and replace some parts but if it runs and rides well then its a steal.
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| # ¿ Mar 16, 2009 20:07 |
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Stoic Commie posted:The only mechanical problem he mentioned is that the blinkers will occasionally stop working, apparently a ground wire somewhere. Its probably the flasher unit itself. I've found the mechanical ones to be flaky. Easy fix.
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| # ¿ Mar 17, 2009 01:12 |
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Stoic Commie posted:I don't know how much that will run, but it's missing the left side cover in the pics and with brakes, I'm going to try to talk him down to $450. A nice electronic flasher runs around $10.
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| # ¿ Mar 17, 2009 01:43 |
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Simkin posted:Kawi KZ650 - No shortage of people on here to help you, if you have any questions about this one. Go for this one. I'm fixing up a real beater KZ650 and they're great bikes to work on. Also for 1977 64hp in a ~430lb bike is a pretty fast bike.
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| # ¿ Mar 21, 2009 04:37 |
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Nerobro posted:Thanks for calling me out on that one KDC.... This is pretty much it. Its like cars: if it runs and rolls its ~$1000. I also got lucky on my $300 Kawasaki. It was in terrible shape but the engine and drivetrain was well preserved. It had all the signs of someone starting to fix it up and giving up on the project. Newer carbs, new rear drum brake, lovely paint job, wiring fixed up, etc. That said I'm still in about ~$700 total, including the cost of the bike, on the project, so that $1000 number is a pretty good number for getting anything running.
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| # ¿ Mar 22, 2009 16:09 |
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:CB350 is sounding better and better, and there are bunches of them on various sales sites. Puts out 36hp, top speed 102mph, 375lbs; sounds pretty solid overall. I'm just not into cruisers or sport-bikes, and as a small guy living in urban areas I'm not drawn to some 800lb touring bike. Though I admit the cafe-racer sportbikes are pretty cool (Triumph Thruxton), but that posture looks less comfortable than the standard. Consider the Kawasaki KZ400 and KZ440 as well. The KZ400 clocks in at 36hp and 380lb weight, the KZ440 is 40hp and around the same weight as well. They also look pretty great.
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| # ¿ Mar 22, 2009 17:14 |
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Given that I don't move to DC for another 6 weeks, would it be completely daft to put in a bid on this, and then if I win road-trip out there (150 miles) in a buddy's car to pick it up and drive it back sometime in May? Doesn't seem like a bad bike at all. Looks like its had some work done recently all over. Wouldn't be surprised to find that this was someone's winter project and they've got it ready to flip. I'd buy it if you can score a good price on it.
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| # ¿ Mar 27, 2009 01:41 |
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:It's only got 3400 miles on it too. 3400 miles is a really nice low number for a bike that old. However, there really isn't stopping anyone from swapping speedos when they're working on a bike, so its buyer beware when it comes to mileage. My KZ650 went from 19,000 miles to 14,000 miles when I switched speedos. I dunno, if you're willing to pay up to $1999 for a nice old UJM then I'd say bid that and see what happens in two days. There is no guarantee the bike is going to be flawless, but the UJMs are, for the most part, legendary for reliability.
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| # ¿ Mar 27, 2009 06:14 |
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Nerobro posted:UJM's became todays sportbikes, sport tourers, and cruisers. The whole breed took two different paths. One half went chasing harley, the other half went chasing corners. Thats what makes them so interesting. The Japanese were really trying hard to create a supremely capable bike that would be at home in twisties and still be comfortable for cruising. My recent experience riding my KZ650 now that its finished is that they did a really good job of this depending on the model.
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| # ¿ Mar 28, 2009 04:32 |
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Don't forget to check Kijiji for Winnipeg. Canadians love Kijiji for some reason: Heres a nice one: http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-cars-ve...QAdIdZ116196516 Okay horsepower for an old 650, not too heavy, and it was the last year of the SOHC engines I believe. They were pretty solid engines. 8ender fucked around with this message at Mar 29, 2009 around 19:36 |
| # ¿ Mar 29, 2009 19:34 |
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Simkin posted:I always wondered, as I was roasting my nuts off in the summer, how hard it would be to retrofit an oil cooler to an earlier GS500. The later (2000+ I think) ones all had it from the factory, and I like having that little extra bit of insurance, especially when you get stuck in traffic. Look around for a retrofit. The old Kaw KZ650s have a few nice retrofit kits for oil coolers floating around and I'm sure there would be something similar for the GS. Most people agree though that they aren't really needed unless you're drag racing or tracking the bike.
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| # ¿ Mar 30, 2009 13:33 |
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kdc67 posted:On top of what Nero said, just bear in mind to be careful. According to bikez.com, your Yamaha was putting out 50hp and weighed ~500 lbs. wet. That GL1000 puts out 82hp and weighs 650 lbs. wet. Granted the hp numbers are "new," but still it's enough of a difference. The GL1000 is a big softy though. The power band is very smooth and really the only issue riding one is the weight. Its a heavy bastard and feels heavy riding it. If he has a year under his belt I'd say go for it. The GL1000 is a great bike.
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| # ¿ Mar 31, 2009 04:55 |
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Drew Tyler posted:Craigslist searching has yielded two results. Looking at a 1981 Kawasaki 650csr with 32k miles for my first bike. I'd say go for this one. I just finished fixing a 77' KZ650 and its a wonderful bike. Plenty of grunt, makes the right noise when you're on it but a sweetheart when cruising, and the handling is wonderful. Brake pads shouldn't take you longer than five minutes and a screwdriver. If the shocks are bottoming out like that then they need to be replaced or he doesn't know how to set the preload properly. If you do decide to get it then here is where to go for parts: http://www.z1enterprises.com
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| # ¿ Apr 1, 2009 11:03 |
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Drew Tyler posted:Should I be too worried about it leaking some oil? I'm used to it, as I drive a Saturn. This is not a Saturn though... How much would I be looking at if I were to fix it up, roughly? Is it worth paying 1,200 for? I found this http://www.nadaguides.com/default.a...=K&gc=AM>c=MC Well I guess it really depends on where the oil is leaking from. If its just from the tachometer cable seal or the valve cover then no big deal, thats easy to fix. Through the head gasket or other places on the engine would be a good deal harder to fix. As for being worth $1200, I'd say probably not that much given its age and apparent oil leaking problems. I'd offer $1000 and see how you do.
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| # ¿ Apr 2, 2009 04:55 |
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Drew Tyler posted:I could see it leaking through the engine for sure. What kind of repairs are we talking, replacing head gasket? I don't know much about motors. Will I be able to continue using it? Like I mentioned in my first post. One or two summers would satisfy my needs. Take a look at the diagram below. The green areas are easy fixes like the valve cover gasket, cam end rubbers, tachometer seal or oil pan gasket. The red area is the head gasket, and if you don't know much about engines I'd stay away from a KZ leaking there. Replacing the head gasket is a pain in the rear end and likely the bike wont run all that well if its leaking there. That said the only common areas I've heard of the KZ650 leaking oil from is that tachometer cable seal and the cam end rubbers.
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| # ¿ Apr 2, 2009 11:06 |
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Nerobro posted:The red line indicates the base gasket, not the headgasket. drat, you're right. I don't know why I was seeing that as the headgasket in that photo. Its not even metal. Drew Tyler posted:Excellent! Thank you 8ender and Nerobro. I'm fairly certain the oil was leaking from the top green lines, but I'll ask to go take a second look today. If you have any tech sites for this bike feel free to post, that's my last request. Try these two: http://www.kz650.info http://www.kzrider.com
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| # ¿ Apr 3, 2009 02:24 |
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Captain Apollo posted:nerobro made the best post Power to weight is a really interesting when it comes to bikes. I did some rough figures on all of our families bikes and the results are kind of neat: 1978 Yamaha XS1100: 0.15 hp/lb 1977 Kawasaki KZ650: 0.14 hp/lb 1979 Honda Goldwing GL1000: 0.12 hp/lb 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250ZZR: 0.11 hp/lb 1967 Yamaha YDS3 250cc: 0.08 hp/lb  The most interesting is the Goldwing vs. the Ninja because they're so close. The Goldwing has a stout engine but is hampered by its weight. This is course doesn't take into account gear ratios and such but these numbers are pretty close to reality. The Ninja can easily keep up with the Goldwing even when its going balls out. The XS1100 vs KZ650 is interesting too because the XS1100 makes up for its massive weight by putting out nearly 95hp, which tops the KZ650 which is nearly as fast with 64hp and a much lighter frame. 8ender fucked around with this message at Apr 3, 2009 around 12:45 |
| # ¿ Apr 3, 2009 12:43 |
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Z3n posted:That's why the g/f's Z1k is fun...no need to decide on gears, 2 seconds of roll on at 70 will take me to 90. Get on some twisty road, leave it in 3rd, and roll in and out of the throttle, no brakes. I don't think you even need a big z1000 to have ample power, just a decently quick engine with a reasonable powerband. One of the things I'm enjoying the most about my KZ650 now that I've gotten it running is that I can roll on the throttle, even in fifth gear, and it'll accelerate to whatever speed I want quickly and without any kind of struggling. Coming from a 250 two stroke with a tiny little powerband in the upper end of the tach its a great joy to not have to constantly be loving around with the gears to keep revs up just to accelerate.
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| # ¿ Apr 3, 2009 17:05 |
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Z3n posted:SV650s are the same way, kinda. The Z is just faster all around...and let's face it, fast bikes are fun. Sure, it's a cheap thrill, but as cheap thrills go, it's one of the best. The SV650 and KZ650 have similar horsepower and make their peak power at around the same RPM. The SV650 is certainly lighter and faster but its funny that the formula for a decent middleweight bike hasn't changed in so many years. It seems a 65-75 hp engine, with a decent powerband, in a 375-450lb frame is the sweet spot. That said I'd love to have a Z1000 but I think thats on the upper limit of my personal power to talent ratio.
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| # ¿ Apr 3, 2009 17:25 |
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Gnomad doesn't have PMs, so I'll post it here instead: I would say yes. On one hand its 1970's bike technology, so it'll be fairly simple. On the other hand a 1970's BMW is not going to be as forgiving as a UJM of the same period when it comes to your wallet.
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| # ¿ Apr 8, 2009 04:32 |
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waptang posted:I know it's hard to say without seeing the actual bike, but what kind of expenses could we expect to get it street legal, other than the title? I've been through this with two sad old bikes. One of them was left outside and it actually required more work despite being much newer. If the engine is a runner and clutch is okay then expect to clean or replace the following: - Chain - Tank - Tires - Brakes - Anything rubber - Carbs - Lots of little electrical things Also budget for a bundle of incidentals like filters, fluids, spark plugs, tools, chemicals and boxes of metric fasteners. If you don't have any experience with this I wouldn't expect to have it on the street until fall. You will need to spend a lot of time researching the bike as well. With old bikes like this the amount of money you end up spending goes up dramatically with how quickly you want to finish the project.
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| # ¿ Apr 17, 2009 17:49 |
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waptang posted:Is there some place this guy can look to get the model or some other code to identify the bike? I'm going to send him an email to see what he knows about it. I would wager from the pictures that its an old XS650. The pics are low quality but that engine is pretty distinctive. If it turns out to be a XS650 then there is actually a pretty good following for them out there. Yamaha cranked them out from 1968 all the way till 1983 so there are lots of parts out there.
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| # ¿ Apr 17, 2009 19:53 |
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waptang posted:Knowing that, would this bike be worth pursuing? I know he was asking for a project, but how reliable are these bikes? Any gotchas? As Z3n said you pretty much have to assume right off the bat that the bike may end up being a write off, and that you'll get into the project and find that something critical has gone wrong somewhere that will be too expensive or time consuming to fix. If you're willing to make that leap of faith then it'll be a fine project. As for the XS650 as a model I can't really comment. Most of the UJM motorcycles of that era were hilariously over engineered and the result was that the engine and drivetrain in a lot of them are bulletproof. There are exceptions of course. If it was me I'd take a look but weather does horrible things to a sitting bike. The bike I just finished has sat in and out of a barn for a few years and it really ruined a lot of parts on the bike.
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| # ¿ Apr 18, 2009 01:43 |
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| # ¿ May 18, 2013 11:51 |
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Simkin posted:Ah, that makes way more sense. It's still odd to see it directly plugged into the engine/transmission case, and not activating the shift mechanism with a pushrod - maybe I've just been staring at bikes with large transmissions for too long. Neither of my bikes have a pushrod shifter setup and they're old or older than that Harley. I think the pushrod setup is a newer bike thing.
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| # ¿ Apr 20, 2009 03:39 |
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