Fully Restored 1978 KZ650

RonKZ650 wrote:

When I see "fully restored" I would expect "restored". That 650 does not fit in any way that word. It may be "very nice", "lots of work done", "runs like new" and a lot of other things, but it is not close to "restored". I would not buy it, but that is just my personal preference in the way he's fixed it up.

+1

Regarding long rides; the longest in 1 day for me on my KZ650 was 450 miles (no fairing); I was glad to get home. I find about 200 miles to be a comfortable range, but not just droning along on the highway for that long; I must mix in a fair portion of back roads or I get bored. I don't think a KLR would be much better for cross-country. BTW, the 450 mile KZ650 ride was approximately equal in comfort to a 100 mile ride on my old BSA. :laugh:

Can anyone beat 650 mile ride in one day on a H1 500 triple? :woohoo:

One time only, swore I'd never do it again!

The 650 would be great at my kind of touring, no destination in mind and all kinds of time to get there, and absolutely zero Interstate highways. Stop and take a break while enjoying the scenery every couple of hours kind of touring.

If you want to cruise the Interstates and do 3000 miles in three days, then you can't beat a Gold Wing, Harley, 1600 BMW, or some other barcolounger. But that's not me.

In 1970 while working at a truck stop in Salome AZ, I met a guy from Quebec that was riding a Yamaha 360 Enduro loaded down with luggage. He was spending three months touring all over the US and Canada, and having the time of his life.

I have a friend that paid $50 for a little Honda Trail 70 in eastern KY, then rode that thing 350-400 miles to get here.
That's determination :laugh:

PLUMMEN wrote:

windjammer on a kz1000? :ohmy: i dont think any of my bikes would start with wind jammer on them! :woohoo:

I have one in the corner of my parent's yard. My bike wouldn't start with it on, but maybe yours will I'll bring it over when I get a chance.

ive got the alcohal,bring your own chips! :laugh:

I agree with most of the guys here, the 650 is a fantastic bike but not a cross country kind. Oh, it'll do it. You can cruise all day at 6000 rpm with nothing to do but listen to that motor spinning away while you do nothing but think. I hate any kind of freeway on any kind of bike. But I gotta say that the bike your looking at is very, very nice for sure. Stock... no, but very nice. I especially like how he did the motor.

i dont like driving 400 miles in a car.....no offense to our members that are able to tour on a bike....but my ass can barely make it home from Big Sur and that is only about 90 round trip with a few loops/routes thrown in...even in the civic with the roof open and sandals and the radio to mess with...i'm over it long before we get to where we are going....


that 650 looks good...but it is a lot of money...compared to the condition of most c-list older bikes it is nice...1800 can get you more bike imo....

my friend rode a SR650 (kz650) across country from Colorado to New York in january 2000......he was not impressed....youth can do many things though

Depends on the mileage and the verify-ability.

Listen to the motor -- does is sound like the cam chain's okay?

Ask the owner when the valve clearances were last checked. If you do not hear a 100% straightforward "about 2 months back" but you hear hemming-and-hawing, keep in mind that before you go any distance you will want to do a 'sanity' check on

* valve clearances
* oil and filter
* air filter
* points and condenser (or maybe it has electronic ignition?)
* spark plugs and spark plug leads and caps
* charging system at 3000rpm
* mileage
* petcock: any leaks?
* when you test-drive it can you run it up to near the top of the RPM range with no stutters, hesitations or noticeable power drops ? (may indicate it needs carbs or other bits checked like the points/condenser, etc.)
* load test the battery (search this site for how to do it, easy way is: take a voltmeter and measure the voltage on the battery, turn the ignition on but don't start it, re-measure the battery voltage, it needs to stay above 10 volts or the battery may be suspect)


If you were going on long rides on it back when it was new no problem. I rode a cb400four to the east coast and back as a teenager. No fairing just fun.

But at 33 years old you need to check ROADWORTHINESS.
Check to see how pliant the rubber parts are:
* intake manifolds
* boots behind the carbs
* tires
* etc.

That 650 has more than enough juice to go coast to coast.
It may not be as comfortable but use your car if you want comfort. Naked bikes/no fairing are a cool deal man. Really clear the junk out of your brain with a long ride on it.

I still remember the trip to Ocean City MD back in 1978. Whew was a cruise. Cool memories.

(p.s. dont order no parts or tools except stateside now)

That price is looking better every day. Check out this one:

$KZ650

650ed wrote:

That price is looking better every day. Check out this one:

$KZ650

$75 :ohmy: .:S :S ????????
id definately give the money for the blue bike for an around town bike if i was close

Yea, that KZ650 is a little bit over the edge in price. Hard to understand where some of these guys get their pricing info. As to touring on a motorcycle, you either like it or don't and that's fine. I always liked it and always will and like solitude of being alone on a motorcycle. Riding at 3am across I-70 in Utah where there is no traffic is my favorite type road. I like interstate for hour after hour and always have. LTDs are not a good choice for travel, but cars are worse. Once my cousin and I drove his Toyota Corolla 750 miles to Las Vegas, and a few days later the 750 back home. Talk about torture.:laugh: I think I would opt for a Kawasaki 500 H1 before going in an economy car on the road again.