My Kawasaki Motorcycles

Back in 1980 I bought my first motorcycle, a 1979 Kawasaki KL-250 dualsport. After a year or two the desire to own a larger street bike crept in, but a lack of finances, attending a technical school, a career transition, moving to another state, and change of priorities got in the way. In the meantime the KL-250 languished and the riding bug lay dormant.

In the summer of 2002 the bug was awakened, although its poisonous bite wouldn't be noticed until some nine months later, when I helped a co-worker put his Norton Commando back together in a hotel parking lot. Afterward, he told me to ride it around the lot a bit and the thrill of riding was rediscovered--if not the actual thrill of riding a bike with the brake and shift levers swapped and a shift pattern reversed from what I was used to!

In the spring of 2003 the search for a KZ began. I concentrated my search in the 550 to 750 cc range. I watched Ebay and the local classifieds, but nothing seemed to be available that met the critieria I had established. About the same time I ran across perhaps the best site on the Web for owners of KZs and those that aspire to own one-- KZRider.com. This site has much information plus a great discussion forum with a number of knowledgable and helpful folks with years of experience with the KZ series. Register, drop in and say 'hi'. Oh yeah, you'll be asked for pictures of your KZ so be ready!

In the spring of 2004 I was contacted by one of the members of KZRider who lives nearby offering his 1979 KZ-650 SR. After taking a look and a short test ride I wrote the check and a week later I brought it home. The owner prior to him had let it set for several years which caused some deterioration. Overall the bike was in good condition and just needed a bit of attention and the odd part here and there. With less than 12000 miles on the clock, how could I go wrong?

650 SR left front  view 650 SR left rear view 650 SR right front view 650 SR right rear view

On these pages I plan to feature pictures and descriptions of repairs and updates to my 650 SR. My goal with the bike is to restore it to good mechanical condition and keep it as original as possible for a 25 year old machine. Fortunately, I have a good base to start with and hope to keep it that way.

Tips

Online Parts Catalog Kawasaki's online parts list

Repairs

POR-15 tank repair Seal up that rusty tank
  • It's amazing what'll come out of there!
  • Neutralizing the rust
  • The final touch
Fork assembly tips Damper rod removal and seal replacement

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any other content copyright by respective author(s).

This page last modified
July 1, 2005
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