I own a Kawasaki?

Well yes, as matter of fact, I do! It is a 1978 Kawasaki KZ650 C2, referred to back when it was new as a Custom. I actually bought this bike just before Christmas last year but because I failed to mention my purchase to the BSU until April, I hadn't mentioned it online. Yes, I got in BIG trouble with the spouse. I have made amends though and she is no longer upset with me.

Why a Kawasaki? Why this Kawasaki? Well, Kawasakis have generally been my favorite Japanese motorcycle brand since I first became aware of motorcycles and, believe it or not, I actually sold Kawasakis at 2 different dealerships in 1977 & 78 before joining the Air Force. And the KZ650 was one of those bikes that I sold that I really liked. This particular bike is beautiful, nicely cared for and very close to original condition. The color is original even though it is very attractive, the handlebars are slightly shorter than stock and the seat has a step in it the factory seat didn't have. I actually found it on night browsing through Ebay but the seller was just 10 miles down the road from me. It was too good to pass up! This bike is 33 years old and as you might imagine, the few that remain in the wild have seen plenty of "improvements" by 3 decades of owners. So finding a clean and (almost) original bike is pretty rare.

With a little help from the credit union I bought it and tucked it away in the shop for the winter. I had some small repairs and improvements to make that kept me busy for a few weeks but when riding season arrived, I had to face the music and spill the beans.

I've been riding it a couple weeks now and it is wonderful! It rides and acts like I remember motorcycles acting. It isn't a race bike or a cruiser or a long distance touring bike; it's just a motorcycle. It starts, stops and turns just as it should and I'm mighty happy with it. Being 33 years old, it does have a few minor things that still need my attention- the lights don't work in the instruments and the turn signal indicators are intermittent but that's small stuff. I've already installed a much brighter headlight assembly and added some electrical relays to the electrical system to make things run more reliably. A new LOUD horn may be the next modification I make to the bike as the stock one is really puny.

Want to see it? Take a look!





Ain't she pretty? As always, click the thumbnails to see the full size pictures!
Have no fear, Sleek Black Beauty still has a proud parking spot under the carport with the Kawasaki and I still enjoy riding her as much as I always did. Now I just have a choice when it is time to ride!

It's Monday-

Which means the BSU made it home safely though exhausted, after a week in Oregon last night and I'm getting ready for another couple days of driving cars. I've also been found by one of my very best friends from my time in England- Hi Peter! and we have swapped some pictures and emails this weekend. Peter's found the best job in the world, self employed as a classic motorcycle restorer!

I've already suggested that maybe I should open a US branch of Aspire Restorations! Go check out some his work in the gallery!

Spam? Scam? Its gotta be legit...

I got this message regarding my motorcycle for sale, in less than 1 hour after updating my ad on KSL. Do you think I should write him back?

Hello, My Name is marksmith,I am interested in the purchase of your$2200 1981 Suzuki GS850G, Classic, Clean Superbike for my wife birthday gift,the payment will be remmited via a money order/cashiers check. In order to conclude the deal as soon as possible, the money order that will be sent to you will include the money for the sales of your item and the shippers fees for organising a home pick up service. You do not need to worry as my shipping company will come to pick the item up from your base for shipment. What I want to clarify is that will you be able to send the shipping charges to the shipping agent as soon as you get the money order at your bank cashed and you deduct the money for the sales of your item?If you agree to assist in this capacity , send your : Full Name, Your Residential Address, Phone Numbers and the final amount you are willinging to accept (ATTACH PICS), so that we can proceed. Regards, marksmith

I mean, he doesn't sound Nigerian, so it couldn't be a scam, right?

Suzuki update

Well with the encroaching warmer weather I'm getting rather anxious to get the motorcycle finished up and ready for the road. I still need to paperwork transferred and maybe I can get that done still this week. Everything is coming together and I've been able to spend a few more hours in the shop lately since it is warming up outside.

The original tail section didn't fit the back of the seat worth a damm and when I got busy trying to make it fit better, I discovered that it was broken in such a way that a good repair was going to be difficult. Turns out, it was the wrong tail sectionanyway. I purchased another piece from Ebay and when it arrived I discovered that it matched the seat profile much better than the original. So that turned out really well.

I also purchased a stock airbox from an Ebay seller, with the intention of replacing the 4 individual foam filters presently on the bike. The airbox arrived yesterday and its condition was what is generally referred to as "barn find." That is, its all in good condition and all the parts are there, but, boy, was it grimy! The inside was filled with 25 years of oil-soaked dust and rust. I did get it cleaned up last night after scraping, brushing, blowing and sanding out the offensive gritty bits and its ready for some black paint the next time I can get out to the shop. Like any restoration project, its not the purchasing that is the expensive part of the effort, it’s the refurbishing. I paid just over a $20 bill for the airbox and shipping but when I looked up the needed rubber air tube parts and a new filter, I'm going to quadruple my purchase price! Good grief! I'll call my buddy Darin who says he can get the parts I need for less, later this morning and see if he can't reduce the costs for the parts I need.

Its also time to start making decisions about how much I am going to care about the cosmetics on this motorcycle. Right now, the gas tank and tail section are original color and pinstripes but pretty scratched and worn. The front fender and the side covers have a dark grey, rattle can paint job applied by the last owner. I have to decide if I'm going to paint it all or leave it mismatched and "weathered" or if I'm going to hit all the parts with a matching rattle can, quickie paint job or if I want to spend a weekend giving everything a good sanding and smoothing and a proper, air gun applied, buffed out-shiny and re-striped paint job. Chances are pretty good that I'll take the time to put a decent paint job on it. I'm not a big fan of the "rat bike" look and painting it up nice won't be that much trouble. The spouse says that I have to paint it up right just for bragging rights when I ride it into work for the first time.

The spouse also says she is not riding on it with me- period. That's disappointing. I suppose I'll have to start interviewing some potential, less uptight passengers if I want somebody along for the occasional ride.

And, last night I bought another of those loud air horns from Harbor Freight for the bike, just like the one I installed on the scooter last year. The horns that are on there are worn out, not loud enough to alert any cell-phone talking minivan moms and pointed down at the engine. I'll figure out a good spot for my loud horn and get it wired up in the next couple days.

Suzuki update

I've been making some progress on the motorcycle as often as I can stand to heat up the shop in the evenings. With the help of Bike Bandit I've been buying the parts I've needed. Bike Bandit has been really helpful with lots of new old stock bushings and rubber parts and I really like the quick processing and shipping. The company is in California and I'm getting parts delivered by the least expensive method in just 4 days.

I've installed new handlebars with more pullback so I won't have to lean forward quite so far and a new clutch cable and new control levers. I've rebuilt the fuel petcock and all 4 inlet manifolds.




I've also been trying to figure out a decent method of mounting the exhaust muffler. The last owner had simply welded the muffler's mount tab to the frame and after getting that freed up and the frame repainted, I've been struggling with finding a mounting method. I looked at wrap around clamps and I considered bolting or welding a plate to the frame extension, neither of which seemed like a good idea.

Today I figured out a simple, flat bracket that bolts to the frame with 2 existing bolt holes and secures the muffler with one bolt and a spacer. It took less than an hour to make it, including the trip to Home Depot to buy the steel! I've painted it so it will be ready for installation the next time I get out to the shop. I have no idea why it took me so long to figure out this simple and effective mount.

Next, figuring out where the fuel level sending wires are in the wire harness!

The Suzuki needs a name-

I really need to come up with some kind of name for that Suzuki motorcycle in my workshop so I can keep regular updates for that beast. I've been working along as time permits for the past couple weeks and things are beginning to shape up.

What's done already? I've rebuilt the leaky fuel petcock, fixed the broken stud on the bottom of the seat fairing and relocated and reinstalled that with the correct hardware. I've replaced the 4 intake manifolds, two of which were completely separated and certain to be leaking. The battery box has been out, painted and reinstalled and the muffler has been cut off the frame where the previous owner had welded it in place. I've still got to find a better mounting system for that muffler.

I've got to order up a new set of handlebars, a clutch cable, new brake and clutch levers. There's one broken screw in the swingarm that holds a brake hose secure that will require some drilling and extraction efforts and one of the turn signals has a broken plastic screw stud that I'm epoxying and getting ready to re-drill.

After all that, I'll get to work making it run! So far, its a nice project.