Hi,

My brother has been riding for a few years, and I've decided to get my permit. I am looking at a kz550. It has been sitting for a few years, I was just wondering if people knew of anything in particular to look for with these bikes.

I'm also pokin around the site, because who doesn't like to procrastinate

 

hahaha ya procrastinator!

but with all rides that have been sitting for so long. Check all rubber components within reason of course and know your basics. A big gash down the left case cover? hmm Just the basic make over. The chain is going to be toast most likely, but if the ride looks good, a kz is abit wide, heavy and really is just a cruiser so do not expect more than that. (I can only talk about my kz1000) A good reliable ride for the most part at a cheap price.

 

Yeah, I am a commuting student, and out of my 11 mile commute, 9 of that is on recently paved "state highway" its a two lane road not going faster than 45mph. It's all I'm really looking for, unlike my brother who has had a Suzuki SV650, SV1000, and most recently Buell 1125R. He also likes to dump his bikes...

 

Ouch, lol. If they have been sitting it may take a while to get it running again, you never know what happened to it while it was down. Get some pics up when you bring her home. Welcome to KF!

 

Yeah, agree with prom, (KKY brother.) Unless you're real mechanically inclined, I'd go with a bit newer bike. NOTHING wrong with the old ones, but, if you're just starting out, save yourself lots of aggravation. I've twiddled with my share of oldies; the newer ones are more reliable and much easier to find the parts you need. I'd at least aim for the late 80's or early 90's. Lots of good ones out there for pretty reasonable money. Find yourself an old ZX7 or similar. They're bulletproof.
(ONU chapter of KKY, 4 years; good times.)

 

Thanks for the advice. I've worked on my share fair of difficult cars, so I like to learn how to work on things...I'm still going to go look at it, to see if it's over my head. Nice, where is the ONU chapter? I'm currently going into my senior year at the Epsilon Nu chapter, it's been real.

 

Welcome to the forums, the most important thing to look for is the tires. The last thing you need is a blowout from an old dry rotted tire.

 

So that completely fell through, but tomorrow I'm going up to Greenfield to go look at an 86 454LTD. I am also going either monday or tuesday to get my permit. And then I need to find that safety course.

 

Good luck on the search. Google can help you find the MSF, otherwise ask about it when you get your permit, they will know what your talking about and they can also confirm that your state accepts the completion card in place of the license test.

 

Yeah, my brother came by today and showed me what to look for (used his bike to point things out to me) Also directed me to the MSF website. $275..not too bad. I will be bringing my camera tomorrow to take pics of the bike. Hopefully it's completely "ready to ride" like he says it is.