Fussy noob looking for his dream ride. Is it the right choice?

Hi, how are you all, as stated before, I'm looking for the ride of my dreams, problem (or maybe not a problem) is that I'm very fussy and picky with this type of things and I read almost everything before making what I think is the best educated decision, and even then, I always have my thoughts and ever will.

So this time is my first motorcycle which is taking my precious sleep away and it has for a very long time, at my now 24 years of age, I been dreaming about this for at least 20, so it's a really big deal for me.
After tons and tons of research I had decided for a Cb750 but... There was something that just didn't feel right, the size, too big, for someone standing at 5 feet 7 and 155 pounds, it would look like I'm riding my dads bike, and the Cb450 was just not enough to beat the ton and a quarter goal I have (200km) and so the search went on a few weeks more and finally I found my dream bike to start with... a Kawasaki KZ650, as fast as a Cb750 and as light and nimble as a Cb450 just what I was looking for.

Why the Kz650? You ask.
1) Light and nimble, fun to ride.
2) Will reach the 200km mark with a little bit of work.
3) Can find a running one for around 1K.
4) Fits my size.
5) Lots of cheap spare parts.
6) Bullet proof engine.
7) Easy to work with with and a large fan base with lots of info and DIY videos and manuals.
8) It's a 70s bike, just what I was looking for.

I wont get my bike for another 6 months (got to save some money) but still I would love to make a decision already as to start investigating on that certain bike and focus my research, Ill be changing almost everything from the bike (carbs, suspension, lights, tank, wheel brakes... etc.) and so i still got a world of investigation to do, apart from reading every possible manual on general motorcycle mechanics (also need recomendations on which books to read concerning this).

So as you can see my head is a mess and I got tons of questions, but at the moment the most important one is whether th Kz650 is all I think it is or if im biased, I havent riden one (they aint that many where i live) and so i have to rely on what i read over the internet.

So is it or not? and apart from the CBs the Gs650 (wich is also tickling my curiosity) and the Xs, is there any other hidden contender out there? matching the criteria im looking for? if so, wich? and if not, between those ones mentioned, wich would you choose and why?

Sorry for the long post and any and all infromation, opinions and knowledge is more than welcomed.

Welcome to the site ton and 1/4. I used to own a KZ650 and absolutely loved it, they are great bikes. As you stated they are very reliable and easy to work on. I wouldn't exactly call them light bikes, but I guess its all relative. I don't think you'll be disappointed with one.

You're probably already aware of it, but a great forum for these bikes is http://forums.kz650.info/, good bunch of guys over there.

I see way to much wrong with this thread. First you consider yourself a noob. Have you ridden a motorcycle before or is this your first one?

With that said you want to get a 650cc bike and do 200km/h?
Do you have any experience with bikes? A bike from the 70s is going to need work and by no means would I be just buying a bike and expecting to go fast being that old.

I am a KZ650 fan. I prefer the C models with the dual discs in front and a single rear disc. I do like the spoke wheels on B models but I prefer the brakes of the C. Not a fan of the SR, CSR, H models

HerrDeacon said:

You're probably already aware of it, but a great forum for these bikes is http://forums.kz650.info/, good bunch of guys over there.

Click to expand...

hahaha I mean that they are light for the amount of power they have

and yeah i been checking on that forum a lot, but if i ask all this in there of course they will say that is the best bike ever invented... hahaha they got one after all, i wanted some imput from someone who might not be biased

Don't worry about the power. Anything over 125cc will be fast enough to scare the shit out of you day one on a new license.

First up, don't buy your dream bike as bike one. You are going to drop it and scratch it/dent it. But a sheap 200-400cc bike and ride the piss out of it for a while and simmer down on what the bike that LOOKS like your dream bike is.

Lastly, you'll ignore anything that anyone tells you because you will be stubborn about it and get discouraged along the way by people that you ask advice from. So, ignore all of this and do what the fuck you want and I hope to live to see your 65th.

firebane said:

I see way to much wrong with this thread. First you consider yourself a noob. Have you ridden a motorcycle before or is this your first one?

With that said you want to get a 650cc bike and do 200km/h?
Do you have any experience with bikes? A bike from the 70s is going to need work and by no means would I be just buying a bike and expecting to go fast being that old.

Click to expand...

All your concerns are legit, I do have some experience with bikes but never owned one myself and never ridden a "good" one either.
I do understand the stupidity of a noob asking to go 200km on a 70s bike, but I will have this bike for a long time, it will be a project for years, i dont intend to go 200kmh on the first day i get it, maybe not even on the first year, but I do want to get a good working base so that eventually when i do learn to drive OK and I have had enough time to play with it and learn and trust it, I can push it to the 200km mark.... It will be tough but I bet it will be a lot of fun and it wil be totally worth it.

I know the best way to go would be yo get a small bike learn, fuck up, and upgrade but thats not possible and its just not the way i do things if i went for a 350,450 I would have a lot of fun I know, and I would eventually "marry" the bike and work on in and on it for a long time, but i would always feel that I ddint reach my goal.

So I want to start with something that with hard work, perserverance and a a bit of luck and knowledge can take me where i want to.
Im in no hury to go 200kmh or kill myself hahahahaha

cosworth said:

Don't worry about the power. Anything over 125cc will be fast enough to scare the shit out of you day one on a new license.

First up, don't buy your dream bike as bike one. You are going to drop it and scratch it/dent it. But a sheap 200-400cc bike and ride the piss out of it for a while and simmer down on what the bike that LOOKS like your dream bike is.

Lastly, you'll ignore anything that anyone tells you because you will be stubborn about it and get discouraged along the way by people that you ask advice from. So, ignore all of this and do what the fuck you want and I hope to live to see your 65th.

Click to expand...

hahahaha i dont mind dropping my dream bike, im going for the Mad max looks hahahha and i know I should start off with a 200cc but i cant (thants the only thing i will be stubborn with, pinky promise)

And where do yo uget that im stubborn? other that my stubornness to go for a 200cc? Im really open for suggestions outsiede that and im very hard to discourage, Im all for learning

I hit a car going 299kph on my gixxer 1000. I'm luckily still here.

Going 200 on something with tubes or that is 30+ years old doesn't interest me in the slightest.

I wont be doing it often its just a mark i have to break it might be stupid I dont even enjoy speed that much, but I feel it in my guts, i got to do it on my bike, its not even for me, is just a bench mark to see how far I came my and my bike, I feel like killing myself but that song " we sarted from the bottom, now we are up here" or some shit like that is playing right now in my head hahahaha

I just want to be able to see back and see how i started and how my bike started and see how far we went. I know its stupid...

I could easily get some experience and rent a hayabusa or something and go 200km easily, but i ahve to make it on my own, on something i built and on something that isnt supposed to make it.

You don't need a hayabusa to get to 200. Even picking that name out of a hat worries me.

Just chill a bit. You'll get to where you want to be. It's not the destination, it's the journey.

That reminds me, it's about time I tore home on my XL250 through what appears to be an abandoned industrial park. Hee hee

That reminds me, it's about time I tore home on my XL250 through what appears to be an abandoned industrial park. Hee hee

Hahahahaha i know I'm thinking too much, that's what I do, but it's an important decision, it's not like I'm choosing a wife I can simply divorce, I'm jumping into this with both feet. And no, I'm not interested in joining a scene I just want to have fun and some thing that I can be passionate about and forget about everything while I'm at it.

But ok, come on guys, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the 200km thing, but that apart, any input on the question at hand? Is the bike good? How does it compare to the others mentioned? Would you get it if you had the same. Stupid goal as me? What would you get?

I mentioned the hayabusa as that's what my friend drives

Introduction thread > war and peace

The KZ is a perfectly fine bike. They wouldn't have made tens of thousands over several years if it wasnt (usually ??? ).

What it comes down to is what you have available to you. It took me a few years to find a proper RD to build (ok, it's an R5, but who's counting) or the right XS to chop.

Get the most bike you can for the money. And I don't mean displacement. Get the cleanest, best running and most complete bike available to you. Anything 350cc or abve is plenty to keep a new rider interested for a long while. You really need to focus less on the specific equipment and more on your own abilities as a rider and vintage bike owner.

Do you own the needed tools to keep the bike running CORRECTLY? Have you thought about how you'll invest your time to increase your road worthiness as a rider?

Again, buy the best bike you can for the money you have. Dont worry about make or model (outside of the obvious known quality issues). Buy the right gear to keep yourself safe. Buy the right tools to keep the bike happy. Become the best rider and owner you can, THEN worry about dream bikes and whatnot.

welcome to the forum