1985 Kawasaki 700 LTD Shaft-Drive.

Has anyone had any bad experences with the 1985 Kawasaki 700 LTD
Shaft Drive, I just bought one for $800, in MINT shape! Just wondering
if they where known to have problems.

Brian in Wisconsin.

 

We got it in 750cc form in the UK, as the GT750 - a straight
roadster/tourer. I've owned two.

Weak spot is the starter motor clutch. It's OK as long as the bike has
always had a fighting fit battery and been kept nicely in tune but
endless turning away on the starter button doesn't help it, and a low
battery and out of tune engine means it can kick back.

Anyway, any suspect noises from the starter spell trouble, and it means
removal of the entire clutch assembly and the sump to fix. In theory yo
need to take the engine out, but in practice it can be done in situ.

Camchain tensioner wedges wear, the tensioner sticksd, and it rattles on
start-up. Easy and cheap to fix - new wedges.

Carb rubbers seem to die early. Coils give up the ghost without warning.
Air forks (if fitted to your model) leak. That's about it. Very good,
very solid bikes.