Oh no, the temptation

<Looks furtively left and right>

Anyone need any DT175MX and Z400 twin spares?

 

wot he sed

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1978-KAWASAKI...oryZ9807QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

3 months tax, 12 months ticket.

You know you want to...

 

Don't get around much, then? SOBs of the 80s were always cheap.

Bollocks. They were just another un-regarded SOB.

 

You know **** all too, then.

 

Um, Dave - you're talking crap here. The Z650 is seriously sought-after.
One nice thing about it is that you can stuff it full of GPz750 bits and
still keep it looking stock.

But even stock, it's a good bike, and very collectable. It and the GS750
were the first of the new generation of Jap fours that went fast and
handled well (for the era). The Suzuki was the better bike, objectively,
but it's the Kawasaki that's in demand.

 

My whole point is they were (note the past tense) just another UJM and
were cheap. Now it's different, for the reason you mention and the old
fart factor. I've got nothing against the Z650, indeed I always liked
them; but there's no fucking way I'd ever pay what's being asked for
them now.

Heh. For that matter, I could transplant an entire GS1100 lump and drive
train into mine - does that make mine worth a bomb? Of course not.

 

When I got mine, in 1983, it cost me £325, and I wuz robbed.
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..80264../..21661.../..31308.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG*
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11
'^' RBR'06 Points: 75 Miles: 317

 

No, they weren't. Back in 1976, fours were still exotic. The 'UJM' term
was coined to describe yet another me-too four. The Z650 was anything
but that.

In 1975, if you wanted a four, it was an MV, a Honda, a Kawasaki Z900...
and that was it. A year later came the Z650 and GS750.

Now the GS was nothing more than a careful copy of Kawasaki's Z900
engine architecture.

The Z650 was different. Yes, it was a four, but it was a DOHC four. That
was different. It was a plain-bearing DOHC four, and that was unique. It
also managed to outrun the then Honda CB750, the Kawasaki GT750 and the
Yamaha XS750. In fact, (apart from the MV!) the only 750 that could beat
it was the new Suzuki GS750.

And that engine was so damn *good* that it went on to be the Z750,
GT750, GPz750 and finally the 750 Turbo. And it's still around today.

Then there's the matter of styling. The Z650 was, and is, beautiful,
Kawasaki took the lovely curvy lines of the Z900's tank, panels and
tailpiece and brought those four styling elements closer together; more
compact. Like I said before, it's one of the best-proportioned Japanese
bikes ever. made

So there you have it: a ground-breaking engine design, performance
superior to many bigger, nominally more powerful, bikes, and beauty.

If you say you never really got the point of the Z650, that's fine. It's
an opinion. But if you say that it was just another UJM, and unregarded,
then rather than voicing an opinion, you're talking complete bollocks.

 

Yer arse. They were dirt cheap all the way through the 80s. Just another
Shite Old Bike by then; hammered into the ground by clueless cunts and
discarded like so many others as newer, faster and shinier examples came
onto the market. It's only the rose-tinted specs that makes them seem
any different now.

 

<Shrug>

 

<checks garage space>

Damn !
</cgs>

 

I'll be wanting a go on the 13th

 

I have a feeling that I might regret this...

<non-committal mode>

How much then?

<end ncm>

--

Big Dave

B12 : CB250RSA : Z250A1
OMF#4

 

I paid £760 for it.

It now has new head bearings and an MoT. It will need a fork stanchion
replacing or rechroming soon. Scuffed, but it isn't leaking. Yet. But it
will.

Everything's working on it. It starts, goes and stops and all the
electrics work, except for the warning lights which didn't from new.

There is a brand new tacho on its way from Sarth Effrica - these are on
the unobtainable list, but a small bike shop that used to sell Morinis
has been having a parts clear-out and lo and behold, they had four of
them.

It has brand new air filter elements, which it didn't have before.

I was going to stick it up on Ebay at £500 start and no reserve, and
given all the above I'm pretty sure some lunatic will cough £800+.

However, if anyone here is daft enough to want it, then I'd say -
exactly what I paid for it. £760. And you benefit from the cash and work
I've thrown at it so far.

 

Looks like we're shaking on £1100.

Here's his latest message:

STARTS
orry you are going to have to forgive my spelling

I did try to phone you this morning to discuss the bike perticually the
exhaust i started it up this morning and placed my hand around the
exhuast and can find 2 pin holes on the lft hand side apr 4 inches away
from the balance pipe area thats all i can find in the way of leakes apr
3 years ago the bike had a lot of work done on it at a bike shop in
gosport including the rechorming of the exaust in my upinion its got
loads of life left in it and if i was not selling it i would not be
looking at replacing the exhaust

The bike itself has been used regually by myself over the last 6 years
daily backwords and forwards to work pleasure and somtimes days out
furthest trip ive been on is birmingham nec motorcycle show
a 300 mile round trip it

The bike had 22k when i purchased it and now has 42k on it at one point
i owned 3 bikes and just couldnt make my mind up which one to jump on
first thing in the morning to go to work

BAD POINTS about bike are the paint work around the left hand side of
the tank has bubbled probabley due to useing the side stand when the
tank was full , the rear mudgaurd behind the light not visable when
people are looking at it has started to rust , the front mudgaurd in the
centre has a bit of rust nothing major

Whilst saying about the bad bits and the exhaust makes the bike sound
bad but it isnt most of todays modern type bikers dont seem to know what
a z650 is but i do get a lot of comments from people who do about the
condition and originality of it i have loved and looked after the bike
since i have had it and i am sure it will last another 20k miles evan as
it is

I have spent a lot of money on it over the time i have had it it did
have a respray tank panels and frame it also had an insitue engine
polish about 3 years ago apr 2 years ago i was sadley loosing oil and it
was smoking so new valve stems and a rebore was done at the shop i
purchased it from for £1600 6 years ago

Reason for sale I have 4 kids and we need a seven seater car so we can
go out as a family i also am in proccess of changing jobs which gives me
a company van that i have to bring home so all its going to do when i
start my new jod is sit there as my weekend work does not leave me with
much free time i also intended over the last year to go down to one bike
by selling my bantam , harley sportster and z650 and put the money
together and buy a bigger frammed may be older harley but who knows
ENDS


I've told him I'll have it if it meets description. He sounds straight.

 

[1] See below

Thanx.
Sounds fair. Now I have to go away and think about it (read: ask
SWMBO).

[1] A bit of silliness:
A South African accent is probbly the easiest one in the world to
mimic.
Just pronounce every vowel sound as a short 'e' (as in "in")
eg:
Sith Ifrici
Nilson Mindilli

Churrz
Dave

 

It goes up on Ebay in the next 48 hours, so you'd better let me know one
way or the other ASAP.

 

These are the stock pipes, yes. And no, I didn't. And I bet he doesn't,
either.

Oh, happy day.

Anyway, the deal's been agreed, for £1100 plus £50 for him to deliver it
to the Chateau tomorrow morning. I am strangely excited....

Seriously, I've wanted a Z650, an early Z650, for years, as you well
know. I've told him on the phone that I'm happy to buy on his
description. I mean, he's had the bike for years, and he obviously knows
his shit.

I've also gently pointed out that if it doesn't match his warts-and-all
description, then he'll be a disappointed man, and he's cool with that.
I think he knows he's got a decent Zed here.

So this looks like being the Chimay steed.

*Cough* Will sir WAGM?