10-25-2017, 08:38 AM
(10-25-2017, 08:23 AM)Flynrider_imp Wrote: I have to go with The Ferret on this one. I used to love rescuing old UJM garage queens back in my younger days (including several KZs). Eventually, I got to the point where I wanted to spend more time riding and less time wrenching, so I gave it up. 40 year old bikes generally require a lot of TLC if you're going to ride them more than a few thousand miles per year. If you like wrenching, that may not be an issue.That's to the point, what I think/feel.
After having a CB1100, you might be a bit disappointed at the "state of the art" in suspension and brakes you'll get with a 70s bike. I recently rode a friend's resurrected '78 KZ650. Although it was loads of fun, the main thing I noticed were the marginally performing suspension and brakes. Somehow, in my memory, they were great back in the early 80s, but now they seemed just short of inadequate.
If you really have your heart set on a classic Z bike, and you've got the $$s to spend replacing most everything on it, I say go for it. Just keep in mind that it's performance and maintenance needs will not resemble a modern UJM like the CB1100. Whenever I see one of those classics still on the road I tend to drool a little, but somewhere in the back of my mind I'm glad that somebody else owns it.
