1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 - parts and such?

SLIM

SLIM

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I have the opportunity to get a 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 for cheap. I'm told "it needs work, but runs. Need to boost it to start it, but it runs and rides for sure. And it needs a seat". That, right now, is all I know. (ok, that and I know the missus doesn't want me getting it lol)

For those that know more about this bike, can you please inform me about parts availability or common problems? I know nothing about getting parts for a bike this age and this is obviously my biggest concern. I'm most concerned about the possibility of needing engine/transmission parts, as I would think these would be the first to disappear from a possible list of parts to buy, but again, I don't know. I will, of course, also spend some time perusing Kawi boards (any good leads here?).

Any parts guys out there help me out here please? I'm thinking it would make a neat project bike that would hopefully not require a ton of money to make presentable, but I don't want to jump into it if I need to search the darkest corner's of Hell's closet to find the most basic of parts.

Help?

As always - PATIA!
 
Try Rice Paddy in Ohio. Went there a couple years ago,drove down to get a full exhaust for a GPZ, it was in as promised great condition, slammin' price and the guys were great to deal with. Make a weekend of it, go to the AMA museum and Iron Pony.
 
i have a 1978 kz650 that would be a better bike than that 550. mine only needs a little tlc.
 
Does it have a seat pan and it just needs recovering or is the entire thing missing? I don't know about that bike specifically, but those are the kinds of parts that can be annoying to find (and the bike without it is pretty useless).
 
Vintage bikes give us lots of surprises, and some of them can be costly.
Old tanks can leak and require resealing, which can cost $100 or more.
If you have the time and the skills to maintain it, this can be a fine cheap ride.
If you must pay for all the repairs this bike will need, I think you will regret it.

To start with, if you need the whole seat, you may be able to fashion a usable
seat from plywood, foam, vinyl, and bungee cords. If you can't cobble up a seat,
you may need to spend hundreds of bucks before you ride the first kilometer.

In short, if you can muster big skills, or handle big bills, you will do fine.
If, like me, you have six or seven thumbs and a small budget, think again.
 
In 1982, I bought a 1978 KZ650. At the time, I remember reading an article that said that a 1979 KZ900 cost about $2,000 to buy new but it would cost a little over $20,000 to build it in parts. Good Luck.
 
As it turns out the bike is no longer available. Someone scooped it up before I did. *shrug*

Just as well I guess. Too many projects on the go for yet another money pit. lol

Thanks anyways to all! :)
 
i have a 1978 kz650 that would be a better bike than that 550. mine only needs a little tlc.
Click to expand...

Any pictures of your KZ?

Having had KZs since the '80s, I'd say finding parts to keep them running is no problem.
I should hit 100000 kms this year or next on my KZ650. Not a lot for a 34 year old bike.
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