Kawasaki KZ 550 LTD

[oldyam80sg]

So I went with a guy at work to look at this bike maybe 2 months ago.He just got his license and was eager to ride.Went and found a 1983 550 LTD with maybe 1800 miles on it.Not bad condition,gas sat in carbs for maybe 12 years.Was not ridden a lot and female owner stored it in a heated basement.Just got done cleaning the black varnished float bowls and filthy carbs this weekend.Huge difference,I rode it and fun little starter bike.Clean carbs make all the difference!

[BowlingSS]

I have a 83 GPZ550. Mine also setup for years with gas. Those carbs were a mess.

Bill

[dbeardslee]

My little brother had a CSR 650 that he bought in the early 80's. Nearly the same bike as the 550 LTD only a little bigger motor and spoked wheels. Those things are great! I always liked the boulevard styling and upright riding position. To tell the truth, I'm a little jealous.

[oldyam80sg]

I cleaned the carbs and the bike is fun to ride-The issue-My friend thinks his bike will beat anything on the road and wont keep quiet! He will learn the hard way!

[dbeardslee]

I cleaned the carbs and the bike is fun to ride-The issue-My friend thinks his bike will beat anything on the road and wont keep quiet! He will learn the hard way!

They are fun - but your SG will probably pull it faster than it will run. LoL

[oldyam80sg]

I hope he doesn't see this thread because its comments like that is the reason why he runs his mouth.

[dbeardslee]

I hope he doesn't see this thread because its comments like that is the reason why he runs his mouth.

It's true though. Go for a ride with him - that'll shut him up.

[webbcraft2150]

I cleaned the carbs and the bike is fun to ride-The issue-My friend thinks his bike will beat anything on the road and wont keep quiet! He will learn the hard way!

Son in law thought same thing when I got his xj550 running. Foolish boy, he tried a roll on at 40mph. Wasn't pretty for him.i think the fairing and bags fooled him.

[kboehringer]

XJ550 Maxim vs. XS11 - NO CONTEST!

Son in law thought same thing when I got his xj550 running. Foolish boy, he tried a roll on at 40mph. Wasn't pretty for him.i think the fairing and bags fooled him.

I also own an '81 Maxim 550 (XJ550). 0-60 mph it's a pretty darn quick little ride....But it's no XS11.

My youngest son Karl (age 20) and I went to a picnic a month or so back with him on the Maxim and my wife and I on the XS. He TRIED to turn the throttle on me and found out exactly what the tail lamp of an XS11 looks like.....

KURT

[Bonz]

The KZ550 and XJ550 were basically the same for rear wheel output (low 50hp range) and at around 460 lb wet weight, they undercut my 80G (605 lb wet, measured) by 145 lb. The XS runs in the low 80hp range at the rear wheel, so depending on gearing the 550's sure could run pretty close from a standing start to 60 mph. However, the mid range of the XS (double the real wheel torque basically) will win the day in about any roll-on you could devise.

I was out on the 80G yesterday and it reminds me of how smooth an in-line 4 cylinder bike can be, as I spend most of my miles on the ZRX1200.

I had a Nighthawk 550 for a year, and that bike was a freakin' hoot to run hard. It was large for a 550 at 572cc. That thing would get to redline in the first 5 gears, with 6th gear being an overdrive and wouldn't pull faster than 5th. Neat and interesting fact/feature is the hydraulic valve adjusters above 10,500 rpm would "pump down", effectively being the rev limiter and allow no opportunity for valve float and subsequent damage at high rpm. I sold it when my son went off to college his freshman year for some extra cash. Loved the bike and would get another that was in better cosmetic shape if the chance occurred.

My small bike now is a Honda CX500. It is unique in that Honda made it an 80 degree V-Twin, to have a bit of vibration and cadence they deemed necessary to give it more of a "Harley" feel back in the late 70's-early 80's. It also has a pushrod liquid cooled engine with 4 valves/cylinder. Overhead cams would have made the cylinders too tall. Honda seems to be pretty good at unique stuff like that. While it does well off the line for peppiness, it runs out of steam up top pretty quickly. It puts out around 42 Hp at the rear wheel, and weighs around 470 lb. However, the CX is a great 'round towner, and 60 mpg is pretty easy for errands. Keep it at 60 mph or under and it will do the same. Very much like the XS1100, there isn't a lot of extra performance to be had over stock, unless you throw a pair of round slide carbs on it like some guys do and get a great boost in power and response. MPG falls in to mid 40's though. I like the 60 mpg I squeeze out of the 2.9 gallon tank.