Learn me Kawasaki GPZ 550

So after getting my license in October I have been on the hunt for a motorcycle and I have been looking at craigslist and ebay but I glanced at the local Ducati dealership and at the bottom of their listing of used bike was this 1985 Kawasaki. The bike looks really clean, and has relatively low miles (25,000). So what should I be looking out for, this would be my first bike buy so I'mnew to looking at them. What should I be on the look out for. Thanks Ryan

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They're rather robust - I had one in the UK as a winter beater that had nearly 100k on it. The engine lived on in the GT550, which was the favourite bike of dispatch riders in London.

You'll obviously need to do the usual used bike checks or take someone with you who is knowledgeable. This one looks pretty clean - if the mechanical side of the bike checks out I think you go do much worse for a first bike.

I've always lusted after one. Really neat bikes. They just never fell into the "cheap" category. They either got used up and pitched or saved as mint.

My first bike was a gs550. I loved that thing, I say go for it.

I had a GPz550 a long time ago. It wasn't my first street bike. I think it was my third, but it still scared the crap out of me at the time. They're good bikes, though the quality of the switchgear and controls are a step down from a Honda of similar vintage.

Bikes have come a loooooong way since then. GPzs were the E36 M3 when they were new, but I think there are too many better choices out there now, especially for a first bike.

I would certainly check on the availability of replacement brake rotors before buying one. The rear rotor on mine was badly warped and even back then they were hard to find and crazy expensive. And I think my bike had fewer miles on it.

I sold the bike because I needed money and I was fairly certain that it was going to kill me. The guy who bought it from me had a really hot wife.

That's all I remember about it.

i have an 81 kz550ltd and i have found a lot of info on the kzrider boards. and z1enterprizes is a great part site

Does anyone know what parts the GPZ shares with the other bikes in the range? Also where else should I be looking for parts? Thanks for all of the help so far.

As a new rider it's not too big to muscle around a garage, light in the corners but has enough weight to make the monotonous 65mph drone of commuting tolerable and enough horsepower to get out of trouble.

What's not to like?

Learn from it and move up but keep this one around because you will miss it whatever you buy next.

Dan

914Driver wrote: As a new rider it's not too big to muscle around a garage, light in the corners but has enough weight to make the monotonous 65mph drone of commuting tolerable and enough horsepower to get out of trouble. What's not to like? Learn from it and move up but keep this one around because you will miss it whatever you buy next. Dan

Lots of good advice

You really don't want that bike, just drop it off at my place I'll take care of it for you. have owned KZ 550, KZ650, KZ750LTD the GPZ has been on my want list since the early 80's.

Were building one now for racing with the USCRA.