Scoop reckons the Kawasaki Z650 may just be the best 1970s all-round classic out there.
What exactly is it you want from a classic motorcycle? It’s a question that has a myriad of potential answers.
First off it has to be reliable, otherwise it’s pretty much pointless owning one. And of course the machine in question should be both comfortable and accessible. And finally aren’t good looks important too? No matter how efficient the bike is, how well it handles or how fast it accelerates, if it looks naff then you’re unlikely to bond with it.
If it has reliability plus drop dead gorgeous looks and it’s easy to use, wouldn’t we all be queuing up to buy one? Common sense would say yes but as is often the way that’s an attribute remarkably rare even in our day to day lives let alone the perverse world of classic motorcycles. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls allow me to introduce the bike everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy; Kawasaki’s consummate Z650 – aka the classic Japanese four everyone overlooks!
It must be something to do with the British psyche; the fact that we are so obsessed with the fastest, the largest, the quickest motorcycles. As a nation we’ve swallowed the superbike concept hook line and sinker for decades. And in our classic world we salivate like Pavlov’s dog at the sight of a period Kawasaki H2, a mint Suzuki Kettle or an immaculate Yamaha LC350. The press-created, faux reputations of these high-end bikes fuel our collective lust for the supposedly-best machines, the must-haves, the ‘your-life-won’t-be-complete-until’ bolides. Anything else is somehow a lesser entity, a lower form of life… what an utter, stupid, load of old tosh!
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2017-Ausgabe von Classic Motorcycle Mechanics.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2017-Ausgabe von Classic Motorcycle Mechanics.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Honda VFR750R - RC30
If there’s a more worshipped V4 out there, we’ve yet to see it: welcome to our reboot of the awesome VFR750R RC30…
Mountain tension!
Award-winning motorcycle engineer!
Fazer set to STUN!
What do you get when you mix CRK’s lovely café racer kit to Yamaha’s budget middleweight and the recently-retired Martin Fox? Well, one helluva foxy Fazer!
Project Suzuki 1984 RG250 part 4 BRUNO BARES ALL!
This month, while we wait for backorder engine parts, we strip the chassis back to the bare frame, assess what is needed and plan the reassembly…
Project Kawasaki Z900 Stocker part 2 Ralph has a blast!
For the best finish on his Z900’s motor Ralph wants the best, so he visits Stephen Smethurst Casting Renovation to find out how it’s done properly.
Project Suzuki TS400 Part 8 Loom with a view!
We’re getting down into the nitty-gritty this time with component testing and loom building. What could go wrong?
Project Yamaha TX750 Part 12 A question of balance…
Only The Beach Boys had good vibrations… so what’s Mark been up to, to sort out the bad ones coming from his TX750?
Splitting links
Ralph Ferrand works with tools all day long – he sells them too at bikerstoolbox.co.uk so he knows what works.
STAVROS: PRINCE OF PRANKSTERS!
It’s probably fair to say that Stephen JamesParrish’s persona and overall levity throughout his life have muddied the waters as to just how good a bike racer he was back in the day.
Metal magic!
Ralph Ferrand works with tools all day long – he sells them too at bikerstoolbox co uk so he knows what works.. .