Posted by Hogryder on February 02, 2000 at 03:21:53:
In Reply to: 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650 ? posted by Bruce Clarke on February 02, 2000 at 02:22:34:
An old bike you don't know vs a newer bike you do. Four carbs vs one. Chain drive vs belt. I'd stick with the Savage. Of course this is coming from a guy who took several 3000 - 5000 mile trips on a Savage. If you're planning to do a lot of 75 mph + riding, go with the Cow and pray it holds together. The air cooled Kawasaki triples and fours from the 70's had poor cooling of the middle cylinder(s), something to do with poor contact and oxidation between the metal of the head and the cylinder sleeves and poor heat conduction of the alloy used for the head. (Or so I heard many years ago.) I know they would seize real easy, two of them did while riding with my old Honda 350 on hot days. One was a triple, the other a four. The guy with the triple had it re-built twice then junked it. Actually he pushed it over a cliff and left it to rust. As far as I know it's still about 5 miles east of Butte, Montana just off Interstate 90.
I think I would invest the $625 in a gel seat, a good windshield, good saddlebags, and a tune-up for my Savage.
Ride free. Ride a Savage, ride a cow, ride a broomstick, but ride. I'll sit here in the snow and cry and wait for spring.