Where is the KZ650 in your best Kawa bikes?

Ive got 5 bikes. One of them is the venerable Honda CB750 (mine is a '72). I thought that bike was special, until I got the KZ650 (77) last week. The KZ650 is amazing.

Now, I already had a KZ - a 77 KZ750, but its a Twin and not really a performance bike.

Im speechless. In my opinion, Kawa made the best bikes of the 70s, hands down.

Even against a Norton 850?

Based on the title of this thread, the KZ650 would have to be near the top af any list of Kawasakis based on its reliability and performance per dollar.
On the other hand, if you really meant on my list of FAVORITE Kawasakis, it would be much lower on the list behind the ZRX1100, the 1995 GPz 1100, both generations of Concours, the H2, the KZ1000J, and maybe others.
If we are going to compare it to all bikes from the 1970s, it would still be behind the H2, the Trail Boss, the Super Rat and just maybe the aforementioned 850 Commando. Maybe.
Ymmv

Moved from Engine forum.

KZQ wrote: Hi Folks,
Please read the description of this "Engine" forum before posting here. Seems that a lot of newer members post topics, that belong elsewhere, in this forum just because it's at the top of the listing.
In the past we (the Admin Team) have just moved those threads to the proper forums and left a pointer to where the thread was moved. Unfortunately, the pointer thingy doesn't work very well in this version of the software. The end result is that if a thread is posted in the wrong forum we will move it to where it belongs. Once moved that thread may not be easily found. Hopefully this will not result in "Who Deleted My Post?" complaints.
I'll leave this thread here for a time and then work it into the forum rules.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Bill

The 650 is up near the top of my list. If the 550's didn't exist, I'd probably have a collection of 650's.

The Kz650's broke a lot of 750cc endurance records when they came out. Those records held during a time that motorcycle performance was advancing radically. It's pretty impressive that a 1977 bike held the records until the mid 1980's.

Here's a post with a link to the video.
www.kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/590222-kz650-daytona-1977-video

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I thought the topic was best bikes of the 70's. Not survivors of the 70's.

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The thread title clearly says "best Kawa bikes." this would seem to rule out the Norton/Ducati/MVAugusta, et cetera choices, but the conversation has clearly wandered from this. Even the OP has strayed.

TexasKZ wrote: The thread title clearly says "best Kawa bikes." this would seem to rule out the Norton/Ducati/MVAugusta, et cetera choices, but the conversation has clearly wandered from this. Even the OP has strayed.

Yep. I meant, of KAWASAKIS, where do ppl rate the KZ650. Not other bikes,

I think we know where 650ed stands on this LOL
A 650 is def on my list of must have bikes. Just looking for the right one...

Just picked up this beauty for 40 bucks
A low number 77 650 C
I don't know if it was the silver or the blue.
I had the blue one in 77 but had to sell it to pay for the lawyers
Great bikes!