Old Motorbike

[Val (Zebedee)]

Many moons ago, I bought an old Kawasaki Z650. It has been parked up in the shed since. I have bought various replacement parts over the years to "spruce it up" but never got round to actually doing anything with it.

 

Grumpy, as an early birthday / Christmas present, unbeknownst to me, has taken it to someone who can do it up, tell me what seals, pistons etc I need and will put it back on the road for me! I have never ridden the bike as I bought it before I had taken my bike test & it has been stood ever since.

 

Grumpy took me round to the bloke's house & showed me it in the garage, I thought "I have a green Kwak with that number plate too!" then I realised it was mine! No fuel tank on etc, down to the bare bones, but he put some petrol in & turned it over, it fired in to life, so soon I will have 2 Kwaks to choose from!  

 

This is what it should turn out like (these are 2 slightly different Z's I found as I don't have any pics of my own one)

 

 

 

[Dunc]

Not a bike person I think they just take up road space and are a nuisance but that looks cool

[goingsolo]

How sweet hope you get a lot of fun on her (love the emoticon, our wing is red)

[Val (Zebedee)]

Take up road space, Dunc?? Better than flaming cyclists!

[Andy]

Well if it doesn't run properly.

Get a bikejoring kit and put the pooches to work

[Dunc]

Take up road space, Dunc?? Better than flaming cyclists!

Its a close call but at least a cyclist is not going to shoot passed me on the a55 at 70+ mph in between slow moving traffic I seen one the other week hit a wing mirror he was lucky and kept hold of it or the lunatics on moorland roads accelerating 0-100mph in 4sec because they can and the others moan about how many die doing just this every year

Soz Val like car drivers we are not all the same but where it seems we have a minority of mad car drivers with motorbikes its the majority  

[Val (Zebedee)]

You're right Dunc, we are not all the same & I know many, many bikers; only a small minority are the numpties the rest of us get a bad name with. That is what saddens me about the image bikers have. That stemmed from the 60's - 70's era & remains in the minds of the few riders in today's changed society. I ride my bike like I am driving a car, I use a car's space on the road, I wait in line and the only time I ever filter is when traffic is at a standstill or moving < 15MPH as the rules state. I rarely ride up the line of traffic to get to the front of the queue at lights - I enjoy riding my bike & by doing that I am riding for a few minutes less each journey!

 

But even I yell at bikers who disrespect other road users, cut people up, see every road as a race track & tar the rest of us with the same brush. Plus I see it from both sides, cars purposely pulling over so I cannot filter in standing traffic, having to second guess what the driver in front, beside, behind me is going to do - has the driver even seen me - as I don't have the metal cage to protect me in what would be a slight bump for the car but life or death for me. So I totally understand frustatrations on both sides of the fence.

 

And don't even get me started on the illegal green laners!  

[Dunc]

Thats why I said we are not all the same

 

As for drivers pulling cars purposely pulling over so you can't pass I fully understand and now do it myself all the time to stop them if I see them coming as a few years back a clown scraped down the side of my car though getting to close and did he stop did he f*** cost me 200 quid to have the scratches sorted on both doors and front wing, at the time I was in standstill traffic    

[Osinn11]

Wooohooo a new "old" bike!! Very cool! Can't wait to see how it turns out!  

[Elyse]

Whoo - can't wait to see how it turns out!

My Dad has a whole bunch of old Yamaha bikes he's fixing up. My brother goes to the track every summer to do laps. Both of them are bike fanatics, but they always drive defensively and they are MUCH more cautious riding a bike than when they are driving a car. As, like you said, you're not protected by a metal box.

[Keeonah]

I have thought, a number of times, about taking a motorbike test but when I see the way some car drivers treat motor cyclists I think, why. I see it from both sides of the fence. Idiots on bikes that think they own the road and are invincible and idiot car drivers that feel that they don't have to give their bit of road up to a bike. I always move to the left to give bikes a bit of space but there are others that will do their utmost to prevent the bike passing. WHY!!!!!!! Are they jealous that the biker is making more headway than they are. Grow up. That is one nice looking bike Val. Look after it and have some fun. SAFELY.

 

Gary.

[Val (Zebedee)]

Thanks everyone - bit of an update, it is still in pieces but slowly getting cleaned, scrubbed, brushed, painted & polished; new seals, plugs, filters etc bought so not far off having the jigsaw put back together to make a bike again ... can't wait to ride it now For the bike geeks among you, Grumpy did a bit of detective work & found out, from the frame number, that my bike model (Z650C) was only sold in the UK in a silver grey colour, so someone in the bike's past has spent a lot of money changing it to Z650B colours (typical Kawasaki)

 

Agree with your statement Gary about cars purposely pulling out in to your way when filtering. I understand the frustration at the arrogance of inconsiderate bikers zooming passed at 50+ mph when there is no need, but preventing a bike from passing in slow moving or stationary traffic is just plain dangerous. Car drivers are sat safe in their little metal bubble, innocent bikers are very vulnerable yet only doing what they are allowed to do - seen too many be knocked off at slow speed & killed or severly injured for life because a car didn't want it to pass. Really does hack me off that I am tarred with the same brush as crazy riders I am too old to be a crazy rider now