Nice work keeping something from 1979 Glenn. We nearly have something in common. I met mine in 79 but did not call her a girlfriend till early January 1980. I still have her as well. Three amazing kids and we only have one left at home. I nearly have her back. :heart_eyes:
With my dads kz650 he was the first owner. When him and my mom got out of the Air Force and had my sister he sold the bike off to his brother, which sold it to one of his friends. My mom bought it back for my dad for their 5th wedding anniversary and he had kept it for a while that time. Ended up totaling it when I was 7 or so, and me and him rebuilt it together. when I was in my late teens he sold it off again to one of his buddies when he was building his house and garage, but then bought it back a few years later and it has been sitting pretty much since.
He had his and my moms bike both custom painted along with their helmets, cant remember the exact color, but think it was something along the lines of a custom metal flake root beer.
I want to say his kz650 had a letter or letters after or under the “kz650” on the side panel, but I cant remember exactly. If anyone is interested, I can get some pics of that bike, as I guess it is technically mine since he keeps giving it to me but cant really take it yet lol
I have a confession Steve. I met my girfriend when I was 13. She was 23. We kept our relationship a secret until I was 20. Only a few people know I was sexually involved with her at such a young age. To this day we’re still best of friends. BTW, she looks amazing for 75, and I still look like a dork at 65. lol!
Here’s a picture of us from the late 90’s. I do look like a dork.
klrman, you green bike brought me back years ago when the Kawa KDX came out. After it came out, I started to buy cycle magazines, unfortunately my father wouldn’t allow any of us to own a bike.
KDX was a winner of a bike, I liked them a lot. Got my KLR because the range is so huge on one tank and in BC, where I live, there is almost 400,000 miles of dirt roads, mostly through mountainous terrain to discover. Plus the KLR being street legal is the best of both worlds around here.
It's not really a version of the KDX, it's it's own machine sold since 1987 and upgraded a few times. It's a 650cc four stroke dual sport, and with a few minor mods such as advancing the exhaust cam one tooth and some gearing changes, is a great all around bike.
It boosts compression and makes the motor much more snappier. I geared the bike higher for the highways but still needed the grunt down low for all the dirt trails and that did the trick.