New to the Forum

[bajus22]

Hey guys, thought I'd say hello. I'm new to off-roading. I've been riding street bikes for the last eight years. Then my buddy came up with this '777' idea. Basically we had to buy a 1970's bike, with less than 700cc, and get it road worthy for less than $700. So I ended up with a 1978 Kawasaki KE175 (bought it for $480, so I have $220 left in my budget). The thing is great, I love it already. It runs OK, but parts are hard to come by, hopefully some of you guys can steer me in the right direction. I've already done the brakes, and most of the electrical myself, so all I need to pass a safety is a chain and sprockets. I'll rebuild the carbs when I start riding it more. Any advice on a KE175 would be much appreciated.

 

[Gravity Worx]

Well lets see now,
The KEs were street legal, so aside from the usual bulbs and broken turn signals etc, you should be good there.
You are air cooled, so no plumbing or anything to worry about there.
Because it's air cooled, you will probably notice some power fade when the motor is really hot or really worked.
Twin shock rear equals out to no linkage to worry about.
That actually sounds like a fun project.
How's it run?

 

[bajus22]

It starts on the second kick. It's great off the line, but I haven't been able to do any higher speeds, so I'm not sure. The brakes failed on my third trip around the block, so until I get my new brake cables, I won't be taking it out again. But all in all it seems like a good runner.

 

[Tony Eeds]

I would suggest popping into the vintage forum for some leads on parts.

That sounds link and interesting project and you will make lots of great memories, for sure.

Wecome to DRN and good luck with your project. :)