new toy or not

ok i found a crusty old 1981 kawasaki csr 650. on a scale of 1 to 10 it is about a -5. but the bike will turn over.My lil bro is thincking about getting it.do aney one of you know about this bike style:ffedback:

i don't know much about it but i will put in my :2cents: because, well... my :2cents: is a valuable asset to have in your :2cents: arsenal. it sounds like it would be alot of fun to own. some fixin up and as long as it has two wheels, a motor and goes vroom vroom, it has to be great.

That is going to be a question for the older guys... like NW.

I pulled up a picture of a 1982 model. I don't remember much of the CSR series, but it looks like Kawasaki's budget-level cruiser model. Like Suzuki's L-model, it has the stepped seat, high-rise handlebars, wire wheels, and drum rear brake. It wasn't much back in 81, and won't be much now. Why not get a superbike from the 1980's? They wouldn't be as fast as today's 600's, but they may have been owned by an enthusiast who cared for the bike and updated it. I have a 79 GS1000 in the garage with a zillion mods. It rides like a Cadillac, and will surprise many bikes in the corners. An 84 Ninja 600 or 900 is only three years younger than the 81 but would be light years ahead. I actually ran both on a track in 84 when they were introduced.

If you can buy the bike cheap enough, it would be a good bike to tear down and rebuild, for the experience...those bikes have very little in the way of electronics, so you would learn the "basics" of motorcycles...Before you start this type of project, make sure you can find parts, like a couple of donor bikes in salvage yards...

If you can buy the bike cheap enough, it would be a good bike to tear down and rebuild, for the experience...those bikes have very little in the way of electronics, so you would learn the "basics" of motorcycles...Before you start this type of project, make sure you can find parts, like a couple of donor bikes in salvage yards... +1 on the donor bikes. I learned the hard way on my first bike, an 87 ZX1000A2 with a thrown rod. if its complete at least, it might be ok to play around with and learn to ride on.