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Anyone know a good motorcycle restoration service/business?
I have a '77 Kawasaki KZ650, and I'd like to see about getting it totally restored.
Tried google, but the results are really vague. The local Kawasaki dealership has proven unreliable in their repairs in the past, and I want a total restoration, not quick fixes.
That's too bad, but if you can't find another place, you really couldn't go wrong with Paul..... even if it's a 7 hour trip. The guy really ENJOYS his work and the quality shows as a result.
Where the restorer lives is moot. You don't find guys that do this everyday, and also have them be any good. This is a costly service too boot, so you would want a guy you know you can deal with trust and just send a constant stream of checks too.
There will be all sorts of delays. Finding new old stock parts isn't easy, and you could with ease wait a year to find certain parts. Some parts you might never find and so something else would have to be subbed that still works.
Rubber parts as new old stock are really hard to get, some engine seals are impossible to get.
With bikes after about 5 years parts are no longer made after the last bike is. Car parts are made more like 10 maybe 11 years after a model stops, but that rule is changing right now.
The right guy in Timbucked 2 is more in line with what you want. Shipping crates take up the rest.
Guys that do this do many other jobs like it at the same time. No guys that do this can live off one restro. You don't get to ask when in terms of time. You just get to say what it is you expect when the bike is done and choose colors.
Restro guys also use other guys that specialize in seats as one example. They may farm out to painters. It is a rare guy that does it all.
Paul will fabricate whatever he can't buy in old stock parts. He'll re-upholster a seat with a new seat cover himself.
The only things I know of that he sends outside are parts that need re-chroming. He'll usually wait until he's got enough parts for re-chroming that he gets a discounted price. Re-chroming one little part alone is just way too expensive. Again....I can personally attest to the quality of the chrome too.
Basically if you send him a bike, you won't even believe it's the same one when you see it again. Obviously, he'll work with you on the price and the amount of restoration you desire...in detail. He'll also keep fastidious records and photos of EVERYTHING he does. He also stands behind all his work.
He's as honest as the day is long...seriously!
I once sent him a cashiers check for a bike. But when it turned out that I wouldn't be able to get the bike legally registered in my State without a title (Texas will accept a Bill of Sale alone - my State won't) and obtaining one would be too much hassle, he sent my check back un-cashed.
Unless this bike has a lot of sentimental value i'd just spend the money to buy a newer bike as a '77 Kawasaki KZ650 is not ever going to be a sought after classic and the money you put into restoring it will be far above what the bike will be worth..
Unless this bike has a lot of sentimental value i'd just spend the money to buy a newer bike as a '77 Kawasaki KZ650 is not ever going to be a sought after classic and the money you put into restoring it will be far above what the bike will be worth..
Almost true. Recent trends have made this bike and other Japanese bikes somewhat collectable, but not of a higher value. Before paint I was offered $2,200.00 fror this one. The paint may have taken value away, but it needed paint and so I did it myself.
I found this in a scrap heap of metal in a auto salvage yard. I have all of that amount of money in to it, and maybe more. So for now I keep it.
Best in OEM paint, looks better than it is.
New paint
The engine and tranny were in good basic shape so not a lot was done, and I added 24,000 to what was on it. This bike is still in great shape.
The partial restoration mainly involved replacing all rubber parts, which cost a considerable sum, Carb work, detail cleaning, other paint touch up, and preservation of assorted parts. Other than the engine and tranny most of this bike was all apart in the kitchen sink literally. 4 months of that treatment then in use 4 years of finding better parts.
But there are collectors who would want this bike, and there would be collectors who would want the bike in the subject. They just won't pay a lot to get it.
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