The only major thing for me is the riding position is a bit too straight up; I would like to get some lower bars. Minor bits are a sometimes squeaky front brake and a tiny buzz in the headlight. Some W650s suffer from cracked rear fenders, due to the weight of the tail/brake light assembly, so look for that when shopping.

FYI, www.cycletrader.com is a good place to start looking.

this one floats my boat... http://jeff.dean.home.att.net/r32.htm

I'm partial to older BMWs. A buddy of mine is looking for a 50s or 60s Rxx and sidecar. Or WWII vintage. So what is the story on the Kawasaki? It looks like a total throwback bike...

Here is one of my current bikes. It's a '76 Sportster that I bought in '78 when I was only 18. It's the one I kept through a succession of other bikes. It currently has heads worked over at Branch Flowmetrics (years ago when they still did Ironheads), Wiseco 10:1 forged pistons, Andrews R5 cams, an S&S Super E carb, all dumping out through 1 3/4" straight drag pipes. I'm running Barnet clutch plates and an Andrews first and second gear. I did all the assembly; the machine work was done by Dave Demartini (rest in peace, buddy) at Northwest Custom Cycle. This is my little hooligan obnoxious anti-social troublemaking machine. I normally ride a much more sedate '00 Road King; it's far more comfortable and reliable.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1103209879.jpg

That's exactly what it is. The only difference is that it will be reliable, you get to have disc brakes, and it won't leave you stranded.

Browsing through some Japanese websites, there are so many parts for them out there, that you can make it look/run like anything you want, from a full fairing "vintage" racer all the way down to a cafe bike. Sourcing may be a bit tricky but it would be fun to work with.

Every bike I bought in the past ten years I always took my wife's comfort on the back into account before closing the deal.

On average she rides with me once a year.

The bike I'm building won't even have a passenger pad! :D

http://www.ianchadwick.com/motorcycles/w650/
(go to "gallery" and take a look at the yellow one at the bottom of page)