kawasaki KZ550-F1 Spectre reviews

I've never been a crotch rocket, cafe racer, sport bike kind of dude. To me the Spectre was ugly. Worse, mine was purple. Never got used to hugging the tank (necessary for survival), it just wasn't my style. But what it lacked in aesthetics it more than made up for in performance. I had never, nor will ever again, reach speeds even close to those I achieved on this machine. I'm talking scary fast. You know the feeling. When the adrenaline has your heart pumping and body trembling long after you've dismounted. I can close my eyes and feel it still today, 40 years later. I'm strictly a cruiser dude now, I'll leave the death defying to those still young enough to consider crazy cool. Like I did. Show less

So about April this year I bought a 1984 KZ550-F2 LTD. The owner said that the engine would die if you put it into gear and showed me such. The bike sat outside behind a house for 2 years and had mice living in it, but it at the very least ran, and I was happy to buy it for $900. Then I cleaned it, tuned it, and fixed all the electrical issues. Looks great now. But I digress: 5/5 for reliability. This thing is easy to work on as long as it isn't the air-box. Almost maintenance free. 4/5 for quality. This thing has many features such as two helmet locks, a center stand, air adjustable forks, dual adjustable shocks, hazard lights, most standard features for an old bike. Just nothing that stands out. 4/5 for performance. Can do it all. It has power, it has steering, brakes are rather weak despite being a disk in front and a drum in back. Top speed is around 110 mph, but has a 1/4 mile time of around 13-14 seconds. It is loads of fun on twisting roads. 3/5 for comfort. The biggest the issue I have with this bike is the seat. I hate the seat. I hate having no aftermarket options to change this (I don't want cafe racer seats). It will probably hurt your back after an hour, especially if you are taller. I do recommend this as a second bike, as it can do any type of commute or trip. Very tame power without being boring, very solid steering, 45 mpg, a good $900 spent. Would I get it again? Probably. I'd prefer a GPZ 550 to this, but I can't deny that it's a fun bike. Show less

I'm in agreement with Carl. I bought my bike 3 years ago and I didn't have any problem since that time. That bike don't look as old as [it] is. Show less

Never a problem, and as much power as expected for a 550. This is one trouble free bike I've had for many years. Show less