pardon me gentleman and ladies, is there any reason this cant be a good first bike?

Never trust the diagnosis of the seller.

Not knowing any of the story on that bike but judging solely by the photo...it's going to need a full set of carb rebuild kits, new plugs, fluid changeout, a seat, a battery (just guessing), fuel lines and filter(s), and a thorough cleaning of the tank. The chain and tires are likely candidates for imediate replacement as well.

If you can hear it run enough to know that the engine is solid, and the price is cheap, and it's something you want...go for it!

Clem

Parts are easy enough to find. The jet may just be plugged from sitting.

http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/kawasaki-motorcycle-kz440-standard-kz440b2-us-1981/o/m3957

Main jets are cheap, but you don't replace them, you clean them. And since it is easier to clean them then to get to them, no one will take the carbs apart, see a clogged jet and then not clean it before reassembling.

As clem said, you will probably have to go thru the carbs, tank and petcock.

4cylndrfury wrote: How bout a hybrid of the piece meal vs buy it running debate? so found this little KZ400 for stoopid cheap, needs a main jet in the carb. How hard/expensive to fix? Im relatively illiterate and unskilled with carb work, but a fairly good wrench who likes a challenge...so this will be a learning experience that I will enjoy. Please give me your feedback.

If that is sub $500, 'd think about it. You could get in running in a weekend, with a tank boil, new lines and carb re-build. Fun bike, and if you actually get it running, you could sell it easy when its time for an upgrade.

What he said.

You're already finding out that decent looking, running starter bikes are hard to find.

914Driver wrote: What he said. You're already finding out that decent looking, running starter bikes are hard to find.

And no matter the size they usually cost about a grand.

KZ400.com has a good forum for the Kawi twins from back then. Depending on the year, the tank may have an automatic vaccuum-shutoff petcock that is ridiculously expensive to replace (and they all need replaced eventually). Other than that, they are great , but utilitarian, little bikes. They are absolutely not fast, they don't handle all that well, but they're reliable and forgiving.

I would recommend starting with a bike that's good to go. My mistake was buying a basket of parts for $100; it looks like a lot more now three years later, but I still haven't heard it run yet. These will nickel and dime you to death.

The best part, though, is you never want to sell it since you're just flushing money down the toilet!