Your thoughts on the '78 Kawasaki KL250?

A few things I know about bikes:

1st, new parts are not easy to get for old Jap bikes. Actually, used parts aren't even easy to get.

And what's considered an "old bike" by the big 4 really isn't that old.

2nd, old bikes are for old times, not old timers.

Having almost rear-ended a car on the NYS Thruway on a 30 year-old bike, I can assure you that these bikes were made for a time period when the average car took about a mile to come to a complete stop, and there was about a mile between each car.

Competing with today's ABS-equipped, gas-and-stomp text-messagers is no easy task on a modern bike, let alone one with drum brakes, regardless of how many years you've been riding.

I had 2 bikes that were basically new from the mid 70's. I picked them up with less than 500 miles on their clocks. The Honda took forever to get running, but it was really not fast enough to drive on the street. The Suzuki was fast, but the twin-cylinder two-stroke took a long time to get to running condition, and it wasn't really confidence-inspiring once it ran. I wound up giving both of them away.

I had a Yamaha XS pot-metal ignition assembly casing completely crumble as I turned the key, leaving me about 5 minutes to learn how to hot-wire a motorcycle.

Believe-you-me, I love old crap and I have tons of it. But I can't enjoy riding when I have to fix something every week, and I can feel my frame flexing when driving around multiple corners.

There's tons of new bikes that have small motors if you want something to have "fun" with. Save the retro stuff for the bike shows, the yard, or the living room.

What?!? Do you need a spare to strap on the back of your cruiser!? ;D

If you like green, go green! And you'll probably spend some in the process.

They are cute, do you really have a NEED?