1971 Kawasaki A7 Avenger

[husaberg]

First things you should be buying are an alarm and a big fuck-off lock for your garage.

I'm with F5 Dave on this - hate you.

Very generously? That's an understatement. We hate you.

same............Not often i agree with Dave........

[ellipsis]

Lol while we all have fond memories of these lovely 2 strokes the reality was time was a different speed and we expected to have to keep buying new models year after year. There things just wore out quickly and went off song. 5000 mile rebores were common. Whether modern oils and parts have helped I'm not sure. No one rode them for any length of time before buying another bike. Nowadays we can keep our 4 strokes forever and don't need rose tinted glasses for it.

...obviously you have great antibodies to repel the illness...pragmatism has fuck all to do with it...keep on dieseling, trouble free, forevermore...

[robinm]

Ah the A7. First bike I did the magical "ton" on. On Porangahau beach, wearing a pair of shorts, no shoes, no shirt, was wearing a helmet though so I was all safe. This would have been about 1976 or 1977.

[Mike.Gayner]

I haven't taken any good pictures yet, but I got this quick video of starting her up after quickly cleaning up the carbs and replacing the spark plugs.

I have truly stumbled upon a sweetheart - it runs really quite beautifully. I might even go back on my plans of restoring her for now and just get it VIN'd and ride for the summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sqp-JD7Hhc

[Ocean1]

Looks cool mate, not too much to do there eh?

The brake lever. New one, don't try to straighten it.

[Mike.Gayner]

Blogging my adventure here: http://a7avenger.wordpress.com/

[Crasherfromwayback]

. I might even go back on my plans of restoring her for now and just get it VIN'd and ride for the summer.

l]

Only my opinion of course...but I reckon unrestored original bikes are far cooler! It's tidy enough as it is!

[Mike.Gayner]

Only my opinion of course...but I reckon unrestored original bikes are far cooler! It's tidy enough as it is!

My (car) mechanic, who is also a 2-stroke lover, reckons I should do as little as possible to it. In his opinion it holds its value better un-restored. I don't really give a crap about the value, but there is something undeniably cool about "original" (ie slightly tatty) classic japs.

[Crasherfromwayback]

My (car) mechanic, who is also a 2-stroke lover, reckons I should do as little as possible to it. In his opinion it holds its value better un-restored. I don't really give a crap about the value, but there is something undeniably cool about "original" (ie slightly tatty) classic japs.

I'd always pay more for an unrestored tidy example mate. I've got a factory works bike I'll never restore for that very reason!

[iranana]

My (car) mechanic, who is also a 2-stroke lover, reckons I should do as little as possible to it. In his opinion it holds its value better un-restored. I don't really give a crap about the value, but there is something undeniably cool about "original" (ie slightly tatty) classic japs.

I totally agree, there's something a bit weird about them when they're perfectly shiny and all the paint is flawless. Get it running like a top, and then just keep the cosmetic things under control so it doesn't turn into a rust bucket. My RD is pretty shabby, but it runs great and is a solid bike, and that's what counts :thumbsup:

[Crasherfromwayback]

I totally agree, there's something a bit weird about them when they're perfectly shiny and all the paint is flawless. Get it running like a top, and then just keep the cosmetic things under control so it doesn't turn into a rust bucket. My RD is pretty shabby, but it runs great and is a solid bike, and that's what counts :thumbsup:

Fuck yeah! Pictures please!?

[eelracing]

I haven't taken any good pictures yet, but I got this quick video of starting her up after quickly cleaning up the carbs and replacing the spark plugs.

I have truly stumbled upon a sweetheart - it runs really quite beautifully. I might even go back on my plans of restoring her for now and just get it VIN'd and ride for the summer.[/url]

Mate i'm probably wrong but I swear I could hear a squeak-squeak sound (I put headphones on)at the 9 second mark of your video.
And is that a weep mark on the left pots fins at the head gasket??? I can't see for sure you moved the camera around to fast.
Poss. leaky gasket,if so i'd be replacing before any rides.

[Mike.Gayner]

Mate i'm probably wrong but I swear I could hear a squeak-squeak sound (I put headphones on)at the 9 second mark of your video.
And is that a weep mark on the left pots fins at the head gasket??? I can't see for sure you moved the camera around to fast.
Poss. leaky gasket,if so i'd be replacing before any rides.

Wow good eye - but it doesn't appear to be a leaky gasket - there are deposits well above the gasket and around the left side of the exhaust - it looks like the exhaust has a (very) slightly imperfect seal and a small amount of crap gets blown onto the engine, which would account for any squeaking (I haven't been able to detect any noise myself though).

[ktm84mxc]

I believe it's called a Patina what you get from use and age , something you can't fake.
I prefer an old bike to be an old bike with a history of it's own making with all the dings and scrapes and to be used as intended , otherwise it's just a statue/art work.

[iranana]

Fuck yeah! Pictures please!?

Don't mean to thread hijack, but here ya go. Doesn't have the original mirrors, and I'm in the process of fixing up the seat as the base was rusted as fuck and the seat cover tore. Looks better in the photos, especially the chrome. A previous owner repainted the tank off white and stuck the decals on crooked, but one day I'll correct that.