Spares on Hand

[Stereordinary]

Everyday I check eBay for “Kawasaki Zephyr 550” just to see what pops up. Most of the new listings are just aftermarket junk, with a smattering of parts pulled off of presumably wrecked bikes. I’m mostly looking for replacement plastics, partly just in case I break mine, and partly because I fancy the idea of having a second set with tank painted to a different color so that I can swap between the two sets and change up the look of the bike. You know, just for fun.

But all of that is beside the point. While looking at the listings today I thought to myself, what are the spare parts that would be good to have on hand? Like, are there parts on these bikes that are prone to failure and having a backup is a wise investment? On my last bike I remember guys saying that the reg/rec unit could overheat (or something like that), so having a backup was never a bad idea. So is there anything like that that I should be aware of on my beloved Zeph? I’d hate to not be able to ride because I’m out of luck on some hard to find part, and unless it’s a guaranteed million dollar upgrade, I always stick with OEM. So what spare parts do you guys recommend, if any, that I should have in my garage?

[hugojose]

In general Japanese bikes are well built (because of highest factory automation), and durable, if not trashed. All parts they use seem to have also very good quality. You may say Ebay is mostly junk, but many parts are becoming unavailable new..and when you need them, Ebay may become a "life saver". The ZR-7 is another source of some new parts, but not all fit..

After 20 years owning this Zeph, I have accumulated many parts, but most important; I keep an ignition box, fuse box, and regulator/rectifier as spares (even though am running a series type Shindengen 775). Not long ago I had a collision with a car and both triple clamps were bent out of shape. Neither was available new. I happened to have the top one, but bottom one had to come from Ebay and saved the day.

....by looking into on-line microfiches, you can see what is not longer available, and think about stocking parts that could not be obtained, or very difficult to adapt from newer bikes.