In 1979, Kawasaki brought two shaft-driven models to the US – the six-cylinder KZ1300 and this somewhat rare variant of the KZ1000, the ST. Similar in many ways to the big bad MkII, the ST had completely different bodywork (such as a larger fuel tank) and even a wildly different wiring system. Only built between 1979-1980, the ST can be hard to find nowadays and parts are similarly difficult to source – so you’ll want to start with a nice example like this one.
For more on the ST, check out this August 1979 review on Cycle hosted by Ye Olde Cycle Shoppe – they say that it’s got a great motor, lots of carrying capacity, and great straight line performance, but they felt like the suspension was too soft for “sport touring”.
This St has just 9,100 miles on it and the seller claims it is in near perfect condition with a Kerker 4-1 exhaust. The only flaws seem to be cosmetic issues with the left sidecover.
Find this Kawasaki KZ1000ST for sale in Cornelia, Georgia for $3,995 or best offer here on ADVRider (registration required).