CafeRacer650
Dream it. Build it. Live it.
Alright all, after 130+ posts without a build thread, I'm overdue. So here it is...
The bike: 1978 KZ650C (code named "Jellybean" - thanks to my wife)
Taken shortly after I restored it in '07.
History: 1999-present
I was a Senior in high school and my best friend of many years went out and bought a beautiful 1977 KZ750 twin. I fell in love instantly and had to have one of my own. Later that summer I drove to Ohio and picked up another beautiful KZ, Jellybean. It had been owned by a younger guy who had installed a 4 - 1 exhaust and tore the baffle out. My parents hated me and so did my ears.
After riding it for a few months, I dropped it after misjudging a sharp turn and cracked the fairing, bent the bars, among other thing. All that meant was, NEW PARTS! Yay! After riding it for several years, wooing my girlfriend (now wife), I decided to do the right thing (according to her father) and sell my baby to by an engagement ring. But I convinced everyone that the best course of action would be to restore it, and THEN sell it for better profit.
I began the restoration... we got engaged... not finish... we got married... still not finished... FINALLY I finished it but by that time we had already payed off the ring (bummer- hehe). SO I had to keep it. It ran well for a while until one trip where it spent a little too much duration while hitting the ton. A float stuck open, and ever since, never ran right.
I poured over the bike when I could trying to diagnose the problem. I even resorted to taking the bike to a dealer, who in turn, made it smoke, didn't fix it in the slightest, and charged me a grand. Not a wise move.
So, long story short (too late) and after many life changing events, I am finally in a place where I can REALLY fix my KZ. Since it has been in storage, I've happened upon cafe racers and knew Jellybean had a whole new future, and it begins now.
Past Images:
This is what she looked like when I bought her in 1999.
A looker if you ask me!
The Restoration:
My parents loved their garage looking like this for two years.
New rings
Almost done...
Done!
THE CAFE BUILD:
Started to tear it down, and threw on a cardboard mock-up of the seat size I'm thinking about...
Sketching out some ideas...
Tear down continues... oh great, oil in the combustion chamber. Peachy.
Carbs off. Starting to see more issues.
I've only torn down two carbs and one cylinder is seized. Awesome. The gas that had sat in the carbs has turned to a sticky sludge.
If I'm going to get this thing going, it means... NEW PARTS YAY!
This is how she sits right now, waiting for me to not be so dang busy!
I apologize for the phone camera shots. I swam with my Nikon earlier in the year. I hope to correct that in short order. I will also get into more detail as I go, so it will be more useful for everyone. Thanks for looking!
The bike: 1978 KZ650C (code named "Jellybean" - thanks to my wife)
Taken shortly after I restored it in '07.
History: 1999-present
I was a Senior in high school and my best friend of many years went out and bought a beautiful 1977 KZ750 twin. I fell in love instantly and had to have one of my own. Later that summer I drove to Ohio and picked up another beautiful KZ, Jellybean. It had been owned by a younger guy who had installed a 4 - 1 exhaust and tore the baffle out. My parents hated me and so did my ears.
After riding it for a few months, I dropped it after misjudging a sharp turn and cracked the fairing, bent the bars, among other thing. All that meant was, NEW PARTS! Yay! After riding it for several years, wooing my girlfriend (now wife), I decided to do the right thing (according to her father) and sell my baby to by an engagement ring. But I convinced everyone that the best course of action would be to restore it, and THEN sell it for better profit.
I began the restoration... we got engaged... not finish... we got married... still not finished... FINALLY I finished it but by that time we had already payed off the ring (bummer- hehe). SO I had to keep it. It ran well for a while until one trip where it spent a little too much duration while hitting the ton. A float stuck open, and ever since, never ran right.
I poured over the bike when I could trying to diagnose the problem. I even resorted to taking the bike to a dealer, who in turn, made it smoke, didn't fix it in the slightest, and charged me a grand. Not a wise move.
So, long story short (too late) and after many life changing events, I am finally in a place where I can REALLY fix my KZ. Since it has been in storage, I've happened upon cafe racers and knew Jellybean had a whole new future, and it begins now.
Past Images:
This is what she looked like when I bought her in 1999.
A looker if you ask me!
The Restoration:
My parents loved their garage looking like this for two years.
New rings
Almost done...
Done!
THE CAFE BUILD:
Started to tear it down, and threw on a cardboard mock-up of the seat size I'm thinking about...
Sketching out some ideas...
Tear down continues... oh great, oil in the combustion chamber. Peachy.
Carbs off. Starting to see more issues.
I've only torn down two carbs and one cylinder is seized. Awesome. The gas that had sat in the carbs has turned to a sticky sludge.
If I'm going to get this thing going, it means... NEW PARTS YAY!
This is how she sits right now, waiting for me to not be so dang busy!
I apologize for the phone camera shots. I swam with my Nikon earlier in the year. I hope to correct that in short order. I will also get into more detail as I go, so it will be more useful for everyone. Thanks for looking!