1977 KZ650 - First bike, long haul

[PayThePiper]

Ahoy.

My name is Aidan, and this is my first Motorcycle ever. He's a 1977 KZ650 B, if I am not mistaken, that I picked up for 75$ off of a man who had it sitting in his back yard for a couple years. Engine kicks over and gets compression, rust is all surface and no structural, and suspension appears to be in complete working order. Suffice it to say, I was surprised at all of this.

Any tips/tricks, or ideas on where to start?

 

[Rocan]

Nice find!

First thing to start off with is to get it running before you tear it down.

Change the oil, Clean out the rust from the tank, rebuild the carbs, charge the battery, adjust the points valves etc, put in some gas, crank it over and pray to god it runs.

If it does, rebuild/ change parts that need repair, then customize to your liking.

If it doesnt run, see whats wrong. Does it crank over? are you getting spark? fuel? These old bikes will run even with a huge amount of abuse...

If you cant get it to start, then try a top end rebuild. Are the camshafts, rocker arms cam chain etc etc in good condition? Hows the piston? The rings? Is the cylinder wall glazed over? etc etc.


But just to reiterate, get her running, then start fixing her up.

Oh... and if you pay attention to anything, let it be that he brakes are in good working order


WD-40 is your friend, As is oil and grease.


Good luck!!!

 

[PayThePiper]

Sounds like sound advice.

...Does anyone have any tips on getting the carbs out? it appears that the airbox can't be removed without the carbs being removed, but the carbs can't be removed without the airbox being moved. A paradox, of sorts. Any advice on the topic would be appreciated

 

[maroon667]

Sounds like sound advice.

...Does anyone have any tips on getting the carbs out? it appears that the airbox can't be removed without the carbs being removed, but the carbs can't be removed without the airbox being moved. A paradox, of sorts. Any advice on the topic would be appreciated

Hi there,

the airbox is held by two 10 mm nuts at its sides which are accessible if you remove the side covers and one piece of the electric stuff behind. After rolling the springs around the intakes (between airbox and carbs) toward the carbs, it should be possible to pull the airbox back a little. Loosen the clamps that hold the carbs to the cylinder head. Remove the carb cables. Then you can heat the rubber intakes to make them soft, then take out the carbs (in one piece!). Make sure you work fast once they´re soft as they harden again pretty quickly and the whole process contributes to the ageing of the rubber.

Good luck!

Karsten

 

[PayThePiper]

Got the carbs out, which is good. Now, the hard part

How in the hell do you get that magnificent lump of an engine out of the frame?

 

[boingk]

You might not have to remove the engine, depending on its condition and what you're planning to do. A frame respray will need it out, and replacing most internal components will see it come out as well. I'd see if she starts first, I reckon. I'm assuming you don't have a lot of experience here, if you told us whether you do or not that might clear things up. The following is a basic guide to bringing an old bike back to life.

Fit new plugs, drain old oil and put new oil in. Remember to flush all discoloured oil out by running some new through with the drain plug still off. After that, get a new battery for it, clean the tank and put a bit of fuel in. Might help to replace your fuel line.

With your carbies off, take the float bowl (bottom part) and needle/slide assemblies (top part) off one carb at a time. This stops you losing things or putting the wrong things back in other carbs. You may find it helpful to take pictures or notes as you disassemble. Get some fine pipe cleaners and run them through the jets (once out of carb body) until they are fairly clean. If they are totally blocked use a needle to pick away the residue until the jet is fairly clear, then pipeclean. Ensure the slide is polished and the needle is clean before reinstalling. Giving everything a hit of WD40 before reinstalling will help things go back and prevent seizing.

After all that replace the carbies, reconnect the tank and get ready to fire her up. If she does fire up after a reasonable number of attempts then you're all good to check for signs of wear such as heavy smoking, rattling, knocking or other poster children of a shagged engine. If its smooth and responsive then looks like you've picked a winner!

Cheers, and good find - boingk

 

[Rocan]

leave the engine in for now...

WHEN you do take it out, put the bike on its side after removing pipes, electronics, shifters, tank, seat etc etc...


but for now leave it in.

Buy yourself a carb rebuild kit (off ebay or the web... pretty cheap) As well as a clymer manual. Rebuild the carbs- take your time and do it on a nice big clean table. Get yourself new sparkplugs, a new battery, adjust the points and valves all to the clymer manual specs and try kicking it over with some fresh fuel.

If there is rust in the tank, clean the tank out FIRST... you dont want rust in your newly rebuilt carbs.

All this stuff is pretty easy if you just take your time and follow the manual...

get the bike running, test compression, change oil and all that hubbub. Then see what else needs to be done.

when in doubt, put the hammer down and ask a professional.

 

[PayThePiper]

Hum. I suppose it's a bit late for all that; I've already taken the entire exhaust system off, as well as the carbs, the back wheel, swingarm, and rear shocks. Plus all the bolts that hold the engine in.

I suppose it would have been a nice idea to think before diving into something like this...

 

[diesel450]

Aidan,

It's not too late. First thing is SLOW DOWN. you aren't going to do this all in a week. Put the engine mounting bolts back in and put the exhaust back on. Then do all the stuff that last 3 guys have mentioned. You don't need the swing arm and stuff on to make the motor run.

I made the same headstrong moves you are making now on my first wreck too. Take your time, read the manual, ask questions and do it right. You will be more satisfied in the end. Also the bike will be safer in the end.

Or you could tell me to go to Hell! ;D

 

[PayThePiper]

So, I checked my ego and took a bit more meticulous approach. My carbs are now off, completely clean, and apparently functional(although the inside of the float bowls appear to be a bit corroded. For example, the arms that hold the floats are pitted; would this effect the functionality?) All I need to do is get them polished up a little before I throw them back in the bike(I like the shiny)

Of course, one step forward is inevitably two steps backwards in my garage. The previous owner, who appears to be a weapons grade idiot, managed to cake dirt and leaves around the spark plugs(pics forthcoming). Dirt that is impossible to remove without pulling the engine from the frame. Anybody got any handy tips for caked dirt removal?

 

[diesel450]

AHH, You seem calmer already.

Definitely get those float bowels clean and shiny. Steel wool should do it. Pitting on the float guides will definitely cause problems sooner or later. Try compressed air on the cylinder heads to clean the fins and in around the plug holes. I blow out the plug areas every time before I pull a plug. One good crusty down in there is all it takes. You shouldn't need to pull the motor to do this. Is the tank off? That should help a lot.

More pics?

 

[coolatula]

AHH, You seem calmer already.

Definitely get those float bowels clean and shiny. Steel wool should do it. Pitting on the float guides will definitely cause problems sooner or later. Try compressed air on the cylinder heads to clean the fins and in around the plug holes. I blow out the plug areas every time before I pull a plug. One good crusty down in there is all it takes. You shouldn't need to pull the motor to do this. Is the tank off? That should help a lot.

More pics?

As said with the plugs still in get as much out with air as possible. Most bikes have water drain holes or slots so water and junk doesn't form around the plugs as that's a bad,bad thing. Those drain passages can become clogged if they aren't maintained.

After you use air to get all the loose stuff work on the dirt and grease with hot soapy water and or carb cleaner and use air again to dry it all off. Get the area around the plugs as clean as possible due too the fact that any gunk around them could fall into the engine when you go to remove the plugs,again that's bad.

Take your time and do things the CORRECT way,no short cuts. You'll find out that's the best approach when workinf on any old,dirty,rusty vehicle and it will save you frustration and possibly money as well.

I will tell you,you have one of the best models Kawasaki ever built. The KZ650 is iconic in the KZ world and they built tons of them so parts are plentiful and easy to get. ebay is your friend here as is the local motorcycle bone yards and local Kawasaki dealer. Many NOS parts can still be found for KZ650s all except possibly exhaust which is the case with many,many older bikes from all makers. There's good news though because a couple of after market companies still make performance exhaust for KZ650s.

If you can afford it down the road sometime,Mikuni flat slide racing carbs REALLY wake up a lot of these old bikes as long as the rest of the motor is up graded as well. Sudco still distributes many different Flat slide carbs and kits for old race bikes and they may already have a kit for the KZ650. If not you would have to put one together. Do all of this once you have the bike going good and have many,many miles on it. It truly is one of those machines you should never sell or trade off once it's fixed up. If you do,mark my words you WILL regret it and want another one at some point,