1980 KZ650

[cdiver666]

Oh I see. Good set up.


Today I started to weld the side onto the seat.

Then I got some huge washers and mounted the headlight, and turn signals.

Tomorrow, or maybe later tonight, I'm going to do the wiring on the motorcycle. I've been avoiding it to do more fun things (like welding) but hopefully the wiring is all thats needed to get it running.


Speaking of welding, I tried to weld on the rear piece. I turned the amps up all the way, and I am using 1/16th rods. It welded easily, and appeared to penetrate, but I kicked it and it came off. I tried again, seemed sturdy, but then I lifted up on it and it came off. Any ideas why it isn't working? Too thin of a rod? When the bead cools down it cracks sometimes, like right in the middle. I don't know, I'll try that again tomorrow as well.

 

[sbruton]

Hey man,

I'm not a welder, so I can't really shed any light on your troubles. Just a comment - the signal lights look good. They look like LED's... if you haven't already done so, you'll need to get a new electronic flasher to make those work. They don't pull enough current to make a standard flasher work. I picked mine up at a local bike shop for $11-ish bucks. I looks similar to a standard flasher (same size, 2 prongs) but will make LED's work. If you're already done this... ignore my jibberish

Hopefully somebody will help you out with the welding issues...

 

[cdiver666]

Thanks. They are LEDs. I got them on ebay for 20 shipped. Right now I don't have a turn signal relay wired in. I was going to buy one on ebay I saw for $1, with $1 shipping, but my dad wouldn't let me use his credit card. I'm not sure if there is a local bike shop, but I guess its worth looking into for future reference at least.

Luckily I got the hoop to stay on this time. I welded on the bottom as well, although I had to fill in a pretty big gap. I was hitting it with a rubber mallet to make sure it was solid. There is only 3.5 inches between the hoop and the tire, so it needs to be sturdy in case I bottom out. I will get longer shocks. I measured them and they were less than a foot. I'll get stiffer ones as well. But I was testing if the newer welds were good, and I broke the mallet. I guess thats a yes. I added some more and grinded it down a bit since this pic, but you get the idea.

I spent a good 5 hours out in the garage today (and the day's still young!) and I made some solid progress on the seat.

Since I didn't plan on making the hoop have such a steep angle, the seat was a bit off. So I welded in another piece on each side to fill in the gap, and now its good. I grinded down the welds so they're not super rough. The metal is 22 gauge. I had to go back over some parts again so light doesn't come up through. I will continue tonight and hopefully have it painted (the hump part at least, I don't really care about the bottom part which is the stock pan anyway). So when that is done, I'll be forced to do the electrics! I've been putting them off...
Just a note, the paint would only be temporary to prevent rust. I plan on bondoing it smooth later, when I repaint the tank. At that point, I'll fill in the dents on the tank and paint them with a gun, not a rattle can. Until then though, it should work okay.

 

[cdiver666]

 

[cdiver666]

I painted the seat cowl, more to prevent rust than anything else. Obviously it doesn't look great since the welds are so obvious. Once it warms up (both outside and in my wallet) I'll bondo the seat and tank nice and smooth and paint them for real. I'm not sure if I'll keep the flat black.


Anyway I started the wiring, and I wish I would have kept the factory for the time being and just modified that one. Using my multi meter, I got AC current from the wires when I kick started it. Then I soldered the wires that connect them to the regulator, and tried to get DC current from that. But I didn't get any. I was confused, and worried maybe my switch was broken. Like an hour later, while on the computer, I realized I didn't have a fuse in there! Duh. Hopefully it will be enough to start the bike on my capacitor. I guess we'll find out soon, tomorrow I hope. No exhaust still so it will be loud.

 

[cdiver666]

I cleaned off the wheels with chemical wheel cleaner and they look better now.
I saw something on kzrider or something where they used the stock pegs as "rearsets." All you have to do to the pegs themselves is like flip them upside down. This moves them back a bit, but it also moves them up. I think they're too high now, I'm 6'1''. But there is no foam on the seat still. That'll help a bit.

 

[cdiver666]

Even though I had a massive headache, I went out in the garage and wanted to do something, and ended up doing this: :-[

Yeah I fucked that up... after that I decided NOT to try and do any wiring! It was strange like I couldn't concentrate because of my headache. I think I'll just leave it until I do the proper paint and finishing body work. I did change the pegs back to the way they were stock since I couldn't stand how high they were up. Now I don't have to change the brake lever either.


Oh and here's my remounted tach that doesn't block the switches:

When I got the bike the speedo didn't have a cable. So I'll leave it off until I get a cable for it. I think I'll be okay just with a tach as long as I can remember what certain speeds are in certain gears (like 45 and 55 at cruising speed). Hopefully I feel better tomorrow and wire the points to the coils and start her up!

 

[cdiver666]

I was going to make an exhaust from the cut up old one with hedman hot tips that have a resonator built in. I doubt it would pass inspection like that, but I didn't have any money so I was going to try it anyway.
But I got a job today! Finally! So hopefully with sufficient cash flow, I'll be able to throw money at this thing and get it running, and on the road. I plan on getting either a Vance and Hines (313 but out of stock on Z1) or a Mac for 270. I do like how the mac can be had with black header and chrome muffler. I haven't started yet, I have to do training and what not. So hopefully, soon, I'll be able to get the motorcycle working. I have to fix my car too though. But if I can get like 40 hours a week with time and a half, money will no longer be an issue 8)
Oh I also found a Wilson's leather motorcycle jacket for 40 locally off craigslist. Its XXL, and I usually wear an XL, but I'm going to go try it on and hopefully score that.

 

[cdiver666]

This little guy came in the mail today. It was 15 shipped, including the connector and grommet. Its 2 inches in diameter and has red leds with the clear cover. It shipped very fast, and I'm happy with the product. But the problem is I accidentally got a "clearance marker" so it only has 2 wires. They didn't sell s/t/t/ lights in 2 inch anyway, so I guess I didn't make too big of a mistake. I would like to make this one work, but obviously I don't want to spend more than it would cost to buy a new one.


Maybe I could run the power from the headlight switch, through a resistor that would take it down to about 6 volts. But then I would wire the front brake switch in parallel around the resistor so when that is activated there is more current. Do you guys think that would work? I actually just thought of that now. Luckily, I took digital electronics, and AP Physics C, so maybe I'll be able to use some knowledge here and run the numbers.

 

[sbruton]

Hey man,

In theory a resistor should work... guys do that to make a single filament bulb tail light work as a brake light on dirt bikes all the time. I'm not sure how many ohms you would need though. LED's don't pull much current, so you won't need a very big resistor.

Like you said.. use the resistor to dim the light as a running light and when you hit the brake switch it will bypass the resistor and send full current to the LEDs as a brake light.

FWIW - you can get LED "bulbs" that plug directly into an 1157 type holder if that will work for ya..these guys have loads of LED bulbs:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/

Good luck!

 

[cdiver666]

Yeah I have to find the current draw at twelve volts in order to determine the size of resistor I need. I'll just use my multi meter, probably using the power wire off my amp in my car. I used a nine volt battery, and then the nine volt plus two AA batteries but it didn't look any brighter. I'm not sure how I'm going to make that work.


I ordered 2 hedman exhaust tips from race mart since their price was 16, as opposed to summit at 23. There was some confusion, but the parts came in today. So they have great prices, and ship quickly. And I got a quick response, although not a particularly helpful one, from customer service.
So I wasted no time, and started welding those on.

I may have to ditch the center stand. I'm over it, I was going to anyway and just use a swing arm stand (Harbor freight like 35 bucks). I am almost finished with one side, but I burned my hand so I came inside. I think it looks great. Since I got a job, I was going to scrap this exhaust tip thing and just buy a mac or kerker. I still may buy one of those, but I'll finish this up as best I can and hopefully get it running. I'm not sure if the resonator built in is enough to pass inspection, but hey, I know a few guys...


Oh and I bought the leather jacket I found on craigslist for forty bucks, its really nice. Its wilsons brand, has a thinsulate zip out liner, and is very heavy duty. I don't really love the style of the jacket, but it was cheap and will provide protection in case I fall down. I can zip it all the way up so its not that bad. Its my terminator jacket.

 

[cdiver666]

Mounted 1 and 4. It was a real bitch to mount both at the same time, but it wouldn't be that hard if you had two people. I don't plan on mounting it anywhere else.
There are some holes in the welded joints. I was mounting it as a test fit, but it was so hard to do I'll just leave it on for now. I may be able to finish it up while mounted. I started working on the other one but screwed it up a bit. The tip looks angled but I'm pretty sure its just an illusion. I am happy with how this side turned out. Hopefully I'll be able to get the other side as well. Oh I forgot, the center stand is okay. It taps it a bit while putting it up, but no big deal really. I'm glad because I like working on it with the stand.
1 and 4 mounted:

 

[cdiver666]

Im working 40 hours a week at an Arby's in a rest stop on the through way, so I haven't really had much time to work on the bike. I'm going to finish the other side of the exhaust (it is crooked as-is so I may have to cut and re-weld it) when I get time.
I just ordered air filters, Emgo coils, spark plugs, and spark plug caps from Z1. My goal was to have it legal by the 30th, since that is the day all motorcycle registrations expire in NY, but I doubt I can meet that.
I have to mount some foam on the seat as well, I'll probably just use a knee pad for gardening like other people have used. I didn't see one at the dollar store unfortunately.
Hopefully that will be enough to finish "stage 1," or getting it road worthy and decent looking. I won't be able to do an engine rebuild and 810 big bore until next winter probably. I have to do some work on my 300zx and then I want to get an 86+ Fiero GT and drop a L67 (supercharged 3800) in it. So 40 hours/week sucks for sure but hopefully it will be worth it, and I'll have some fun shit by the time school starts again in the fall.

 

[78kz]

Cool builds guys.
Looking forward to final pix.
8)

 

[cdiver666]

Thanks. I am too. Because then it would be done!


Got some parts yesterday, so the obligatory parts picture:

Doesn't look like much, but that cost me about 150. I got coils, plugs, plug boots, and air filters.
The coils came with wires as well. I got everything from Z1.
Z1 shipped very quickly, but I do live like an hour and a half away so that was expected. But I was annoyed by the fact that the air filters didn't fit. Z1 said they would, and the box says kz650 on it, but they were still almost half an inch too big! I thought about returning them but I didn't want to have to pay return shipping. So I just made some spacer like things and put em on anyway. I hope the PO didn't put on smaller carbs or some shit like that.


Now that I have matching coils I'll try to wire those up and hopefully be able to start the bike on its own with the capacitor. Then I have to worry about the turn signals and brake light and that shit. Attempting to re-wire the bike at this point in the project was a mistake. Oh well, now I'll know for my next build. The way hard-tail look is beginning to grow on me, so I may do something like that later (aka much later).

 

[cdiver666]

I put the coils on, and wired power to them. I also wired the points to them. I put in a fuse, and kicked it.

It didn't start. (big suprise :-X )

Just now I realize possibly the wires from the points were backwards, hence timing would be 180 degrees off (I think thats what would happen).
It sure would be great if it wasn't an electrical problem, since I don't want to deal with that. I still have the headlight, tail light, horn, brake light, and turn signals to go. I work 3-11 tomorrow so maybe I can get some bike time in the morning since I usually work mornings. Then I have sunday off.

In addition to the points theory, its almost certainly an electrical problem since the carbs are clean. The gas line in between two of the carbs did crack and was spilling out gas when I hit the throttle. The gas was old, but I think it should be okay. Possibly as well the spark plugs weren't hooked up to the boots properly. I have to make sure they are on there right. The plugs have the things that screw off, should those be on or off? It doesn't look like the boots have a threaded portion but they don't seem to be "snapping" into place like they seemed to on my previous cars.

I would like to have it running by/on sunday, and it street legal by may 12th. (a somewhat arbitrary date, its a concert I want to go to but taking the bike would be sick. Not that I would have my license by then anyway.) : Gotta get some foam too, but I got my first paycheck today so, yeah. I owe my dad for that Z1 order though. Oh well theres plenty more coming, I just have to be patient.

 

[sbruton]

Hey man,


Electrical gremlins can be a total pain and "not starting" can be any number of issues - as you know. I would start by pulling one of the plugs; put it in the spark plug cap; ground the plug on the engine and kick it over to see if you have spark. This might seem like a dumb point, but make sure you pulled the round ends off the top of the plug to expose the threaded end where the cap goes! You mentioned they didn't snap on... The other things to confirm is that you have a healthy battery with full charge and measure across your kill switch and ignition switches for continuity and check your fuses to make sure they are not blown.

 

[cdiver666]

Yeah I wasn't sure if I should screw those off or not. I took the old plugs, and one didn't have the cap on there but it didn't seem to snap in either.
Before I go to work today I am going to switch the wires from the points to the coils. This will take 2 seconds, so thats why I'm going to try it first. Unfortunately the wiring diagram isn't clear on which coil is the left and right.
I marked which position on the switch was off and on after previously testing it with the multimeter but I tried starting it in both positions.


And remember now that I no longer have a battery, or a fuse box! So I am slightly worried the capacitor is broken, I mean I never tested it or anything. Also it seems the fuse didn't snap in correctly, so I might remove the "fuse box" and replace it with a wire and put another one in somewhere else. I am not really happy with the quality of radio shack products, especially considering how much they were.


I don't think the leaking fuel line is enough to not start the thing, but I don't really know. It was leaking a lot of fuel.


I just want to ride! The clutch cable needs adjustment as well but that won't affect starting the way it is now. Of course I need the turn signals and tail light and shit to register it but I don't know anyone with their motorcycle license who I can ride with while I have my permit, so....

 

[cdiver666]

I've been really busy the last few weeks, and haven't "seriously" worked on the bike pretty much since my last post. Yesterday I fixed up the other side of the exhaust. The one side still has some holes that need to be patched up, but it looks good and is good enough for now.

Today I started to tackle the wiring. I don't know what I was thinking before, honestly. I just had to connect like 2 things. The coils weren't even hooked up, and I had the kill switch wired wrong. Too many of the same wires I guess. I hooked up the ground right too. Using the multimeter, I determined the fuse was working, the kill switch was working, and it was grounded properly. I also got a new rubber fuel line between the two carbs. I kicked it and lo and behold it sputtered. Something was working. I looked at the plug wires (I took them off when I unscrewed the caps, (thanks Sbruton, they actually work now!) and I thought I may have reversed them.) So I fixed those and then nothing! So I flipped the wires from the points around and it started.
First kick.

Then oil was spewing out of the starter cover. Went to NAPA and the largest expansion plug they had was 1 5/8ths. Which wasn't big enough, but I took it anyway and made it fit.

I lost a lot of oil and didn't have any new oil so I put some old junk in there. I may have over filled it as now it doesn't want to start as much. When it does it dies shortly after. I am pretty sure its a fuel issue. The petcock may need some attention.

The plan of attack now is clean it up (ish). Wire headlight, turn signals 'n shit. Change oil and oil filter with the correct weight this time. Make legal. Ride the shit out of it I'm probably working but I would like to take it to the local cruise night 1/8th mile track. Should do pretty well if its running half-way decently. I still have to learn how to ride too of course.

I am also shaping up to start my next project, putting a modified series 2 L67 (supercharged 3.8l) into a Fiero GT. That should be seriously quick. I'll probably be buying the motor next week sometime as I have yet to find a suitable car. I was honestly tempted to sell the motorcycle, but I think I'll keep it for the foreseeable future. I would just loose money anyway if I were to sell it now.

I'll try to get some pics once I make some cosmetic progress. Maybe even a video? Stay tuned.

 

[beard]

do you still have the starter?

heres the best pic i have "right now" for explanation..
if you still have the starter.. gut it.. pull the end caps off the starter motor..
mount the starter motor end caps where they would normally go. you need to take a bow and arrow, arrow or the like and cut it to the proper length to act as a sleeve to force and hold the end cap into where the starter gear would enter the trans.

then u have a smaller hole that u can use an expansion plug on.. i used a different conical rubber plug for proper fit..

also in using the end caps like above... u have the ability to use the stock starter chromed cover...

APE sells a vented and non vented starter hole cover.. i beleive Z1 sells them.. APE has them listed for z900 and z1.. and i was never able to get a straight answer if it would fit kz650.. so i came up with my solution.


my writing / explanation sucks.. if needed i can dig up pictures to explain better.