Kz650 first motorcycle and project.

G

Gagep

New Member
Hello my name is Gage, i am from Washington state. I'm 17 years old, and i am a long time watcher of these forums. Always been interested in cafe racers. And I've been looking for a project bike to fix up for my senior project this next year.

I recently came across a free KZ650 in pretty rough shape. i have seen a few of these turned into cafe racers. And well eventually i hope i can turn mine into a cafe racer. I'm pretty inexperienced with motorcycle engines, i have pretty much no clue on how to work on them! But half the fun is learning! So i will be asking a lot of questions ;D

I'm a little bit confused on where to start ???.. When i first got to the bike i automatically realized that the back tire wasn't spinning, my father and i tried to mess with the break but to no avail. So as you can imagine it was pretty hard to get to my house because we had to straight up lift it around.

there's a picture of the bike i picked up for free. Its in pretty rough shape as you can tell, but free fits into my tiny budget :p

mail


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Welcome...to being a contributing member of the forum ;)

That's a hot deal on a great bike. Some cleaning and grinding to do...but it looks pretty good. Your points seem to have walked off the job....maybe they went somewhere with the front tire? All in all, from the looks of it, it's not in too bad shape.

I just watched Mad Max and have KZ's on my mind.
 
Well, I wish my KZ650 looked that good when I picked it up ;) At least she's mostly complete. Back wheel wont spin...is it in neutral, rusted stuck chain? First thing you should do is march down to your local library and pick up a general motorcycle repair book. That's just what I did about 4 years ago when I first decided to buy a bike. Embarrassingly enough I really didn't even know exactly how an internal combustion engine worked...late bloomer I guess. Just spending time understanding how all the systems work in unison is a great thing to know. Other words of advice, but the Clymer repair manual...always use the correct tool and a light hand. If you don't have the right tool, go borrow it from a neighbor.

Before cleaning and polishing and buying neat accessories, you should check out the major organs of the thing. Do a compression test (it's in that book at the library), if you have a dead cylinder repair costs can skyrocket...but if you are looking for a long term complete rebuild something like a CB350 would be much easier. Does the bikes engine turn over if you kick the starter? You may want to put a drop or two oil in the spark plug hole to lube the piston rings if it has been sitting a long time. If the bike powers on, lights, electronic start etc...See if you get a spark at the spark plugs. Carbs, well I'm sure they need a good cleaning at least. I don't suggest using carb cleaner that stuff is pretty nasty. Generally mild detergants and old toothbrushes will do the trick.

But first go get that book! ;)
 
Its got a lot of potential but perattzi is right get your self a repair manual and start with the engine,no use buying a lot of fancy bits if the engine and electrics are
going to be exspensive.Its the best way to learn though
 
Thanks for the welcome guys! Yes a manual will be one of the first things i look into getting, and then checking on the big engine! ;D Sadly the bike doesn't kick over at all. The guy i had it from had it sitting on the side of his house for at least a few years. And that's the only history i know of it. But the throttle doesn't move, and i cant pull in the clutch.

I just need to figure out the year/model first ???, before i get a repair manual, any guesses? I will check it when i get back to my dads house!


gage
 
Represto said:
The throttle and clutch cables might just be rusted to all hell.
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i hope its that easy! ;D .. I am just really hoping that when i get to look around at it more. That the engine is in good shape!
 
man what a great base to build on... everthing looks there the exhaust is in good shapem the motor looks good as well! does it turn over? let the games begin man!
 
Those are very popular bikes and one of the best of the KZ series. Nearly everyone you run across who loves these old KZ fours has either owned,owns or wants a KZ650 in there stable. They are worth saving,so do it up right and take your time. 8)

Anyone with a KZ needs to be a member here: http://kzrider.com/
 
JRK5892 said:
man what a great base to build on... everthing looks there the exhaust is in good shapem the motor looks good as well! does it turn over? let the games begin man!
Click to expand...

Sadly, the motor doesn't turn over :mad:. I'm hoping i can get the motor to work relatively easy. The exhaust i thought was in good shape also, but i ended up unscrewing somethings to take the exhaust off, and it ripped right off from the rust.

gage
 
It was at the muffler, it also has no seat or gas tank as you can tell :'(. I didn't just take them off. I'm kinda just confused on where to start.


gage
 
It's easier and cheaper to find some exhaust slip ons that it is to replace the headers.

The no seat & tank isn't too bad....just gives you a reason to get a nice fibreglass set up.
 
Where can i check out at these fiber glass set ups? Also what do you think i should start doing, im a little confused. Since the bike is still pretty hard to roll because of the no front wheel and flat back wheel.
 
I'm looking around at a few bikes that are non runners to bring back to life as a daily driver. I don't have any previous experience with rebuilding either. I can tell you what I would do if that was my bike.

First as already stated educate yourself on motorcycle construction and that bike in particular. I've had a strong interest in bikes and any thing on wheels for years so I'm pretty familiar with the concepts of a motorcycle. I've found this pretty useful when evaluating non running bikes or bikes in general. Much harder to be played for a sucker if you know how bikes work.

After that I would address anything that would facilitate working on the bike. Looking at the photo's and your comments I'd get it up on a stable table or suspend it somehow and start cleaning the hell out of it. I wouldn't strip anything off just yet. Maybe just major components like the seat tank, etc. Stuff that can't be lost or end up with a WTF is that if you take it off. Catalog what you took off anyways. Photo's and notes.

Once it was cleaned off I'd start evaluating the basic functionality deficiencies. Things like why won't it roll, engine won't turn over. I wouldn't go crazy tearing anything apart here either. I'd just try to identify within reason the probable cause. Take off anything that will help you diagnosis but do one at a time and put it back. I wouldn't take off the carbs, open the engine or tranny at all at this point. If you do take anything off catalog and photo's. Even if it's stuff your going to throw away.

Once I had my list and a reasonable idea of deficiencies I'd try to determine if rebuilding or replacement was the way to go. In both cases I'd try to put a price tag on it. Add everything up and I'd sleep on it for a couple of days.

Then I'd make the call. If the cost to just get everything, not including the powertrain was over my head I'd make a decision. To me the choices would be:
1) Damn the expenses! Full steam ahead!
2) Wheel it (or drag it) to the curb and put a 'FREE' sign on it
3) Part it out. Allocate the money against something more managable

If option 1 is selected I'd then proceed to the engine and repeat the diagnosing. I'd then create a new list with a price tag and repeat the same 1-3 procedure. If it 1 again, I'd select one area at a time and get it back into working order; repeat as needed.

The point of the above is to establish two points of exit from the project before the costs really begin. I wouldn't expect the above to predict all costs, and isn't entirely representative of the level of effort either; if at all. It will hopefully crush any rosy dreams about what's involved in getting the old girl flying again.

Option three is what I'd recommend to you. Whatever you make is a profit seeing as you got it for free. A running or decent nonrunning kz650 can be had for anywhere from $500 to $1500. Obviously a non runner is cost unknown again, but most of the ones I've seen at least roll, cables function, and the engines turn over. A runner for $1500 isn't going to be a show winner but it'll be a runner! Also, stripping down your bike, and cleaning parts up for sale would be a nice low risk exposure to working on a bike too.

Good luck!





Gagep said:
Where can i check out at these fiber glass set ups? Also what do you think i should start doing, im a little confused. Since the bike is still pretty hard to roll because of the no front wheel and flat back wheel.
Click to expand...
 
i have to agree with fireworks on some points that you will spend money.... it will be inevitable. but... i wouldnt to go as far as some of his options... honestly, you can make a seat easily with some sheet metal and some fiberglass, foam and bondo. you can score a shitty tank on ebay, or even trawl the boards here... do you have any skills? building trades? anything that you could trade for parts?! just because you cant afford it now doesnt mean that you cant sit on it for a while and piece her together. ive been broke as hell and i still manage to score a part here and there, it just takes patience. and i hear you on the whole learning thing. whenever something goes wrong the first thing i do is consult the manual, after that i use the search function here, then last resort is the 1800cafe bin on the site here. i say stick her in the garage somewhere, and slowly make progress. it will come :)
 
by the way, invest in a can of PB blaster. i use it on the V8 engines i rebuilt in highschool that I would pick up out of the scrap yard for 50 bucks a block. keep spraying, and tons of patience.... and keep working that crank :) just be careful you dont run the rings, and make sure the cylinder walls are in ok shape.
 
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