TOPIC:

HI - New member here.
I recently picked up a craigslist special because I was looking for a winter project. I like to tinker on bikes, and have restored a couple of old Honda twins in prior years, so this year I was looking for a challenge.





I think I have it identified, but feel free to chime in with other opinions - Some members over at the Do The Ton forum suggested it was a 1978 KZ1000 A2 which someone at some point had put LTD wheels and seat on...

Anyway - I picked it up for $500 - the transmission is ... faulty ... which is to say that according to the prior owner he pulled up to a stop light and was never able to pull away again because it "wouldn't move forward" The engine runs however.

I figure I'll go through the whole bike during the winter, and start on the engine/transmission in a week or so once I get my garage cleaned up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated - this is the first 4-cylinder engine I'll have worked on, and I'm hoping the same principles apply.

Nice to meet you all in advance!
Iain

Welcome aboard! Good news - the transmission is fine. Check simple stuff like lose countersprocket nut, clutch issues, etc. You got a great deal on the bike! Here are some tips that you may find helpful:

Many newbies and not so newbies run into problems or issues with their bikes which could be easily avoided with a little preparation. Here are a couple recommendations that I hope you will find useful.

Before riding your KZ you should take a little time to become familiar with it. Simple things like checking the oil, tire pressures, etc. are explained in the Kawasaki Owner's Manual. If you bike didn't come with one (they normally are in a little holder on the bottom of the seat) you can usually find one on eBay - be sure to get one for your exact year/model.

MANUAL

You really should consider buying the Kawasaki Factory Service Manual for your bike. The factory service manual provides instructions on the various maintenance procedures and schedules for your bike, procedures for diagnosing problems, proper torque values for the various fasteners (VERY IMPORTANT), and insight into how each system on your bike works even if you are not repairing that system. Studying the manual before you attempt performing service on your bike will impart an understanding of the system you are working on which will increase the odds of success.

The manuals usually are readily available for most models on eBay and other sources; but be sure to get one that has your specific year and model in it as there are differences between the various KZ650 models. I do not recommend Clymers, Haynes, or other aftermarket manuals as I have seen instances where they provide inaccurate advice. You may decide to use those to supplement the factory manual, but in my opinion they are not a suitable substitute. If you have trouble finding one for your model ask us to help.

TOOLS

WARNING! Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. The fact is that Phillips screws were deliberately designed to have the screwdriver bit "cam out." This was done to prevent production line assembly from over-tightening, stripping, or breaking the screws. JIS screws do not have this problem. A proper fitting JIS bit can tighten a JIS screw to and beyond the torque spec without camming out. Here's the good news - you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer "rocks" back and forth in the screwhead. Picture 1 below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. Pictures 2 and 3 below shows DeWalt #2 and #3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don't list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here's their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my home made modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

PICTURE 1

PICTURE 2

PICTURE 3

PICTURE 4

PICTURE 5

Before reaching for that wrench or ratchet consider the following. The bolts are steel, but your engine and front forks are aluminum. The bolts are much tougher than the aluminum and if over tightened will strip the aluminum threads. Although these can be repaired, preventing damage by applying proper torque will save you grief, time, and money. Tightening fasteners properly requires torque wrenches. Various vendors, including Snap-on, CDI, Sears, etc., market torque wrenches. The two most popular types are the bar type and micrometer type. Either will work, but the micrometer type is a bit easier to use, especially if you are tightening several fasteners with the same torque - such as cylinder head covers. You will need a torque wrench calibrated in INCH POUNDS for many of the bolts. You will also need a torque wrench calibrated in FOOT POUNDS for the larger bolts. Don't try to use the foot pounds wrench on the smaller bolts as it will not be sensitive enough at low torque settings to provide accurate torque. There are many fasteners that require low torque. These include such things as 6mm oil pan bolts, cylinder head cover bolts, etc. for which the torque in 61-78 inch pounds. These low torque bolts require a wrench that is accurate at low settings and this wrench should be graduated in inch pounds. In addition, there are numerous high torque fasteners such as the front axle nuts (51 - 65 foot pounds) or swing arm pivot shaft nuts (58 - 87 foot pounds). These require a wrench that is accurate at higher settings; this wrench should be graduated in foot pounds. Using the proper torque wrenches to correctly tighten fasteners will help prevent damage and contribute to a safe bike. The Kawasaki Service Manual will list the various torque specs for the bolts. I suggest you get the manual before buying the torque wrenches so you can decide which wrenches best meet the torque specs.

Consider buying a can of Kroil penetrating oil and use it to soak stubborn fasteners for a couple days before trying to loosen them. Remember, the original screws and bolts were installed on your bike when Jimmy Carter was President, so many of them may be hard to remove. Kroil can be bought online, at guns shows, and at some other venues.

MOTOR OIL
The ingredients in oils have changed over the years. For example, today's Castrol GTX oil (and pretty much all other AUTOMOBILE oil) is not the same as it was in the 1980's. Back then it worked great in KZ bikes. But, things have changed. Early AUTOMOBILE oils contained zinc phosphorus compounds (ZDDP) to protect engine components from metal to metal contact. This was good for engines, but it was found to be destructive to catalytic converters. Consequently, in AUTOMOBILE oils ZDDP was virtually eliminated and replaced with different chemistry generically referred to as "Friction Modifiers." These work fine and offer good protection for normal AUTOMOBILE engines. However, today's AUTOMOBILE oil "Friction Modifiers" are destructive to wet clutches. KZ bikes (and many other brands) have wet clutches. As a result of these oil chemistry changes a distinction needed to be made between those oils which are suitable for wet clutches and those which are not. That distinction was documented by the Japanese Engine Oil Standards Implementation Panel (JASO). JASO developed a number of different oil specifications for different applications. The specifications that apply to 4 stroke motorcycles fall under the "4T Specifications." Within the 4T specifications the JASO MA class oils are specifically formulated for 4 stroke motorcycles with wet clutches.

There are synthetic, semi-synthetic, and non-synthetic oils that meet the JASO-MA standard and any of them will work ok. However, using oils that are not designated as meeting the JASO-MA standard is destructive to KZ clutches.

Good luck with your bike. Ed

Welcome in! Glad you found your way over here.

Anyways, I forgot to mention on DTT but you can inspect the shift mechanism and the transmission (a little anyways) with the engine still in the frame. You can pull the sprocket cover and trans door on the left side to see the shifting mechanism and pull the oil pan to see the trans itself. If the engine runs fine, I would try that before a full disassembly.

Later, Doug

nice score on the bike.

welcome.

leon

Thanks guys - Good advice and warm welcomes are always appreciated!
Doug - good to see you over here also! I'll be sure to try that first, and it will give me a chance to see how dirty it is in there. If it's as clean as one of the Honda's I worked on last year, and I get good compression, then I'll leave well enough alone.
I got my hands on a Service Manual yesterday (actual Service Manual, not Clymer)

Best
Iain

Welcome! Nice score on the bike. Thought I would mention to you that since you are working on the transmission, it will only go into 1st gear and neutral without out forward momentum. I didn't want you wasting your time on that like I did when I first started on my bike. Glad to hear that you scored a service manual, it will answer a lot of questions for you.
Good luck on your build.
Jon

Hey Mcgoo! "Drewski" from DTT here! Glad you found this place! Tons of incredible info here at kzrider!

All the best with the Project!

If you don't already have one invest in a hand impact driver. It's invaluable to use on screws that haven't been out for a long time. It's preload and a small tap will dislodge them. You may want to switch to Allens. Yes check the cover plate behind the sprocket. Might have a broken shift return spring or shift arm spring. Use the impact to remove the screws. Use a rubber mallet to dislodge the cover. Good luck.

Drooz wrote: Hey Mcgoo! "Drewski" from DTT here! Glad you found this place! Tons of incredible info here at kzrider!

All the best with the Project!

Hey! good to see you on this forum - I've been really impressed by the level of knowledge and willingness to share on the forum - DTT also - but here the KZ specific knowledge is very useful!
My garage is almost ready for me to set up a work area for the bike.
I'll start a build thread soon.

Swest - Thanks that sound like a good place to start! I spoke to the PO over the weekend and he mentioned that he initially thought the issue was the clutch so he replaced the clutch plates - That didn't help so he gave up.
Best
Iain

Oops ... I couldn't resist - I haven't even started on the KZ1000 yet, but I just had to have this GPZ550 .... I can do 2 projects at once right?


$350 ...