1978 KZ650 C2

Patton:

Thanks much. Great to acquire a bit of learning on plugs and carburation.

The plugs in the bike as given to me are Champion N4C's. A quick web search found one retailer (sparkplugs.com) who called for this exact plug for the KZ650. Don't know how reliable this is, or what the equipvalent NGK application would be.

Thanks again.

According to the following link, the recommended spark plug for 1978 KZ650 C2 is NGKB7ES
maintenance.kz650.info/GeneralMaintSpecs.htm

However, Z1E shows the hotter NGKB6ES as the correct plug and B7ES "if you need a colder running plug."
www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1629

Considering the history of your bike, believe I'd opt for the cooler running B7ES in the beginning.

Hope someone with hands-on experience with KZ650 will confirm this.

Been getting NGKs for my bikes at the local AutoZone.

Don't know enough about the Champions to validly comment.

Am glad to help and do admire your progress in all of this.

drayman86 wrote:

... plugs in the bike as given to me are Champion N4C's. A quick web search found one retailer (sparkplugs.com) who called for this exact plug for the KZ650. Don't know how reliable this is, or what the equipvalent NGK application would be.

Champion N4 or N4C supposedly subs for NGKB7ES,
and Champion N5 or N5C supposedly subs for NGKB6ES.


Without really knowing the tolerances involved, I feel safer using the factory recommended NGKs when available.
(But this may be akin to debating the best brand of motor oil. :ohmy:)

drayman86 wrote:

I have a 1978 KZ650 C2 in my basement in pieces (almost). This bike was a gift from someone who just wanted it out of their barn. I've stripped the bike down, and only have a frame with wheels and an engine on it. Even the wiring harnesses have been removed from the handle bars. All parts are in well-marked Ziploc bags.

I thought re-building the bike would be fun, but now it seems a bit daunting. I'm mechanical (do all my own work on a 2001 V Star 1100 such a valve adjustments, carb synchs, oil changes, added oil filter re-locater kit, etc.), and definitely have the desire for this project. I suppose what I'm looking for is a few words of encouragement and a jumping-off point. I'm thinking the next step is to build a stand for the frame so I can more easily work on/remove wheels and engine.

Suggestions anyone?

:blink:

Thanks!

Post edited by: drayman86, at: 2007/02/04 17:10

Post edited by: drayman86, at: 2007/02/04 17:14

Post edited by: drayman86, at: 2007/02/08 08:07

Post edited by: drayman86, at: 2007/02/08 20:04<br><br>Post edited by: drayman86, at: 2007/02/08 20:04

might i suggest the dining room table?:whistle:

Stand pics and instructions: Stand

WIREMAN WROTE:

might i suggest the dining room table?

You must live alone, dude. :laugh:


Thanks for all the replies about the plug issue, and to rstnick for the pic of your stand. I'm getting a lot of great ideas from you people.

When I get to the point of choosing plugs, I'll opt for the factory recommended NGK's for starters. Like to keep the bike as stock as possible, and certainly don't know enough (yet) about heat ranges and intelligent choices for same.

PARTS WASHER

As I start to assemble tools and equipment for this project it seems that I'm going to be washing a LOT of parts, particularly the head and engine components following abrasive blasting. Seems like this parts washer would be a good investment. Anyone purchase something similar? I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=7340

Another Saturday, another day in the basement working on the 650. Thanks to a great thread in the Engine section of the forum, I was able to remove the valves and springs with a cheap tool consisting of an 8" C clamp and a 3/4" vacuum switch socket. Got both from Harbor Freight store yesterday for about $15 total. Also pulled the valve guide oil seals and carb boots; all ready for bead blasting.

Organized the parts into electrical, chasis, and engine. After that I decided to check out the brake master cylinders. Both were horrible, filled with old gummed brake fluid and the retainer clip on the rear one was pretty rusted. Luckily the pistons and seals were not damaged. Cleaned all with alcohol and reassembled, lubricating with clean brake fluid. It was a good thing I had the factory service manual, which instructed exactly how to disassemble each and cautioned NOT to removed the piston gaskets/rings.

Next up: engine stand. Harbor Freight has a great light-duty automotive that'll work for the 650. Just need to have the local weld shop fab up an adaptor. Will definitely post pics of that.

Thanks to all members who've contributed to this thread. The advice has made the job fun, not frustrating.

I see I'm jumping in late on your thread here with suggestions, but I think I might have one to save you a little bit of a headache once you're done with the rebuild.

You mentioned you're doing all this in your basement and will have to move the bike upstairs in pieces for complete re-assembly, correct?

If the stairs are a straight shot up without any turns, and if the stairwell is wide enough, you might be able to assemble your bike most of the way and still be able to get it upstairs.

Here's my suggestion:

Only installing the engine and wiring harness, and mounting the front forks, swingarm and wheels to the frame will keep the total weight you will need to "drag" up the stairs to a minimum.
The other parts (body parts, h-bars, foot pegs, all lights, etc) can quickly be installed once upstairs, and it prevents them (and the walls in the stairwell) from possibly being damaged.
You can loosely mount the h-bars onto the bike and mount the switches to them to make sure they work and to position them where you want them. Then just unplug them from the main harness, and remove them with the h-bars as an assembly.
The same can be done with all the lighting and gauges.
It shouldn't take you more than perhaps 30 mins to permenantly remount everything once it's all upstairs.

Ok, now on how to "drag" it upstairs and what's needed to do that (NOTE: if the stairs are carpeted, it will be a safer and a much easier task).

First anchor a 2x4 (or 4x4 for better strength) about halfway up on the outside of the doorway at the top of the stairs.
Then attach a block and tackle (commonly known as a come-along) with enough cable/chain/rope to reach your bike at the bottom of the stairs to the center of that.
Then attach the chain/cable/rope to the steering head of the frame.
Have a strong assistant (or two) standing on either side of the bike to keep it upright and centered in the stairwell as you use the block and tackle/come-along to drag it upstairs.
Once at the top of the stairs, have your assistant(s) hold the bike stable (should only weight about half as much as a fully assembled bike) as you disconnect the block and tackle/come-along and remove the 2x4/4x4 out of the way.
Then simply push/roll/drag it the last few feet up the stairs to the flat floor at the top.

If you wanted to get really creative, you could always get a plank of wood about 1/2" to 3/4" thick that is longer than the bike and wide enough to offer some stability, then anchor each wheel to that plank with a couple of U-bolts.
Recessing the bolt heads far enough into the bottom of the plank to prevent damaging the stairs and making the bike a PITA to drag would be a good idea.
This would make dragging the bike not only easier, but a lot safer.

I'm not an engineer, I just tend to over-think things sometimes.
I imagine it could also be this damned high octane coffee that I'm drinking too! :pinch: :laugh: :whistle:

find someone with an electic winch!

Thanks wireman and R4 regarding suggestions on getting the bike out of the basement. I'd rather not destroy the basement doorway or sustain structural damage to the house getting the bike up the stairs, so I'll have to settle for carrying the frame and engine up to the garage to complete the job once I get that far.

Spent the afternoon bead blasting the valve cover, head, and valves at my buddies' radiator shop. What an improvement; I'll post some before and after pics in a bit.

What have I found out thus far about my project? LOTS!

1. If it wasn't for the great members on this message board, I'd have never had the guts to start this and would never have gotten as far as I have. Thanks!

2. Tough parts to find for this bike: rear master brake cylinder components. Front rebuild kits are out there, but not the rears.

3. Machine shops that know bikes are kinda' hard to come by in small-ish city of about 100,000 folks. I was lucky to be referred to a guy who knew a guy who knew someone that could do valves and cylinder boring.

4. In some applications and procedures, it pays to have the factory service manual. Example: Clymer's a great resource, but they recommend taking the brake masters to the dealer for a rebuild where as the factory manual runs you right through this procedure.

5. What the frig is a vacuum petcock? Never knew such a thing existed before I started on my project.

6. No worries with the carbs. I'm just gonna ship 'em to Wired George when the time comes. One less thing....

7. Next major step is an engine stand. I plan on getting a light-duty one from Harbor Freight and having my local welding shop fab up a holder to mount the 650 engine on it.

Warm temps are starting to melt the snow here in mid-Michigan and with the warm weather comes outside work and my other bike, so I'm keen to complete what I can before I'm outta the basement for the season.

Before and after pics of the bead blasting on head and cam cover:



Post edited by: drayman86, at: 2007/02/22 14:19