$400 - 79' KZ650 Restoration and adding a Hack...

Well, I have decided to start a project thread for my KZ rig.

This adventure started out when soon after purchasing my Royal Enfield, I decided a hack would be a good addition as it allows a bit more cargo for road trips and such. However the RE does not have enough power for a decent size hack so I chose to get a KZ650. (3x the hp as the RE and 3 discs for stopping)

My present ride..

Enough setup.... Now on to the KZ..

Since I bought my tub over the internet from china back in January and have been watching Craigslist for a suitable cheap and restorable tug within a reasonable distance. I came across my 79' KZ650 for $400. It runs and has a clean title so Woohoo, here we go...

Its blue but I have taken off the body panels and such to get at all the bits I need to work on.

The short list of issues I know about so far.

Bad Battery
No baffles in the pipe
Crap Petcock
Bad fuel line
Broken front brake lever
No turn signals
E-start does not work
Missing side cover
Crap front tire
Front brakes don't work well
Crap seat
No rear fender
Broken HI beam switch
Crap grips
Just a filthy bike
Oil leaks at the cam ends

:blink:

Here is tub...

The first trip I took was to the local motorcycle graveyard to scope things out..

I got and new side panel and seat for $45. Not a bad start.

The new seats pan is solid, with little rust evident, a good find.

The new side panel has all the tabs and only needs some minor repair..

When I got back home I replaced the bad(frayed)fuel line and capped the vacuum line with a bolt, the petcock is filled with JB weld so the vacuum assembly does not leak gas.. I will have to purchase a vacuum cap before all is said and done. I plan on going to a conventional (non vacuum) petcock. Is this a good idea or am I neglecting some functional requirement?

Fuel lines

Short list of parts presently on order and in the mail..

All new:
cam cover gasket
clutch cable
throttle cable
front tire
oil filters
airbox tubes
side panel grommets

When I took off the body panels I realised that also needed new flashers (the existing ones have been uncovered for a few years) and a new rear fender. It seems a previous owner had taken a hack saw to the rear fender to allow for the install of a semi crotch rocket looking rear light and plate bracket.

So on my list for the next salvage yard trip is:
Petcock
rear fender and light
front brake lever (entire assemble is available)
starter cutout switch
front turn signals
left hand switch pod

I have also come to a conclusion that I will be doing a complete brake rebuild before finishing this project.

So now we are up to today's exploits.

I got by the local NAPA and picked up a new set of flashers and positive cable lug for the battery. I was going to run by the salvage yard after work and pick up my list but it rained so I opted to go home and work with what I had on hand..

Went out to the garage with my trusty and not so trusty dog and got to work.

Trusty dog

Not so trusty

Dug about in the garage and found the stock DOT signals from my Enfield that I had pulled off the first week I owned it. With some minor modification they fit the rear of the KZ...

I had a spare motorbike battery in the garage I have had on the charger since yesterday, its a good battery but a bit too tall to fit under the KZ's seat but good for testing.

I replaced both flashers and started to try and figure out the signals, I would turn on the left and the right or both or none would flash seemingly at random. Something was definitely wrong.

The bikes harness had a bunch of old electrical tape on it. So I started to unwrap some it. There was a really large lump under the tank so I took that apart and found that the factory connectors have fallen apart due to old age.

Well, I just rebuilt all the connections and now all the signals and the electric start works as new.. Very nice..

I put the tank back on and started her up using the ES (I had been kicking her over) and she ran up fine.. The bike seems to have a very nice tick over but when applying the throttle it stalls. It seemed to loosen up a bit and rev better after idling a few minutes.

I will probably tackle the throttling issue after I replace the cam gasket and put a new pipe on. The previous owner said he cleaned the carbs (off the bike) before putting it on Craigslist (to get it running after sitting 10 months sitting). I imagine it might be jetting and balance issues. Maybe I will get lucky and it just needs to be loosened back up. It starts easy with the ES,, good stuff...

And that is all for tonight.... Hopefully I make it to the salvage yard tomorrow.

Wow! A KZ with a side car.... very cool. Keep us updated!

These older Kawasaki's are notorious for being cold blooded, you need to choke them when they are running cold. After a few minutes they seem to come alive, that is par for the coarse with these engines.

What are your plans for the bike?

Haven't seen him around for awhile but you might want to take a look at fatkow's bikes, he had some interesting mods. He sold this one awhile ago
77 KZ1000

His five KZ1000's and drifter together

Tyler, Are you asking about the RE? I am keeping that machine... Its a true joy to ride, very old school.. Probably will never part with it. $10k and its all your though...

Plan on painting the KZ and Hack yellow. Us it as a driver and for road trips once its restored.

KZ250, looks like that a Jupiter or Sputnik tub on that rig.. Pretty nice setup. I heard those things tend to leak at the seams though.. My bike definitely will end up looking pretty good but not that pristine as I plan on it being a driver. I tend not to care much for the hanger queen look...

Today's activity update..

Got to the salvage yard today and picked up a fender off a KZ1000... It fits fairly well but will require some drilling..

I am concerned about the fact I can not lock the front brake on the bike.. I believe it has a Yamaha master cylinder.

I think this is the original from the parts bin I got with the bike...

Can I make the Yamaha part work of should I rebuild the original?


Also am considering racing Green instead of Yellow as a color.

Gary

With dual disks you should have plenty of brake up front. Could be air or a master cylinder issue. Try and bleed the system and ensure the air is out. Twin caliper systems can be a pain to bleed. If the master cylinder on the bike dosen't leak, then it should be ok to use.

After looking at the front brake setup I think your suggesting of keeping it is a good one, I like the look of the one on there better than the spare one anyhow.. I just need to run down a new brake lever(have yet to see one on ebay and I don't know the make or model it belongs to).

Well, yesterday I got the new old rear fender mounted and installed front turn signals, also prepped my new battery. I am pretty much done with working on the Electrics of the bike now.

I will be taking the weekend off from working on the bike but have a busy week scheduled. Here is a short list of things left to do::blink:

1.New Cam cover gasket (the RTV from the previous owner leaks)
2.New Clutch cable
3.New throttle cable
4.New front tire and tube
5.New muffler
6.New brake hoses (ordered some black stainless lines
7.Replace old petcock
8.Change all the fluids
9.Replace brake lever
10.Fix cracked plastic
11. Replace footpeg rubber and grommets
12. Replace left switchpod and Clutch switch (have ordered on ebay)
13.Install bar end mirrors
14.Get the bike and tub painted
15.Mount and wire in the tub
16.Rebuild front right caliper


I think the bars are a little bent out of true. I want to get some saddle time on the bike before I start thinking about buying new bars. I don't know if I like the setup of the ones on there or if I want a different angle.

Well, it is Monday.. Gotta go get food to eat for the week and such so only had an hour or two in the garage today...

Replaced the Throttle cable only to realize there is no Decelerator cable on bike... One more thing to order. I can not really see a purpose for this cable except to be a source of a ready spare, good enough reason in my book.

Replaced the left switch pod (old one was trashed) and rerouted all the wires and cables so they loop behind the headlamp.

Installed the proper new battery and ran the bike for 5 minutes. Runs well except that leak on the cam ends..

Ordered a new front brake lever this weekend, and a John Deer tractor muffler, still trying to run down a petcock.



Also of note last Friday I took the RE down to Holopaw Ural for a look at there rigs and see what parts I could get down there.. I procured all the frame bosses to attach the car to the tug. I just have to find a local welder to attach them and/or make a subframe.