New KZ'r from Newfoundland

Hello fellow KZ'rs. I'm Perry from Newfoundland, Canada.

I just picked up a 1978 KZ650 D1 on October 1, 2007 and was excited to find this site and forum. Looks to be a great site and will most definitely be a great source of information for my latest project. I plan on tearing down the entire bike and restoring it while adding my own little touches along the way. They won't be drastic changes but just little things to make it more my own. It has around 25,000 miles, is this high milage for one of these engines?

This is only my second bike, my first being a Honda CT70 that I had as a kid. I've always loved the KZ's (my brother had a 1979 KZ1000 MKII) and have always dreamed of owning one. One finally became available in my area so I jumped at the chance. It is a little rough around the edges and needs a bit of work, but that is something I was also looking for. I just finished painting and turbocharging my Nissan 240sx and so needed another project to keep me busy this winter. This will also be my first real foray into the world of carbs. Besides the lawn mower I haven't had any real experience with them, should be fun learning though.

As a warning you can expect a number of questions as I struggle with this project!

I've added some pics to the gallery but here is one just to show the "before" state.

Later


Post edited by: HerrDeacon, at: 2007/10/03 19:36

Post edited by: HerrDeacon, at: 2007/10/03 19:41

Welcome to the site!!

The 650 is probably the most popular bike on KZR. It is a great bike. There are a few riders on here with more than 100,000 miles on there bikes:woohoo:

That is a pretty nice bike to start with! And there are a lot smart people to help you with those problems

Welcome to the forum....you will find just about everything you will need to complete your project right here....
I vacationed once in NFLD, the small town of Ramea. I was an islander for two full weeks....

Welcome Perry. Very nice 650 you've found.

The D model 650 had a different gas tank (coffin/squared tank) than the B and C models. Looks like yours has a B/C model tank.

I prefer the B/C model tank, probably because that's what I've had since high school, when I fell for the Z1. The 650 was designed by the same designer of the Z1, and has a very similar look.

Thanks for the warm welcomes guys. I can't wait to get started on my bike. I've checked out the gallery and there is plenty of nice inspiration there.

rstnick, are you saying that the tank on mine was probably swapped. Just starting to learn about the different models so I'm not sure of all the differences. I know the frame number is of the KZ650D-000001 type, but maybe the previous owner swapped tanks at some point?

Thanks again.

Welcome Perry from way over here in the middle. Keep us updated with lots of pics. Oh and nice looking starter bike buddy