Looking at a '77 KZ650 project

Greetings folks, I'm looking at a '77 KZ650 soon and was curious what current and former owners think about these. I have a couple Honda CB series and an Yamaha XS bike, but this will be the first Kawasaki in the garage. My dad the infamous Mach III long before I was born, but this is a 650/4, different bikes. I have experience working on middleweight japanese fours of the 70's so I'm eager to look at the bike, and the price is right. It's said to have been sitting since the early 90's but supposedly starts and runs.

Carb rebuild is a matter of fact on these bikes, as is checking for the oil tightness and transmission's condition, but what else would you watch for? I'd swap the tires anyways, so that and the aesthetics do not matter, I'm looking to do a mild custom. I can't see anything that would stop me from purchasing the bike for the money asked, short of a locked motor.

Thanks so much. -S

Look up the word "bulletproof" in Webster's dictionary and you'll find a picture of a 1977 KZ650. I've owned mine since new (April '77) and it's always been fast and reliable. Be sure to change the oil & filter before starting, and you'll want to put on an inline fuel filter in case the tank has hidden crud from not being used in so long. Ed

Ed, thanks for that advice- I was wondering if I'd find an OG owner. I'm going to keep the original airbox so the carbs run right, I will take pictures when I view it and see what kind of exhaust is on it, I'd like to eliminate flat spots and bog and I've learned it's tough to do that when you start cutting out what's underneath the seat.

It has 27K so I'm not expecting a jewel. But your post definitely is good to read. -S

27k miles is no biggy on these bikes, so you may be very pleasantly surprised when you get the bike tuned up. I have about 49,000 miles and have never pulled the head. But when it comes to KZ650 mileage champs, RONKZ650 must be Number 1. I think he has nearly 170,000 miles on his '78 KZ650 and a bunch of miles on other KZ650's (something like 310,000+ miles total!) Keeping the stock airbox will save yuu headaches for sure. I strongly suggest you get the Kawasaki Factory service manual for your bike as it will make you life much easier and save you $$$$$$. Just be sure to get the correct one for your year/model; eBay has them all the time. Is your bike a KZ650B1 (wire wheels, single front disk brake/drum rear brake) or KZ650C1 (cast wheels, dual front disks, single rear disk)? BTW, here's another site, dedicated to KZ650s, that you should join. Like KZRider, it offers tons of good info.

kz650info

Welcome to KZR, you've got a good project waiting for you. I bought my 77 650 new too and have loved it all the way.

Mark

You guys are great. I'll definitely be picking up the original manual. I haven't seen the bike yet so I'm unsure of whether it has the lester/morris style mags or if it has traditional spokes- Hoping for mags & dual discs up front. It'll be nice to have discs all the way around, because I keep reading these are fast bikes, faster than my CB550 for sure.

You can't go wrong with these little rocket ships! I bought mine new also and it's been a love affair since day one. I have almost 60,000 mi on mine and it still runs strong. After riding it for 29 years it still impresses me with it's power and handling. Go for it...

Thanks guys. If it'll fire up ($400 is the max asking) I figure I can't lose. I know Z1 has been selling Dynas for years on metricbike forums like this, so I think that'll be the first upgrade I make, in addition to tires (I figure they'll be pretty hard after 17 years) I know the CB-series disc brake calipers lock up real bad even after a rebuild sometimes, hopefully the KZ's brakes will be easier to work on. I'll start another thread with pictures if everything works out tomorrow.

Hi Skylar and welcome to the KZR Nation. It's great to have you here. You’re in the right place for all things KZ!

IMHO, $400 USD sounds like a good price for a complete, stock and running KZ650... especially if its red... :whistle: Looking forward to pictures to confirm this.

When you're ready we'll get into the data gathering phase with you and you'll get advice to the effect of:
1) Compression,
2) Valve Clearances,
3) Ignition and,
4) Carburetion.

All in that order and all in due time though... you will find some great expertise and experience here.

Best of success.
Bill

PS
Remember, to get the very best feedback please add your year, model and location to your signature... and it's considered real friendly too.
Bill

kawi brakes are way better to deal with thhen the honda brakes from the same time period they are so bad when ever i have to work on a late seventies or early eighties cb or wing i always grab a dead blow hammer on the way out the door when i'm pushing it in to the shop so i can give the calipers a crack so i can actually move the bike by pushing rather than lifting it. by the way welcome you will like the 650 less complicated and much easier to work on.

timebomb33 wrote:

kawi brakes are way better to deal with thhen the honda brakes from the same time period they are so bad when ever i have to work on a late seventies or early eighties cb or wing i always grab a dead blow hammer on the way out the door when i'm pushing it in to the shop so i can give the calipers a crack so i can actually move the bike by pushing rather than lifting it. by the way welcome you will like the 650 less complicated and much easier to work on.

And FASTER too!

Great bikes the KZs. Especially the 650
Post up some pictures if you get her.