Yet another Newbie from Indy!

Hey gang...Tyler here. Just bought my very first bike 3 days ago and went out to start learning to ride last night for the first time. I'm lucky enough that I'm able to keep the bike, for now, where I work and it's a large enough property that I can learn to ride in a controlled environment. I've been coming to this site now for about a month, once I figured out that the old KZ's were definitely the way to go for my first bike. It's a great site, and I'm sure I'll keep you all busy with lots of questions. I'm not all that mechanically inclined, but plan to work on the bike over the winter to make sure it's in pristine condition for next spring. A few things I've noticed the bike needs so far:
1. the speedometer/Tach are not working, and only 1 indicator light works (braking light). Not sure if I need a whole new assembly or if anyone has any tips?
2. new seat lock; the current one has a key broken off in it.
3. has an aftermarket horn, but not hooked up
4. I have the turn signals, but they are not hooked up
5. has just a bar end mirror on the left side...as a newbie, I will feel more comfortable getting stock or better mirrors on there.
6. needs a chain guard
7. I will change the oil over the winter too.

any suggestions / tips you can provide is greatly appreciated. I'll post pics in just a second....

T

here's some pics...

another...

and another...

and another...

it looks from your picturs that your tach and speedo don't have any cables that would be a good start they use a drive cable not electronics to work. the speedo drive is on the left side of the front axle you will see the drive for it there the tach is driven off the front of the engine right below the valve cover in the cylinder head right of the cam chain tunnel by the way you have come the right place and you picked up a great looking little bike you should be proud the rest of the problems we can help out with as time goes on. by the way z1 enterprises will have the cables you need and they are reasonably priced and easy to install.

Welcome to the madness! Looks like a nice bike. You should consider buying the Kawasaki Factory Service Manual for your bike. It will save you tons of $$$ and time, and it describes step by step how to perform all the maintenance you will ever need to do on your bike along with a maintenance schedule. It gives instructions for checking to see if items are worn beyond service limits. It also gives a description of how each system on your bike works along with (and this IS important) torque specifications for fasteners, where to apply gasket sealants, and where to use locking agents. If you plan to keep the bike a while and do your own maintenance you will also need 2 torque wrenches, small scale and large scale, to do the work properly. You can nearly always find the Kawasaki factory manuals (don’t bother with aftermarket crap like Clymer, Hayes, Joe Deeks, etc.) on eBay. Just be sure to get the specific one for your bike year and model. Also, eBay will have all the little bits and pidces (like chain guard, seat lock, etc.) that you may need. Parts for KZ650's are plentiful. It helps if you go to Kawasaki.com (owner info/parts manuals) to find out if the parts you need are still available (active) from Kawasaki and which other Kawasaki year/models the parts you need interchanges with. Ed

Wow...thanks guys for the quick responses and great info. Looks like my frist step will be finding a manual. I was planning on trying to find one anyway...but the sooner the better!
I appreciate the help and will keep everyone posted.

T

quick question...how do I find out the EXACT model of my bike? I'm told it's a 78 KZ650B...but when looking up manuals and such, I find a 650B2A or a B2.

welcome tenyart im from indianapolis,in. im not the greatest mechanic or as good as most of theses guys but if i can help any im more than willing.

tenyardt wrote: "quick question...how do I find out the EXACT model of my bike? I'm told it's a 78 KZ650B...but when looking up manuals and such, I find a 650B2A or a B2."

Unless the wheels and brakes have been swapped off anothher model, it's not a B2 or B2A. I'll send some info when I get home this evening that may help you pinpoint the model.

What is the VIN number (from steering neck) and engine number?

Ed

thanks Rob. welcome to you as well. I've only been a KZ owner for a week, but LOVE this site! I live on the NW side of Indy.