Just bought my first Kawi!

Hey all, just saying hello. Bought my first Kawasaki. A 1984 KZ700. This is my first restoration and I'm not sure if I'm going back to stock with it, or maybe do something else, but i'm excited about the project. Looking forward to chatting with everyone here and seeing what everyone is doing with their bikes. Dana

Welcome! Wow I've never heard of a KZ700, but I definitely like it!

I have

Quick give it to me so it is not a burdin they need so much work :whistle:

On a real note I love mine it is the happy medium between the 650 and 750. I have no clue why they "kawasaki " did not give us a kick start lol. So far I have rode mine 2 seasons and am happy with the performance and am looking forward to new suspension and a 6 speed just for fun.

This is a great site with lots of good information, do alot of reading. I knew nothing about bikes till this site now I am the tool guy on our rides lol and they are seldom for the old kz haha

If you need parts Z1 is where it is at they can help with any questions and even get the parts out fast

Our carbs are a nightmare I would sugest trying it yourself if you get close but are still not happy. "Thats where I am with mine lol " widegordge is the only choice from what I hear good price fast turn around and carbs that work...

I am not pushing dealers or Items Just tryn to help a fellow 700 back on the road.

Here is my girl.

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Welcome Dana...nice bike. If one of those bikes fell into my lap, I'd be happy BTW, you have one of 2000 made.

they are super cool good score and a GREAT bike, and the frame, was the gem...not much better handling kz's than one of those with good tires set up well...hard to break too

Hey thanks for the replies and links everyone. I just ordered a shop manual for the KZ750 which I understand is very similar, so I'm going to start digging in this weekend!

:woohoo:

This site has a pdf 750 factory manual. kz.bike-night.com .
Scroll down & click The Bible link to get to the manual's page.

mbsween KZ750L3 Page kz.bike-night.com

Good lookin' bike. Welcome to the site.

Cleaning Motorcycle Electrics

Get some of the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner and figure on spending a good day going from the front of the bike to the back. It’s a plastic safe cleaner/preservative. www.deoxit.com is their website.

On the older Kawasaki's, a majority of electrical connectors are inside the headlight housing requiring removal of the headlight, then the fun begins.

Do one set of electrical connectors at a time to avoid mixing up what connects to where. Usually disconnecting, spraying with De-Oxit and reconnecting is about all you'll need.

However, when encountering the green crud of corrosion, a brass wire brush may be needed on the pins you can reach.Some 400-600 grit wet and dry sandpaper strips rolled into a tube should reach the male and female pins in the more difficult to clean connectors.

Smoker’s pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden toothpicks work as cleaning aids.

Really small electrical connectors may require the use of a welders tip cleaning tool assortment.

Most pins in the connectors are coated with a thin plating of tin, and others may be nothing more than copper or brass.

If moisture is added, the resulting corrosion lowers the voltage/current being carried causing dim lights, slow engine cranking, slow turn signal responce and lower input voltage to the ignition coils resulting in weak spark.

The left and right handlebar switch pods will need attention too as they have circuit functions like turn, horn, run/stop, and start.

Usually a spritz or two with actuation of the switch is about all needed for these switches unless corrosion is detected and then careful disassembly is required.

The ignition switch may or may be not sealed to allow spraying the internal contacts. I urge caution if attempting to open this up as springs, and ball bearings may fly out never to be seen again!

If your bike has the older style glass tubed fuses, I suggest replacing them as vibration can cause internal failure. AGX is the type used, and most auto parts stores can get them for you.

Clean the fuse holder clips, looking for signs of overheating(discolored insulation, signs of melting). I use metal polish on a cotton swab, followed by spraying another clean swab with the De-Oxit and then rubbing the inside of the fuse clip.

All battery cables must be clean and tight for maximum current transfer. Check the cables going from the Negative(-) battery terminal/post to the engine mounting bolt

Also the one going from the Positive(+) terminal to the starter solenoid and from there to the starter motor.

If any battery cable feels ”Crunchy” when flexed, replace it as possible corrosion is inside the insulation.

Each "Bullet Connector" will have to be sprayed to ensure good connectivity, especially the ones going to the energizing coil of the starter solenoid.

The alternator output “Bullet Connectors” are usually behind the engine sprocket cover and will need inspecting and cleaning too.

The turn signal light sockets will benefit from a spritz from the contact cleaner along with the tail light/brake light socket.

Some brake light switches can be sprayed on the actuating rod, with the spray running down inside to the electrical contacts, others may be sealed requiring replacement if the switch is intermittent in operation.

Some people put the Di-Electric Grease on cleaned terminations/connectors, I don’t, as I’ve read/heard it can cause problems when it gets hot, actually insulating the connections, so the choice is yours to use or not.

I think I've covered about all of the electrical systems on the bike.........




Why WD-40 Should Not Be Used On Motorcycle Electrical Items.

For many years, I was proponent of the use of WD-40 on fuse clips, fuses, switches and connectors. After hearing of other peoples experience with intermittent and sporadic activity, I shrugged it off as maybe they did something wrong in the application of the product.


It wasn’t until the time I rode my 1982 GPz1100 B2 model to downtown San Diego that I encountered the problems others had gone through.

After concluding my business downtown, I walked to where my bike was parked, turned the key to unlock the forks, and prepared to start the engine. The key was in the "On" position, yet I had no lights in the dash panel, the fuel pump was not running(I have FI), and the horn and tail light were not working.

Puzzled as to why nothing electrical was happening, I remember my earlier conversations about how WD-40 will over time become a non-conductor(more like an insulator). I had some pieces of 400 and 600 grit sandpaper in my tool kit and with them was able to scratch away the coating from the WD-40 on the fuses and clips.

After removing the insulating film, the bike started and ran like it should. Since that time, I’ve told people about the problem with WD-40. If you must use a contact cleaner, I recommend getting some "De-oxit" from Radio Shack Stores or any good electronic supply store.

Welcome Dana.
Nice looking 700.