KZ650 redo--from cafe to tracker

Hey everyone!

I'm in the final stages of some changes to my bike, and I thought y'all might like to see. I picked up my 1979 KZ650B a few years ago after selling a Honda Scrambler I was annoyed with, It's been the best bike I've ever bought. When I got it, it had been converted to a cafe racer. I was more interested in the fact that mechanically it had been well maintained and somewhat rebuilt. When I checked her out, I was thrilled--so I gave the fellow my cash and rode off. Over the last two years I made some minor changes, which you can see from the first two photos. When I got the bike, I liked the cafe set up but much preferred a scrambler/tracker look. I also wasn't crazy about the quality of work they had put into the conversion. So, I slowly changed elements to move towards my KZ dream bike, all while still keeping it able to ride while working on it. New bars here, gauges there, added a fender, etc.

In February, along with a buddy of mine, we began the big changes and work. Replacing gaskets, tuning, syncing, wiring, new tires, paint (and emblem designed by me), battery placement, blinkers, tail light, fenders, new rear shocks that'll add a few inches of height, and wrapped the exhaust white! I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but damn it's been a long few months in the garage. The other goal with the update is to ride this bike to the West Coast in the next year or two. All that we have left is mounting the new battery case I had fabricated, clean up some wiring, and finish the rear fender! I'm not counting the seat that I'm having made, because I made that glorious temporary black seat in some of the photos. It's made of sheet metal, auto foam, and tape. I figured that'll do for the mean time.

Hope you guys dig it! I'm really thrilled with how it's coming together. I'll post some more photos once I have it buttoned up and in the sunshine.

Cheers!

Hello and welcome.

Looks like you slipped past everyone. It does look like a very nice bike. As a cafe it was very classic, looking forward to seeing your vision of the bike completed.

It's easier to view pics if you hit the insert button once you add a file.

Thanks for the welcome and the tip! I can't wait to have it all finished up.

Yeah, I missed this thread too.

I dig it!
Love the color and it's kinda' understated mod looks. So, yes please, more pics!
Did you make any changes to the engine,carbs etc?

No changes to the engine or carbs, just a good thorough cleaning, new gaskets, and tuning. She's always performed great, so I'm happy with the engine as is! The only upgrade for performance besides suspension, is that I'm trying out a Shorai Lithium battery. I've heard good things, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'll attach a photo of it sitting in the battery box I had made!





And I definitely wanted something simple and streamline. Once you start looking at the bike you start to see some rad details, but otherwise I wanted a clean sharp bike.

Welcome.
Glad you like the 650.
They are great bikes.
Looking forward to your project.

The bike is all done! Finally. Next up is getting a seat made! I fabricated a temporary seat to get me through the rest of the season, then once the snow starts flying, I'll take it to a shop that I found that does beautiful seat work. I'm thrilled with the way everything turned out! 8 months of on and off work, but it's finally done!

Very nice.