KZ650 Project

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum but will be mining through the archives to look up what mods work well on these bikes.
I've bought a KZ650 (pics below) which is due for delivery on Tuesday. I bought it from a dealership but I haven't had a chance to see the paperwork - so I'm not exactly sure what year it is (specific model). The engine cover is atypical and I am pretty sure this is a cruiser conversion - I've yet to see a kz in this style.
The bike is running but needs a few pieces sorted - the rubber boot on the rhs from the carb is cracked - I reckon a £40 fix.

It has had a front end swap but I'll have to get the previous owner to clarify so I can sort appropriate calipers and master cylinder (it currently has an adapter to relocate the original single caliper).

I got the bike for a very small price by Irish standards so I don't mind spending a bit on it. I've been looking at cosmetic changes but I'm generally veering towards a cafe style - which means new rear shocks to get the stance closer to right and new tank as well. I'm planning to work on it incrementally over months and I'll consider selling it at the end if the money is right.

All comments are welcome.

Hello Ciaran,
Welcome to KZR! I'm not sure if you are aware that we're just about to move to a new hosting company and once we do your account may well vanish. If that happens please know that there's no issue just rough timing, Please do re register.
Thanks
Bill

Thanks for the information. I'll be sure to re-register as I'll be looking for advice as the project progresses. While I hope to get clarification from the previous owner - would I be right in saying that this is a KZ1000 front end swap. Is that a common mod to these bikes?
I was just looking at someone else's first post and though the front ends bore a similiarity.

I have a list of about 10 cosmetic mods I think are fairly high on my list but I want the brakes and that inlet manifold sorted first.

Well Ciarán, welcome from Galway, you are in the right place for all the info a tips you could ever need, sometimes wither you were looking for them or not. The bike is sporting a fair few non Kawasaki parts by the looks of it, from the tank to the front and rear mudguards, lights, clocks and signals and the rear subframe looks like its been chopped short, kinda like my Z1 when i got her. If your going cafe with it you would be loosing a lot of that anyways. Looking forward to seeing where you are going to go with her as im off to pick up a kz750 csr twin tomorrow, also unsure of the year but im guessing 82.

Thanks for the comment. I have gotten word from the dealer that the bike is 1981 - depending on whether that's year of manufacture or year first registered that suggests it's an F1 or F2.

I am still waiting to hear about the donor for the front end - will save me time and effort trying to get appropriate calipers.

Yea she is set up a bit weird, that block of steel holing the caliper looks dodgy and is fooling no one... Far as i know and the kz650/750 builders will chime in on this is a fair few of the 750 parts can be swapped to the 650 depending on the model, In Ireland vintage parts are few and far between, eBay will be your best friend, if you order from Europe you're golden but from the state you might get stung for duty in 1 in 4 but if you can keep the purchase under 150euro to keep that sting to a minimum.

This is a good build to follow, absolutely meticulous builder and i think your bike could be a 1980 kz650 f.
www.kzrider.com/forum/forum-index/11-pro...746-kz650-cafe-racer

From the double bolts on the lower triple, the triple tree could be from a 1000P police bike. I'm not aware of any other models with the doubled-up bolts that face outwards like that. Those aren't police bike forks, but if it is a police triple, the forks would have to be 38mm, possibly from a 1000J repainted silver. guessing. note the block shapes on the forks near the dust boots. Most if not all smaller KZs don't have that.

ps: the size of the wheel should help the identification as well as the information on the disks.

Hi all, seems a few posts have been deleted but long story short:
1. Frame and engine numbers confirm the motorcycle is a 1980 (K)Z650-F1.
2. Best I can tell the forks are from a (k)Z650-F2 as per this pic. You can compare it to the attached pic of my bike.

I'd love to source brakes and a tank for the bike but I'm hitting a brick wall with both tasks. I'm strongly considering buying either used brakes from a non-abs bike or brand new calipers and reverse engineering a bracket for them. It'll be expensive but probably worthwhile. I'd love if somebody had info on tanks that were a straight fit or required minimal modification to work on the F1.

I would measure the forks with a digital caliper. I don't know what size the 650-F2 would have had, but I'd guess the same as just about every other 650 & 750-4 >> 36mm.

You might find this pic interesting. note the caliper brackets. I've never seen this before.

Thanks for sharing that pic. That bracket is seemingly just a nicely machined version of what's on my bike! I'd have imagined that it would make more sense to locate the brake closer to the fork - with a more up swept bracket rather than the horizontal approach taken.

I'm looking at picking up a pair of calipers from an early 00s sportsbike 500-650cc range. Those calipers would cope with stopping a bike weighing probably a little less but likely going faster. Something like these might work.Something like these might work .
The KZ had a dry weight of about 211kg new -with the 03 CBR600rr weighing in at 169kg by comparison - albeit with almost twice the horsepower to contend with.
I'm not looking for sportbike performance here - I'd imagine pretty much any dual caliper set up will be a significant improvement over what this machine left the factory with.

Hey Ciarán, what is the center to center on the mounting holes on your forks? Where are you in Ireland?