1977 Kz 650 B?

Hi guys,

Long story short: (sort of...)
Went out to check out what I thought was going to be a 1978 Kz 750, but when the owner pulled the cover off the bike, to my surprize I found a rather sad looking 1977 Kz 650B. My original response was "oh well let's get out of here", but after walking around it for a while, I started to like what I saw and can definintely see the potential in this "project bike".

My question really is just asking folks out there that might have experience with the 650''s what they thought or think of the bikes, how they perform, how difficult (or easy they are to work on), and where the best site are for parts.

I live in the North East, so if anyone can recommend a good shop here in Northern New Hampshire I would appreciate that too!

Thanks for your suggestions and help with this!

Oh, The bike was running when it put it away last year, but it has sat there for a year and was not started. Battery was dead, couldn't kick start it to turn it over, but compression seemed ok to my very unskilled eye! Dark blue tank, light blue side panels, and a faded red custom seat (first thing to go!) He would like $500. Too much??? Make him an offer? Could be a sweet ride with a little sweat equity.

Thanks again!
Chris

I am sure someone will chime in as the 650's seem quite popular,does he have a clear title? if that is the case and it has good rubber with no weatherchecking then have him buy a battery and check that all the electrics are up to snuff, then take and run her thru the gears,if he wont allow test rides then ride on the back or follow him around,if he is having running issues it would be pretty easy to spot if you have some experience...if you dont have an experinced friend come along

if its a good running bike that performs as it should I dont think 500.00 is out of line if its reasonably clean,if hes not willing to get a battery and fire it up for you and you cant seem to walk away, then I would offer him 200.00 with a title or 100.00 without one,providing he gives a notorized bill of sale

The 650's are great bikes! IMO no other 650s of that era could compete with the kz.

$500 sounds a little steep for a bike that you can't even hear run.

Maybe you could jump start it. If you decide to jump start it from a car make sure the car is not running!

Z650s are great fun. My Z650C has me sliding down the seat under full acceleration. Had a B1 many years ago and I think that was even quicker, though it was a bit stuttery below 4000rpm which, if I remember right, is a characteristic of the B1; cured by carb mods on the B2 and C models.

KZ650's are great bikes!
Parts are plentiful...used on ebay...new at z1enterprises.
Fast and fun.
They even have their own site kz650.info

Ofcourse, I'm not biased or anything!
:laugh:

I'm a little prejudiced too....
One thing to watch out for is a bad starter clutch. Those suckers are buried deep inside the engine and can be a real beach to repair/replace.
Another "gotcha" is intake valve/seat recession, common to all early 8 valve Kwaks. If the compression is not up where it should be, start knocking the price down. Valve seat recession CAN be cured with a valve shim adjustment.....
but bad compression can also be caused by a burnt exhaust valve (or valves)....
and you can't tell which problem is causing the poor compression UNTIL you check the clearances.....
which the current owner is NOT going to let you do, I'm sure.
If it won't idle nicely (assuming you can get him to fire it up), start lowballing the price. You COULD end up buying a parts bike.....:ohmy:

I have a 1978 KZ650B2. Great bike for short trips. Lots of parts available. Not a hi-way cruiser. They have a reputation of running rough until warm. Never buy a bike that is not running, unless you only pay the equivalent of a parts bike price I have been looking for another bike to fix up for 2 years, and every seller says that their bike ran just last year and only needs a battery or gas. That includes 2 that were seized.

I have a 77 650 b,, was my first bike and still like it, easy to handle, pretty easy to work on, dont think you are going to find anybody to work on it, shop wise, but you can buy a clymer book and do just about anything you want.
they are very reliable bikes, and as far as long distance,I have but many miles on mine, and another member here rode his 650 to calif and back,so they are good hyw bikes as well

500s too much for around here if it isnt running. id offer 2 and see where it goes. ive got a used but ok seat that i think will fit that to get you going too...good luck

$500 Would be OK not running if it looks good. If it's your basic repaint, not running, then that's too much. I'd rather buy a nice one not running than a running one that looks like crap. One of the magazines said a long time ago, you can basically determine the shape of the entire motorcycle by it's outward appearance. If it's crap out, it's crap in too most likely.

RonKZ650 wrote:

$500 Would be OK not running if it looks good. If it's your basic repaint, not running, then that's too much. I'd rather buy a nice one not running than a running one that looks like crap. One of the magazines said a long time ago, you can basically determine the shape of the entire motorcycle by it's outward appearance. If it's crap out, it's crap in too most likely.

I dunno, i have seen some of the ugliest bikes in the world, but the engines run and sound like there brand new. For instance my neighbor just bought a 76 kz 900, but ass ugly but does it run good. And the motor is so quiet, just like it rolled off the kawi assembly line. I have also seen some beautiful bikes that run like shit. When i was on my way out to mid ohio bike days a couple of months ago i seen a "custom" harley that was running like crap, spitting and popping and bucking and such, i dunno maby thats the way harleys run.:huh: