turbo charger for my kz650

can i put a turbocharger on my kz650?
where would i start to get information on what i would need?
how much could i find one for?
thanks

neh810 wrote:

can i put a turbocharger on my kz650?
where would i start to get information on what i would need?
how much could i find one for?
thanks

Yes you can turbo your 650. There's more to it than just buying a turbo and bolting it on. This site has lots of threads on it. Turbos are expensive, it can be several hundred for just the unit itself. Then there's all the associated plumbing.

check www.mrturbo.com
www.rbracing-rsr.com

these sites have some technical info to consider.

Kawi has already made a couple of turbo bikes I believe.The Z1R TC and I believe they also turboed a 750 at one time (not sure about this).Might check those out and see how the factory guys did it and will give u some ideas.Not sure who makes an aftermarket turbo but someone here should know.Good luck.bj

It would be easier to go buy a GPZ 750 turbo that is a factory bike. A turbo setup is 5 grand for a new one

I have done a lot of thinking about turbo-ing a 650 and here are my thoughts on it. I probably will do this in the winter of 2012, I'll be out of school and working as an engineer then, I'll be able to afford it.

Totally rebuild your engine, head, bottom end, etc. Get a set of GPz750 Turbo connecting rods and stick them in. Get a KZ750 block, bore to 810 and use the wiseco 810cc piston kit for a 750 turbo. Use your stock 750 cams, thats what the GPz750E(turbo) used. So your engine is built.

Now, make a turbo manifold and exhaust for your selected turbo (I'd use a Garrett GT12). Then, make your boost plumbing. For fueling use a set of throttle bodies from some other bike(GSX600R, etc), you'll probably have to make a new intake manifold. You can buy APE nitrous manifolds, plug the nitrous holes, and make your manifold from there. Then a microsquirt efi and some sort of ignition system and you're done. Have fun with the tuning.

I did it way back in 1980 and it didn't work out in my case. After painstakingly getting it installed the problems I had were many.
1. Junk turbo carb at the time was very hard to get to work correctly.
2. Stock 650 does not move enough exhaust to spin the turbo so lag was horrible.
3. Stock clutch plates would not take the turbo power after it did finally set in.
So my scenerio was I'd sit like a dumb Harley blipping the throttle to keep it running at stoplights, take off from a light at full throttle and 9000RPMs with about 20hp for the first 5 seconds or so then all of a sudden that turbo power which was pretty neat, then clutch slip. I kept it on there for probably a week and that was plenty long enough. To make matters worse I bought one of those black Z1R-TCs as if I hadn't sufferered enough. I loved that bike except the turbo and crap bad black paint from Moly Graphics and that was that. Best day of my life watching that thing roll into the semi when I got rid of it.
Turbos are probably different now, but a foul taste is in my mouth for eternity after these two tests of the concept which did not bring any joy to me.

Ron raises a great point. A turbo system, done incorrectly, can bring you nothing but misery and pain. Make sure you know what you're doing, size a proper turbine/compressor combo for your application, make sure the fueling is spot on and it'll be great.

If you don't do these things, and just stick on things that "should" work, you'll just be in the same position Ron describes. A turbo setup is not to be taken lightly, absolutely everything has to be taken into account. Braking, suspension, fuel supply, ignition, exhaust, etc. Not to mention the engine internal mods that need to happen so that you can have the power and not blow anything up.

Bottom line, don't do it if you're unsure and don't have $4-5000 to stuck into it. I'll give you an automotive example. Just to get a turbo I got for my car installed with the correct fueling and cooling, it would cost approximately $1500-2000. I costed a full setup so that I could put down the power, have a suspension to handle it, and a million other things to make a reliable turbo car and the estimate came out to $3000 on top of what I already said. So thats $5000 in just parts, imagine all the unforseens you have and you're getting into $6000 to have a proper turbo setup installed on a vehicle with everything to support it. Thats without the cost of the turbo, I got that for $100 form a friend because he was upgrading. A bike isn't as complicated, but by the time you have everything done I'd estimate at least four grand.

T_Dub wrote:

I have done a lot of thinking about turbo-ing a 650 and here are my thoughts on it. I probably will do this in the winter of 2012, I'll be out of school and working as an engineer then, I'll be able to afford it.

Totally rebuild your engine, head, bottom end, etc. Get a set of GPz750 Turbo connecting rods and stick them in. Get a KZ750 block, bore to 810 and use the wiseco 810cc piston kit for a 750 turbo. Use your stock 750 cams, thats what the GPz750E(turbo) used. So your engine is built.

Now, make a turbo manifold and exhaust for your selected turbo (I'd use a Garrett GT12). Then, make your boost plumbing. For fueling use a set of throttle bodies from some other bike(GSX600R, etc), you'll probably have to make a new intake manifold. You can buy APE nitrous manifolds, plug the nitrous holes, and make your manifold from there. Then a microsquirt efi and some sort of ignition system and you're done. Have fun with the tuning.

I have been contemplating this exact scenario! I have a donor 650, just waiting for the right time to spring the project on the wife....of course, the turbo goes with an upgraded clutch and a modern suspension/tire/wheel combo...

I wasn't sure about the con rods, though. Are the crank journal sides the same size as the 650/750 rods? I know the piston pin is a different size. If money were no object (right...) I was thinking of having someone make a custom set of rods for the crank that fit the Wiseco 810cc low compression pistons for the GPZ750 Turbo.

At some point you'll be paying for dyno time to tune as well...it's not worth doing the butt dyno when you've got that much cash sunk into the engine alone already...

According to steell, the GPz turbo rods will fit on the 650 crank no prob. He said thats all you need to convert the 650 in order to run the 810 low comp pistons. I even came across some on ebay a while back for $30, I'm kicking myself for not getting them then. I might not do the project for a few more years, but it sucks since they're a rare part. I wont be overlooking a set of those ever again.

Oh and thats a typo in my other post, the stock KZ650 cams are the same as the GPz750E.

If you don't do it for another couple years like me, we could perhaps try and get a group buy on rods for this application. I bet the price wouldn't be as much if we could get three or four guys who wanted them.

Let me know if you ever get a spare set or two ...