KZ650 Gaskets And Shims In Canada

I have a 1977 KZ650-B1 with 56,000 km that I have revived/restored to stock with parts and help from some KZRider members. I just found out after only 100 km that my clutch plates are slipping badly. Good thing my wife turned down my offer to ride with me… she probably would not have enjoyed pushing it home as much as her exercise classes... not sure why though. I'm using 10w40 Motorcycle oil, no wear marks on the steel plates and the clutch cable adjustment is OK. Looking at the maintenance list from the previous owner, these were probably the original plates. New plates are on order for my local Kawasaki dealer$$$

Now, I need to get a new Clutch Cover gasket and I don't want to pay an-arm-and-a-leg again for US Funds conversion, transportation charges plus Customs Canada charges and delays for the eBay stuff? The big names all seem to ship from the USA even if I Google for Canada! Also, I don’t want to pay for a full gasket set! Any idea where I can get individual gaskets from a Canadian source and at good prices?

Next, I’m planning to check/adjust the tappets. I will need a set of shims so, a source for these and the Cylinder Head Cover Gasket is next. Any ideas?

I’m a hands-on guy so, I have a fair amount of experience and good with gaskets in general but are there any cautions about changing gaskets on a KZ650-B1 specifically?

Confident enough to do it… but experienced enough to ask-around first! Thanks guys.

Post edited by: bill_wilcox100, at: 2006/06/24 21:10

check out Z1 in the links for parts, and you can use silicone (debateable topic) or cut your own from gasket material found at crappy tire (cheap, but time consuming to make the gasket)

Hi Bill - I found the Kawi dealer here has very fast delivery on non-stocked small parts, if I gave him the part number off the buykawasaki.com website, as they use a microfiche lookup for bikes older than 1989. The dealer and an independant shop here both have a shim exchange programs, costing only a few bucks each. Many of the Canadian guys buy from Jeff at Z1
www.z1enterprises.com/
which is only about a 5 hr ride from Montreal through upstate NY. They have fast shipping to Canada. I sometimes have stuff shipped to the border to save on freight costs and clear it myself to avoid any mail import hassle. Hopefully this is suggests some viable options for you:)

I have the gasket material in the workshop but I don't have the time. I'm ofF to BC to do some training and I don't want to lose another week of riding when I get back... you understand since our summers are so short.

Will try out Z1. Thanks for the quick response. Nice to see some Canadian feedback. Thanks.

Thanks guys. Just checked out Z1 located in Marion, NY. Good KZ650 stuff! Easy site to navigate.

But I'm still holding out for a Canadian supplier... maybe there are none! Anyone have any other leads?

Parts Canada has a 1347 page online motorcycle parts catalog with warehousing in London and Calgary. They are distributers for companies like HJC, Z1R,Icon, Alpinestars, Thor, Kuryakyn, Drag Specialties, Vance & Hines, Hindle, Yoshimura, Moose, DP Brakes and Motorex. Except for maintenance parts like chain, brake pads etc I don't think they have much specifically for vintage bikes. There are a quite a few others who have eBay stores and one large you see mentioned in this forum quite often is Sirius Consolidated Inc. They handle carb kits, petcock kits, tune up kits, gasket sets, fork seals, carb jet kits; piston sets, cables, brake hoses, brake rebuild kits, points & condensors, spark plugs, parts & service to all vintage Japanese motorcycles out of Kitchener.

Parts N More ships out of Canada saving on duty and taxes. Shipping is free for orders over $50 US. Quick service!

Good stuff guys! I just arrived in Vancouver and got this hotel wireless access working so I'll visit these company sites now. Maybe I can order what I need and have it home before I get back. That would be cool. Thanks again.

I just placed an order with partsnmore at( www.partsnmore.com/ ) for a full Engine Gasket Set plus 4 Carburetor kits. I should get the Canadian Prices and applicable Canadian Taxes quote from them tomorrow. After that I have to pay with a credit card since they are not setup to accept a PayPal payment from me in Canada... curious?

They promise no shipping charges for orders with and equivalent value of over $50 US Funds instead of the $30 in the USA... so that’s good.

After receipt of payment, they also say delivery in 5 to 7 days so we'll see. I'll get back with an update so that other Canadian KZR's can see if this works for them.

All this run-around must sound odd to the American KZR's... but that's KZ'ing in Canada.

I just placed an order with partsnmore at( www.partsnmore.com/ ) for a full Engine Gasket Set plus 4 Carburetor kits. I should get the Canadian Prices and applicable Canadian Taxes quote from them tomorrow. After that I have to pay with a credit card since they are not setup to accept a PayPal payment from me in Canada... curious?

They promise no shipping charges for orders with and equivalent value of over $50 US Funds instead of the $30 in the USA... so that’s good.

After receipt of payment, they also say delivery in 5 to 7 days so we'll see. I'll get back with an update so that other Canadian KZR's can see if this works for them.

All this run-around must sound odd to the American KZR's... but that's KZ'ing in Canada.

Bill

If you are still in van and want a free place to crash let me know. I am about an hour out of town and work in vancouver every day.

feel free to give me a shout and I can tour you around to some shops in town.

xc

778-772-9126

Now that's west coast hospitality! This trip is all business as I'm hear for my client, Roger's, and its face time and hotels for the hole week. Thanks for the offer.

Good luck with your project bikes... I feel your pain... or whatever we get out of them.

If I get a no-show, maybe we can do a few brews. Cheers!

So that this doesn’t get moved to the chat section, do you have a lead on a set (4) of Carburetor Synchronizer gauges in town?

Thanks.