Update: Definitive KZ650 installation of Delkevic 4-1 exhaust. I did it!!!!

Hi. If my memory is correct, basically you’ll have a left side , muffler and two down pipes, and a right side. There is a crossover (equalizer) underneath the engine and that can go with either side. Penatrating oil and be gentle, especially with the exhaust keepers and collar nuts. You don’t want to snap those studs. Save all the hardware as it may (!) be tough to replace. Also there should be copper crush rings in the exhaust ports, probably black fron the exhaust soot from 40 years. Usually advisable to replace those. Z1E has them for sure.
Good luck and keep us posted. Happy New Year too

Don't take this the wrong way, but you do any research at all before you post questions here?

General forum etiquette means you make some effort on your own before asking for help. A factory service manual would have answered your questions. Do you have a manual?

In another thread you mentioned that you re wrapped the headers 2 months ago, so I assume you didn't remove the to do that?

Nerdy wrote: Don't take this the wrong way, but you do any research at all before you post questions here?

General forum etiquette means you make some effort on your own before asking for help. A factory service manual would have answered your questions. Do you have a manual?

Yes I actually DID do research and even found a few youtube videos. However the old timers in this forum have INVALUABLE information and I ALWAYS check in with them regardless of the manual instructions and whatever information I might find elsewhere. Surely, if youve been in this forum long enough, you know that lots of tips are NOT in the manual and are shared via this site.

Thanks for asking.

78z1Joe wrote: Hi. If my memory is correct, basically you’ll have a left side , muffler and two down pipes, and a right side. There is a crossover (equalizer) underneath the engine and that can go with either side. Penatrating oil and be gentle, especially with the exhaust keepers and collar nuts. You don’t want to snap those studs. Save all the hardware as it may (!) be tough to replace. Also there should be copper crush rings in the exhaust ports, probably black fron the exhaust soot from 40 years. Usually advisable to replace those. Z1E has them for sure.
Good luck and keep us posted. Happy New Year too

Thanks for this.

I actually ordered new studs and new nuts just in case. Bought them from a shop in England and they arrived in 4 days to me here in the States!!!

What i was asking is, can i simply unbolt the exhaust from the front, then the rear and then slide the whole thing out. There are varying opinions on this, some ppl saying that its better to take the the entire exhaust apart, piece by piece, which I dont want to do. Ive performed a lot of maintenance on my bikes, etc, but have NEVER changed an exhaust. Its a new challenge

I don't know the best way for your bike, but I placed shipping boxes underneath the muffler system for support, unbolted the mufflers, unbolded the headers, then slide the whole thing out from under the motorcycle as a unit. I put tube socks onto the muffler ends & wrapped/taped towels around the mufflers & pipes to avoid any scratches. It's been a while, but after unbolting, I changed the size of the boxes to make maneuvering the mufflers easier.


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Its been a few years but I think you need to first get the system loose on the bike, both at the head pipes and the back, and then separate the halves at the crossover before you can remove the system.

The cross-over gaskets can be kind of stuck, so it may take some twisting & pulling to separate the halves. not easily done with the mufflers on the motorcycle.


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martin_csr wrote: The cross-over gaskets can be kind of stuck, so it may take some twisting & pulling to separate the halves. not easily done with the mufflers on the motorcycle.


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Yep I think Im going to attempt top slide the whole thing out as one unit. Fingers crossed I dont have any issues. I really want to do this myself. My mechanic gave me a call, asked me what I was up to, and when I told him he said "I'll swap the exhaust for you!" Of course he means at the shop rate of $125 per hour. I want to do this myself.

Place shipping boxes snugly under the muffler system. unbolt everything. then change out the boxes under the mufflers & lower the muffler ends. slide the headers forward, maneuvering them clear of the exhaust ports & place smaller boxes under the exhaust pipes. the rest should be easy. I'm pretty sure that's how I did it. I also had utility rugs under the motorcycle to prevent scratches after removing all of the boxes.

edit: be sure to unlock the steering lock in case you have to move the front wheel.



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martin_csr wrote: Place shipping boxes snugly under the muffler system. unbolt everything. then change out the boxes under the mufflers & lower the mufflers. slide the headers forward, maneuvering them clear of the exhaust ports & place smaller boxes under the exhaust pipes. the rest should be easy. I'm pretty sure that's how I did it. I also had utility rugs under the motorcycle to prevent scratches after removing all of the boxes.

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Thanks so much for this. Will do!

Have a extra set of hands helping you.
Getting it off can require some contorting to get pipes off as a assembly .
Also make sure the bike is held steady or it may end up falling on top of you.
Dave