kz650 1978 Q/A

hardrockminer wrote: Interesting gasket kit. Kawasaki must have made and sold kits at some point. If you look on the bottom left corner....the yellow sticker...there is no computer code on it, which means it is pre-1990's or thereabouts. I haven't ordered any gaskets for my engine rebuild yet, but when I do I'll order via Partzilla or go directly to a Kawasaki dealer. Again...I will only order the head gasket and the base gasket OEM. I'm fine with jobber gaskets for the rest of the build.

Where did you get yours? Did you price kit vs piecing together? Wonder if buying kit from Vesrah and just throwing away base/head gaskets will still be cheaper than trying to source all pieces separately.

Another Q is if I DO get Wiseco piston kit, those seem to come with gaskets. Are those any good?

I will buy a base gasket and head gasket from Kawasaki through Partzilla. But I'm a ways away from putting the engine back together. Currently working on the frame, which was cut when I bought it.

The rest of the gaskets...the PO was a mechanic who tore the engine down and rebuilt it (very shitty rebuild) but didn't run the engine. When I dismantled it the gaskets were still good as new...no tears....don't know where he got them but he got a kit from somewhere. I will reuse the gaskets that aren't critical to stopping oil leaks.

I agree on Vesrah....I've used their gaskets without issues. I believe they are made in Japan.

I can't help you on the Wiseco thing.

What about clutch disks? They look perfect to me. Metal disks like new. No wear, no overheating signs. Carbon ones also look great to me.

What is the life span of clutch? This one does not look abused. Basked does not have much wear from disks either

Do you have a manual? There is a spec for both the steel and the fibre discs. Steel are checked for warping. Fibre are checked for thickness. You can find and download the '77 manual on this site.

hardrockminer wrote: Do you have a manual? There is a spec for both the steel and the fibre discs. Steel are checked for warping. Fibre are checked for thickness. You can find and download the '77 manual on this site.

Doh.. Yes I do. And yes it's there along with much more info. Now I need to figure out how to test spring tension when compressed to needed size

Hi

I had a Wiseco 720 kit in a KZ650 at one point a number of years back, well worth doing in my view. From what I remember (but it was a while ago) the head gaskets are made by Comtech, who make high quality race spec stuff, so you'll have no problems with it. I don't think you've got any other option as the standard 650 gasket will be to small once you've bored the barrels out.
A complete Vesrah set was about £100 a couple of years ago, so its still cheaper to buy one of these and replace the head and base gaskets with genuine ones if thats the way you want to go.

Andy wrote: Hi

I had a Wiseco 720 kit in a KZ650 at one point a number of years back, well worth doing in my view. From what I remember (but it was a while ago) the head gaskets are made by Comtech, who make high quality race spec stuff, so you'll have no problems with it. I don't think you've got any other option as the standard 650 gasket will be to small once you've bored the barrels out.
A complete Vesrah set was about £100 a couple of years ago, so its still cheaper to buy one of these and replace the head and base gaskets with genuine ones if thats the way you want to go.

Andy, those are 700cc kits I am talking about (64mm bore). They also come with gaskets

Ok, now that I see scope of work needed I might just go with ghetto hone (if current dimensions OK-ish) and don't do anything else. And go with Vesrah gaskets for everything.

Then, it won't be a "big deal" to go with 700 kit and better gaskets once I see bike run. Right now there is a lot of restoration work everywhere else, so it probably won't make sense spend another $1k without knowing if it all will run, if I will like this bike, etc

Katit, The Wiseco piston kits are very good quality but beware the Cometic head gasket that comes with it.
My 720 kit came with a Cometic gasket and it was of exceedingly poor quality, so much so that it went in the bin!
Use Kawasaki gasket 11004-1268, expensive yes but no compromise on quality and peace of mind.
Also try to find machine shop that has done this type of work before.

wrote:

2 - For base and head gaskets, use OEM. For the rest it doesn't matter much. Use 3 bond to seal your cases. Spread thinly.

 

Is this correct stuff for cases?
www.amazon.com/Three-Bond-Sealant-Liquid...a-568272072126&psc=1
 

Yep.  That will do the job.  I used white on my last two cases.  You don't need very much.  I lay a very thin bead and then smear it over the surface with my fingers.  Be careful to avoid any buildup on the inside of the case.  It will eventually break off and stick in your oil strainer.

Speaking of gaskets. Do you use anything where gaskets used? Like tranny, clutch, pan covers? Maybe some gasket spray?
 

I don't use anything on gaskets except the head gasket.  I spray it with Permatex copper.  Most people will say you don't need to spray it and they're probably right but because of the cost for OEM head gaskets I like to make sure it's as good as I can make it before bolting the head in place.