Ignition

I have the Clymer manual for my 77 kx650. However it reads like crap! I am in no way a "dummie" BUT, why is it so hard to understand? In the ignition part of the book there are 3 paragraphs that simply explain what the ignition does!!! Not what the 5 or 6 wires coming off of it do or where they go! I have other post about having lost keys to it. I would be just fine with having a hidden button to "act" as my key but cant find the knowledge to let me do so.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationI suggest you buy a Kawasaki Service Manual. Be sure to get one for your exact year/model because among other things, there are big differences between the 1977 KZ650-B1 / C1 charging systems and all later charging systems. I wouldn't trust the Clymers or Haynes manuals to get it right. You don't say which model KZ650 you have, but if it's a C1 get the manual that includes it because its brakes & wheels are different than the B1. If it's a B1 the KZ650 Kawasaki Shop Manual (printed in 1976) will cover it. An example of the one that covers the B1 is shown below. Are you positive yours is a 1977 model? Not trying to be insulting, but some folks mix up the 1978 model that were built in late 1977 with the 1977 model. The 1977 generator cover has the 3 allen bolts circled in the image down below. Ed

Hey Ed. Yeah that's what the title tells me too. Do you have a good link for a solid manual? I assumed what I got would cover all bases. I was wrong.

Edit...

I see your link now Thank you!

1 more thing. How do I know if it's a b or c?

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationThanks for the picture. It shows your bike is a 1977 KZ650-C1. You can tell it's a C model because it has alloy wheels, dual front disk brakes, and a rear disk brake. The manual in the eBay link I gave above will not cover the items, such as brakes and wheels, that were unique to the C model. The manual below is the correct manual for the KZ650-C1 and B1; it covers both and is the manual you need for your bike. I would snatch it up quickly because the manuals covering the C1 are very scarce. Ed

Is there a way to tell the two manuals apart from the front cover? They both seem to have a B model on the front cover.

Kawasaki factory manuals have a model application chart on the back cover.
Also, they also have a part number on the back as well.



1981-83 KZ650

Yes, thanks Martin, but I was asking if they can be distinguished by looking at the front cover, since that one ebay listing only shows the front cover.

I also see on the second listing that the back cover does in fact say "1976 KZ650B1". So maybe Kawasaki actually intended to sell the B1 in 1976? Or was it available earlier elsewhere than in the states?

Since the B1 and C1 were available in the same year, I would have thought they both would have been listed as the same year, but the manual shows 1976 for the B1, and 1977 for the C1.

The picture on the front cover does not identify which models are covered. The same picture was on the front of several different manuals. The only way to be positive is to see the back cover. There is one exception - the first edition of the Kawasaki Service Manual has the title "KAWASAKI SHOP MANUAL" on the front cover. This edition covers ONLY the 1977 KZ650-B1. It was printed on April 20, 1976. Despite the info on the back of the B1/C1 manual, there is no such thing as a Model 1976 KZ650. The first model year is 1977 - the B1 and C1 were both 1977 models. However, the first edition of the manual was printed in 1976 and the earliest 1977 model KZ650's were built in the latter part of 1976. This is not uncommon. Car manufacturers have always started building and selling next year's models toward the end of the current year. Ed

Thanks Ed.

I didn't even notice the "SHOP" versus "SERVICE" text. I was just looking at the bike to see if there was any little detail in the photos that was different. But the giant white lettering is pretty obvious, if I had just scrolled down. D'oh :blush: