Must I have a battery?

Recently discovered I do not have a battery in my77650c. Do I have to have one? I remember 10 years ago when there was one I often had to kickstart it anyway.

In the end I would like to make a bobber style bike out of it and would like to minimize extra features.

Easy answer - YES! You absolutely must have a battery on a KZ650-C1 or the bike simply will not run no matter what. It has nothing to do with the electric starter. It is required because the bike has a field coil type charging system. No battery - no run. Ed

If he swapped out his charging system (assuming it can be done fairly easily), could he then go w a capacitor instead of a battery? A capacitor can be used on the 80s Twins... not sure about the 650s.

If you get a battery but don't have a charger, get a good one. I recently bought a Ctek US 0.8 on eebbaayy. If you go that route, be sure to ask if the seller is an authorized dealer.... visit the ctek site to see what I'm talking about.

I think my next battery is going to be one of these.... no more electrolyte level checking, but I may have to wait a few years if the new ctek charger performs as advertised.
YT12C Scorpion 12v 180 CCA Sealed AGM Motorcycle Battery

It's possible, but there's quite a bit to swap. It could be awfully expensive compared to buying a small, high tech battery such as a lithium type. Ed