77 650s in the house

Check the picture in this link www.jarlef.no/Kawasaki/Images/Z650/p2/z650B1_77a.jpg which show the type of master cylinder I have on my Euro model.

I got around to looking at some 1977 650-B1 ads. As RONKZ650 pointed out, all the USA ads and brochures that I found show the black metal reservoir. This is also true of the Japanese ads. However, the German ad in Faffi’s link shows the short plastic reservoir. I found a different picture of a European model (see below) that clearly shows the short plastic reservoir and handlebars with external wiring. The bars may have been changed.

Both the Japanese ad and the Euro model pic show the raised hex head fork top bolts.

Regarding the tachometer – I hated seeing the faded “white” redline on the original tach, so 5 years ago when I saw a correct NOS tach on eBay for a reasonable price I bought it. I now keep it covered when not actually riding; my loving wife calls the cover my “tach cozy.” :laugh:

Ed, I checked the original test in a German magazine, and it too had the bulge in the centre of the handlebars and no visible wiring, so I think it's safe to say that's a world standard. It also had the plastic insert in the reservoir.

BTW, buyers in Germany could - soon after the introduction - choose to upgrade to a twin front disc without extra cost. The single disc was deemed marginal for German Autobahn storming and instead of risking bad press - or even lawsuits - Kawa opted to upgrade.

Got some work done today - finally, as I've owned them since befor Xmas :blush:

- swapped rear fenders, cleaned/polished it up including the rubber bits, used stock bolts from spare bike
- retained the tail light and licence bracket after cleaning/polishing
- changed wires on the rear indicators
- replaced the bolts on the grab rail with some I had laying around and polished the rail
- swapped handlebar clamps and bolts after polishing away some specs of rust on the latter
- swapped battery case and moved tool tray over (missing on the bike to be used), used stock bolts from spare bike
- swapped seats after moving seat catch since it was missing on the good seat. Have no lock, though
- moved lid on fender (to retain registration papers? ) since it was missing on the bike I'll use
- fitted battery and checked that things got power and that the starter would turn the engine
- swapped clutch bracket retainer bolt after polishing away some specs of rust
- swapped kick starter levers after first polishing away some specs of rust and changing over the rubber. Lubed the axle and detent ball and traced the threads on the retaining bolt
- swapped brake rod and axle but kept brake pedal after polishing away some specs of rust. Getting the pedal off required a nut cracker as well as a big hammer followed by lengthy cleaning of splines
- removed exhaust system from right side of both bikes
- moved 3 pin bolts from spare engine to main engine to omit the bolts the PO had fitted after tracing threads
- touched up the paint here and there on the frame

Plenty of things to do yet, though. A centre stand would be nice to have, but like seat locks neither bike have one.

Don't mind me, I'm just using this space to note progress for myself as the tedious details hardly interest anybody else.

It takes quite a bit of time since all must be done double; off both bikes, swap and refit to both bikes. Plus cleaning up the bits I'm going to use as nothing is spotless.

- removed the left side exhaust system from both bikes and polished the stock system I will use. Also had to remove paint splatter of significant magnitude
- removed left side rider footpeg from the parts bike and cleaned the rubber
- swapped swingarms after hammering out the hollow bearing axles as both were stuck. The swingarm on the parts bike seemed to have steel bearings, or perhaps they are original coated with plastic? The other swingarm had new brass bearings, but they were too tight and the swingarm looked bad. After lots of light sanding and cleaning and fresh lube everything works as intended. No play detectable.
- swapped shock absorbers despite springs on the stock absorbers I'll be using - must be better than the Hagons anyway - being a bit rusty. Autosol and brass wire brush got them decent.
- swapped rear wheels in order to use the shiniest wheel that also have new tyre and tube. Drum was heavily rusted, though, and took lots of sanding to get semi-clean. Brake shoes like new, just sanded them lightly. Bearings OK
- retained sprocket and -carrier after thorough cleaning. Parts bike had a brand new 42T sprocket on a polished carrier, but the chain was too short - the user have a 40T sprocket. Chain on the user is OK, the one on the parts bike totally shot, so why the new sprocket?
- swingarm bolt, rear axle, chain adjusters (after replacing locking nuts with some shiner I had), shock absorber bolts and acorn nuts all from the parts bike and just needed minor cleaning
- fitted stock chain guard from parts bike after spraying rusty bolt heads with chrome paint
- adjusted chain
- torqued swingarm pivot to 90 Nm and rear axle to 100 Nm which should be in the ballpark.

I'm impressed by the overall quality, fit and finish. These bikes are both 35 years old and clearly haven't been pampered in any way. Yet everything line up, few threads have to be traced as they are good. Neither swingarm nor rear wheel showed any hints of binding after being torqued up.

Hope it's fun to ride :whistle:

No time to do anything today, but I did check out the gearing. Turns out 42T rear sprocket is standard and the 40T fitted to my bike is worth about 225 rpm @ 60 mph. Not a lot, but useful.

Gawking over Ed's pictures again, the standard of my bike is rather mediocre - his bike really do look brand new. Mine will look good from two steps away, but every part on it is flawed in some way up close. I call it patina

So, Ed, how do you manage to keep your bike looking like new?

Thanks for the kind words. Being the original owner is probably the biggest advantage, because there was no previous owner to neglect the bike. Before I had a garage, I always kept it covered when not in use, now I keep in in the garage. I keep wax on it and polish the aluminum about once a year. When some items like small brackets or side cover emblems started showing their age I replaced them with new old stock (NOS) pieces. Same is true with the lower fork legs when the elastic bottom seam of a cheap cover I had reacted with the clear coat and turned them ugly. Keep an eye on eBay and if you see a piece at a reasonable price grab it; you may need it one day. Ed

Well, you undoubtedly deserve the praise! Do you ever ride in the rain, Ed?

Many years ago, I think it was back in 1981, I met a bloke with what appeared to be a brand new BMW R100RS. The owner pointed at the odo; it sat on 48,000 km (30,000 miles) ! He never rode in the rain except if it hit him on his annual holiday ride. And after each holiday he would strip the bike completely in order to clean everything. So it looked like new, also because he - like you - replaced everything that got a bit worn/ugly.

You need to accept that it takes time and money, though

BTW, I noticed a couple of things today that you may have the answers to? Fork springs are short, so short that they do not fully reach the top of the stanchions. Total preload is 22 mm or 9/10 in. I suspect they may be non-original? Front end isn't soggy.

Also, the clutch cover on the Norwegian bike has a little ridge (about 1 mm) around the circumference of the round, flat part. The USA model is totally smooth. Do you know what the difference comes from?

Finally, the Norwegian/metric speedo cannot have its odo reset as the wheel won't turn in that direction. The USA/mph speedo works fine. Do you know if this is simle to fix?

I try not to ride in the rain, but somehow it seems to catch me. I think every one of the 5 or 6 times I drove home from races in the Poconos (215 miles) it rained all the way. :laugh:

According to the Kawasaki Shop Manual, the freelength of the springs (springs laying loose on a workbench) for the KZ650-B1 should be between 17.5 and 18 inches. If they are shorter you may ant to try to find new ones. The fork oil level from the top of the upper tube with the springs in and the forks fully extended should be 385mm (15 1/8"). I have always used Bel-Ray 15w fork oil, it works great.

I don't think I've ever seen the clutch cover with the ridge; can you post a picture?

The trip odometer on my speedometer is reset by turning the mileage forward. I believe, for example, if it was sitting at 760 miles, when you roll the wheel the mileage will change to 777, then 888, them 999, then 000. I don't believe I can roll mine backwards. Ed

More for the work log to bore readers stiff

Today I worked for 10 effective hours, but as always with me I later wonder how things could take so long. But working slowly by nature, being thorough and with lots of threads to trace and things to polish, time tend to run quickly. Also hate when they use 12, 13 and 14 mm heads on the bolts to hold one fender :pinch: or 12, 13, 17 and 19 mm heads for the fork clamps And so on.

And my shop is cramped to the point that with both bikes on jacks my shins collected a fair share of cuts and bruises today as I tried to carry wheels etc. back and forth while jumping over said jacks and footpegs and more. I haven't taken pictures of the work I do now, but this is a previous picture of my little shed:


Anyway, this is what I did today:
- Moved the final two exhaust studs from the parts bike to the user
- Fitted left hand front footpeg
- Removed chrome bolts/nuts for upper front engine mount and replaced them with through-bolt from parts bike
- Swapped the two chrome bolts/nuts holding the upper front engine mount with stock bolts/nuts from parts bike
- Swapped lower front engine mounts, removing a bolt threaded in both ends - one end with stripped threads! - and fitted the stock bolt from the parts bike
- Tried to tighten rear lower engine mount to spec but threads stripped, so will have to replace it with the stock item from parts bike as well
- Upper rear engine mount was slack
- One upper triple clamp bolt was overtightened enough to deform threads, traced them. Bolt wasn't stock, so I swapped it with a good one from the parts bike
- Lower triple clamp bolts were not stock and with different size heads like the upper, and almost loose. One bolt was too short and also 1.5 mm pitch instead of the standard 1.25 mm. Retreaded and fitted stock bolts from parts bike, although the threads are of course a little weak. Managed over 20 Nm, though, which is good enough
- Fork bottom pin bolts were put in upside-down for 3 of them and threads where bad from dirt and rust. Traced the threads, removed and turned the 3 wrongly inserted bolts. Time consuming
- Swapped bottom fork clamps with those from the pats bike as they looked better
- Swapped front wheels as the parts bike came with fresh tube and tyre, although the rim already fitted is shinier
- Cleaned the edge of the brake disc plus the black paint centre, then the disc itself with brake cleaner
- Partly stripped the front caliper in order to turn it around from the back to the front of the fork leg. Bolts were rusted virtually stuck so the live caliper cannot have moved well. Used copaslip, but I will - after stripping it - use the caliper from the parts bike eventually
- Slackened the steering stem bearing as it was very tight - there is nothing worse than a steering friction when it comes to handling. Stem bolt was madly tight.
- Removed fork legs and ground off peaks from the pitted stanchions. One leg lacked chrome on a patch 20 mm wide and at least 30 mm long - it continued past the seal :woohoo: The seals surprisingly doesn't sprout oil, but if I decide to keep the bike I will have to splurge for new stanchions. For now, though, they will do
- Fitted fork gaiters
- Changed fork oil after noticing fork top cap bolts were madly tight
- Swapped front fenders and found all kinds of bolts. Expect tiny fender from parts bike to be non-OEM, some universal unit, although it could possibly be from some LTD model
- Swapped headlights, neither was perfect as both had minor scrapes on the chrome from mild tipovers. Bucket much nicer on parts bike, though, although not mint. Used chrome spray on the inner ring of the one I used. Lots of polishing and a coating of oil inside to slow the rust process. Used new Cibie insert from the user as the Bosch lamp from the parts bike was old, dirty and not Europe approved
- Swapped tacho cables as the parts bike had a new one
- Swapped bolts holding brake light switch unit to the stock from the parts bike. Also moved the speedo and tacho cable guides from parts bike to the user as they were missing.
- Found speedo cable to be too short, actually preventing fork from extending completely :woohoo: Unfortunately, parts bike lacked speedo cable alltogether, so must buy one
- Swapped idiot light covers
- Fount two 3 mm screws - I never throw away useable bolts and nuts - that were missing from the protection cover under the idiot lights
- Swapped ignition locks. Unfortunately, the virtually brand new lock on the parts bike had been butchered; contact had been cut off. Cut off the contact to the rear lights from the parts bike and butchered another 2-pin contact in order to get the final pin missing in the rear light contact from new. With the stock unit as template I managed to hook up everything as it should be despite crazy colour coordination
- Moved wire bracket from parts bike sitting on top of the triple clamp's right side to guide throttle cable and brake hose after lots of polishing
- Moved the clips holding the clutch cable against the frame tube from parts bike and removed zip tie from the user

650ed wrote: I try not to ride in the rain, but somehow it seems to catch me. I think every one of the 5 or 6 times I drove home from races in the Poconos (215 miles) it rained all the way. :laugh:

According to the Kawasaki Shop Manual, the freelength of the springs (springs laying loose on a workbench) for the KZ650-B1 should be between 17.5 and 18 inches. If they are shorter you may ant to try to find new ones. The fork oil level from the top of the upper tube with the springs in and the forks fully extended should be 385mm (15 1/8"). I have always used Bel-Ray 15w fork oil, it works great.

I don't think I've ever seen the clutch cover with the ridge; can you post a picture?

The trip odometer on my speedometer is reset by turning the mileage forward. I believe, for example, if it was sitting at 760 miles, when you roll the wheel the mileage will change to 777, then 888, them 999, then 000. I don't believe I can roll mine backwards. Ed

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll try to get a picture taken when there is better lighting.

I forgot to measure the fork springs, but I noticed that static sag is at least 1/2 in less than on the parts bike. I simply expected much more preload as now it's about what you get with Progressive suspension springs.

Looked on the 'net and found level for the B1 should be 402 mm, but set them at 387 mm as I prefer to help the springs a bit against bottoming. Sounds like it was a good idea

I cannot turn the odo at all, but the knob itself can be turned in the wrong direction, but it's only freewheeling - just like on the parts bike, but it works in the opposite direction.

This is the clutch cover showing the narrow ridge around the circumference.

Bikes at the moment, off the jacks, avaiting exhaust systems (and a tune-up for the black bike that is the one that will be used).