Been looking for a Z650 for some time now. I saw this one for sale:
www.marktplaats.nl/v/motoren/motoren-kaw...057953-kawasaki-z650
Mods were done by a previous owner, this one didn't know what the donor bike(s) were. Not really sure if he even knew what had been modified. Different forks, monoshock rear end, wider rims & tyres, de-airboxed, various other cosmetic mods. Looked intersting from the photos. I took it for a test ride. First thing that caught me out was the lack of steering movement left to right - about half of normal. Highly unpleasant when making low speed turns, almost dropped the damned thing. The motor ran as sick as a dog; wouldn't rev over 6500, felt like the choke was on (it wasn't). Leaks from where the exhaust headers join the cylinder head.
Apart from that, it handled surprisingly well - stable, brakes better than stock (but not stunning). I took it back, wanted to know how the wider rear tyre had been accommodated, chain alignment etc. No signs of an offset engine chain wheel. I looked at how the top end of the monoshock had been mounted. Aaargh - 3 bits of 2" x 1/4" flat bar welded together, the top bit welded crosswise under the frame, 2 more bits pointed straight down. "Interesting" welding. The bars forming the fork for the shock looked like they'd been rounded off with a chainsaw. My thought were, if that's the standard of workmanship, then wheel alignment won't have been a top priority. God knows what other nasties were hiding.
So I left him with the bike. The search continues...
Ian
