Help Deciding on paint color KZ650B1 1977

weales wrote: I bought a new Z650 in NZ back in '77 - it was that lovely emerald green too.
A top little bike that ran very hard - was happy to pull redline in top (10,000rpm) anytime.
Sold it to move to Oz and was very sorry to see it go!

We all have a few that "got away" one of mine is a 1976 RD350 that I had, it might be disappointing if I did still have it, but back then it was just the most fun ever, but that was a different care free time.

The KZ650 is a great bike as you say, really revvy and relatively smooth too. They also sound wonderful doing it all. They are just overshadowed by the Z1's/KZ900/KZ1000 models, although in many ways they are a better package.

"I'm starting to lean towards the Green" and have my friend who's doing the painting do some research for me regarding the paint and costs.

redhawk4 wrote:

weales wrote: I bought a new Z650 in NZ back in '77 - it was that lovely emerald green too.
A top little bike that ran very hard - was happy to pull redline in top (10,000rpm) anytime.
Sold it to move to Oz and was very sorry to see it go!

We all have a few that "got away" one of mine is a 1976 RD350 that I had, it might be disappointing if I did still have it, but back then it was just the most fun ever, but that was a different care free time.

The KZ650 is a great bike as you say, really revvy and relatively smooth too. They also sound wonderful doing it all. They are just overshadowed by the Z1's/KZ900/KZ1000 models, although in many ways they are a better package.

"I'm starting to lean towards the Green" and have my friend who's doing the painting do some research for me regarding the paint and costs.

Just for info not that it matters, but there was no 1976 RD350, so it didn't get away. 1975 orange RD350 was the last, then the RD400 for 1976. Now that trivial matter is resolved, I have both the green and red 1977 KZ650B1 and if I had to choose I'd take the red if you could do a factory job. Both are very nice colors though.

This is always my standard reply......paint it the original color. Also when Kawasaki calls out the paint as a Candy color, you cannot get a correct match painting it a computer matched car color.

RonKZ650 wrote:

redhawk4 wrote:

weales wrote: I bought a new Z650 in NZ back in '77 - it was that lovely emerald green too.
A top little bike that ran very hard - was happy to pull redline in top (10,000rpm) anytime.
Sold it to move to Oz and was very sorry to see it go!

We all have a few that "got away" one of mine is a 1976 RD350 that I had, it might be disappointing if I did still have it, but back then it was just the most fun ever, but that was a different care free time.

The KZ650 is a great bike as you say, really revvy and relatively smooth too. They also sound wonderful doing it all. They are just overshadowed by the Z1's/KZ900/KZ1000 models, although in many ways they are a better package.

"I'm starting to lean towards the Green" and have my friend who's doing the painting do some research for me regarding the paint and costs.

Just for info not that it matters, but there was no 1976 RD350, so it didn't get away. 1975 orange RD350 was the last, then the RD400 for 1976. Now that trivial matter is resolved, I have both the green and red 1977 KZ650B1 and if I had to choose I'd take the red if you could do a factory job. Both are very nice colors though.

Oohh yeah, my RD400 Daytona in pearl white with orange stripe.... GREAT BIKE!!!

RonKZ650 wrote:

redhawk4 wrote:

weales wrote: I bought a new Z650 in NZ back in '77 - it was that lovely emerald green too.
A top little bike that ran very hard - was happy to pull redline in top (10,000rpm) anytime.
Sold it to move to Oz and was very sorry to see it go!

We all have a few that "got away" one of mine is a 1976 RD350 that I had, it might be disappointing if I did still have it, but back then it was just the most fun ever, but that was a different care free time.

The KZ650 is a great bike as you say, really revvy and relatively smooth too. They also sound wonderful doing it all. They are just overshadowed by the Z1's/KZ900/KZ1000 models, although in many ways they are a better package.

"I'm starting to lean towards the Green" and have my friend who's doing the painting do some research for me regarding the paint and costs.

Just for info not that it matters, but there was no 1976 RD350, so it didn't get away. 1975 orange RD350 was the last, then the RD400 for 1976. Now that trivial matter is resolved, I have both the green and red 1977 KZ650B1 and if I had to choose I'd take the red if you could do a factory job. Both are very nice colors though.

Well it was in the UK, but there was a 76 RD400 too, so the difference is in the UK the vehicle's year comes from when it was registered, not when it was built, as in the US. By US reckoning it was a 75, but by UK standards it was a 76 because that's when it was registered. It was one of the last built. It was also silver being a European bike. The same differences in the "year system" have caused quite a lot of confusion and argument on the vintage Triumph forum I belong to as well, between people on different sides of the Atlantic.

Like this one



The choice between Red and Green is tough, I originally preferred red, but at the same time like the idea of the original color as the bottom of my tank is still green - decisions I wish they were more common so you could see them side by side. I can't recall the last time I saw a KZ650 in stock colors in the flesh or even for sale locally.

PaintWorkz wrote: This is always my standard reply......paint it the original color. Also when Kawasaki calls out the paint as a Candy color, you cannot get a correct match painting it a computer matched car color.

I've actually found that if I clean up the bottom of the tank, there is still some decent original green to be seen as they didn't paint the underside, so I think we will do our best to match that. I think computer paint matching, as such, can't work with a candy paint because of the fact it's a translucent? finish over the silver below so is not an actual color like getting the paint on the wall of your house matched.

redhawk4 wrote:

RonKZ650 wrote:

redhawk4 wrote:

weales wrote: I bought a new Z650 in NZ back in '77 - it was that lovely emerald green too.
A top little bike that ran very hard - was happy to pull redline in top (10,000rpm) anytime.
Sold it to move to Oz and was very sorry to see it go!

We all have a few that "got away" one of mine is a 1976 RD350 that I had, it might be disappointing if I did still have it, but back then it was just the most fun ever, but that was a different care free time.

The KZ650 is a great bike as you say, really revvy and relatively smooth too. They also sound wonderful doing it all. They are just overshadowed by the Z1's/KZ900/KZ1000 models, although in many ways they are a better package.

"I'm starting to lean towards the Green" and have my friend who's doing the painting do some research for me regarding the paint and costs.

Just for info not that it matters, but there was no 1976 RD350, so it didn't get away. 1975 orange RD350 was the last, then the RD400 for 1976. Now that trivial matter is resolved, I have both the green and red 1977 KZ650B1 and if I had to choose I'd take the red if you could do a factory job. Both are very nice colors though.

Well it was in the UK, but there was a 76 RD400 too, so the difference is in the UK the vehicle's year comes from when it was registered, not when it was built, as in the US. By US reckoning it was a 75, but by UK standards it was a 76 because that's when it was registered. It was one of the last built. It was also silver being a European bike. The same differences in the "year system" have caused quite a lot of confusion and argument on the vintage Triumph forum I belong to as well, between people on different sides of the Atlantic.

Like this one

Attachment Yamaha-RD350-2.jpg not found

The choice between Red and Green is tough, I originally preferred red, but at the same time like the idea of the original color as the bottom of my tank is still green - decisions I wish they were more common so you could see them side by side. I can't recall the last time I saw a KZ650 in stock colors in the flesh or even for sale locally.

Mine was an RD400F. Pearl white and kicked ass

A friend of mine from school had a 77 RD400, I always fancied one of those which is kind of how I ended up with the RD350 in 1980. I still see a few RD400's for sale although most have been severely molested, I'm just not sure all these years later having had other bikes and a few pounds heavier it would be as exciting as the RD400 seemed when the bike was a considerable step up from a Honda CB175, My most exciting incident on my RD350 was getting air over a hump in the road at 70mph and making a bad front wheel landing, I still can't work out why I suddenly had the urge to kick it down to fifth and accelerate over that thing

Well at the time I owned the RD400F, I also had a Triumph 750, my current KZ1000A, a KZ400LTD, KDX250 and a Honda 125CR...
The Yam was, 2mm overbore, one tooth smaller counter shaft sprocket and KN air filter.... it was just a blast to ride around the city in but the only bike I ever kept from the day I bought it new, was the KZ1000A!! Still the KING.

A UK Z1000A1 would be the bike I wish I had bought new and kept. I did have a UK 1981 Z1000J which had the ELR style tank, not like the US one, I should have kept that too, but realistically that would have never happened because even if I'd had the money to buy both in the first place I would have ended up selling them due to a general lack of finance and a young family by the late 80's. Incidentally I picked up some genuine Z1000 side cover emblems for my repainted KZ1000 as I didn't like the replica KZ1000 badges it came with. It takes it another step closer to the bike I dreamed of in my late teens. Always wanted a Zed 1000 as we called them in the UK, they came after the Zed 1 actually better continuity than switching to the KZ as they did here in the US.

redhawk4 wrote:

PaintWorkz wrote: This is always my standard reply......paint it the original color. Also when Kawasaki calls out the paint as a Candy color, you cannot get a correct match painting it a computer matched car color.

I've actually found that if I clean up the bottom of the tank, there is still some decent original green to be seen as they didn't paint the underside, so I think we will do our best to match that. I think computer paint matching, as such, can't work with a candy paint because of the fact it's a translucent? finish over the silver below so is not an actual color like getting the paint on the wall of your house matched.

You are correct .....the Candy green top coat is translucent, but the base coat below it might not be silver. Best to lightly wet sand a small area on the bottom of the tank down thru the candy to see what you find. The 78 KZ1000 Candy green uses a Champaign Metallic color base, the 75 Z1 900 Candy blue uses a Purple Metallic base and the Candy red uses a Green Metallic base.

According to the old paint charts, Candy Emerald Green had a "light gray metallic" base coat; emerald green candy second coat; and clear final coat. Chart below. Ed