Restoring a 1978 KZ 650 ... again ...

OLTIMER wrote:

PLUMMEN wrote:

have you checked your coils with a meter to make sure theyre bad?

Yep. They are both bad, I am replacing them both.

KawiConvert wrote:

Do you need an instrument mount?

Nope. Repaired mine using J-B Weld . Thanks all the same, though!

Still seeking a breather tube - anyone have any ideas where online I could order one?

I just put on a breather from the local parts house. I went with pod filters though so it kinda matches.

i just take a piece of clear vinyl hose a run it up towards battery box and then down out of way to keep water out of it.its a vent it doesnt require a filter

That works as well. I'm in a very dusty environment so I put a filter on for cautions sake. I may use that to relocate the filter as well. Thanks for the idea.

PLUMMEN wrote:

i just take a piece of clear vinyl hose a run it up towards battery box and then down out of way to keep water out of it.its a vent it doesnt require a filter

Am I to understand that it performs the same function as the PCV valve on an auto? Simply vents any crankcase overpressure?

It's a case vent. Oil vapor will escape. This is why most of us that don't have an air box place a filter on the end to capture the slippery vapor. Keeps things a little cleaner.

As others have suggested on the forum you could block this and vent the head cover. Your choice.

Well, it's been quite a while since I visited the site, but I thought I would let y'all have a progress report.
First things first, I have a few pics of the bike:





It's been a lot of fun so far, but I still have a ways to go.

Let me tell you - it was quite gratifying when I first went to start it up, and she fired almost before the engine turned over! :woohoo:
I got to ride it for a couple of weeks, and put about 250 miles on it - kind of a 'shake-down run' if you will, since some issues became obvious.

At first, I couldn't get her over about 4000 RPM, and couldn't barely get to 50 MPH. :blink: When I tried to crack the throttle a little more, it would bog down. That issue has since kind of cleared up - I figure there must have been some buildup in the engine, or something, since I have had it revved to 8k since then and been up to about 80-85 MPH briefly.
It was while I was traveling over 60 MPH that another issue came to light - there is instability at higher speeds. Loose in the caboose, if you will. :ohmy:

Also during this period, I began blowing main fuses every once in a while. Now, I was aware that the wiring had been 'got at' by someone with Good Intentions, so I decided to tackle both issues.

First, I removed the rear fender, rear wheel, rear brake system, exhaust (had to in order to remove the swingarm), and the swingarm.
I also removed the instruments and headlight (the instrument mounting bracket broke again - I guess JBWeld won't stick to whatever it's made of :pinch: ) and took off the handlebars, too. I want to route the wiring through the bars like it's supposed to be, instead of having them dangle in the wind and exposed to the sun.

Then, I removed the main wiring harness. I found several places where it's been 'red-necked' together, and a couple of spots that were abraded through the insulation, so there's my shorting problem.

I started by handling all the mechanical stuff I could before tackling the electrical, since I have only one work surface. First thing I noticed was that the bearing sleeve was firmly entrenched in the swingarm bearings, so I got the right size socket, and tapped it out. I found where the instability was coming from.
There is a grease zerk on the swingarm. You are supPOSED to use a grease gun and grease this zerk until grease comes out both sides of the swingarm every 6000 miles, then wipe off the excess grease.
The zerk had never had ANY grease in it.
The zerk had no grease.
The sleeve had no grease.
There was no grease in the crossmember of the swingarm.
The only grease there was at all was the assembly lube the factory used when they built the bike in 1978.

Needless to say (but I'm gonna say it anyway! ) the bearings were shot. The bad part is that the sleeve is severely pitted where the bearings ride, and I need to replace it.
Too bad they don't make them any more

I was able to get the bearings out using a combination of Time, WD-40, Pounding, and Heat. Then, since I gouged the swingarm somewhat to get them out, I used a small file to remove the worst of the raised edges of the gouges, and ran an old cylinder hone in the bores to smooth them out the rest of the way.

Stripped, sanded, primed, and painted the swingarm and the torque link. I ran out of paint, but I am also going to give the caliper a coat once I get some more. Also, since I can get at the rear of the engine easily, I will be doing some cleaning there, and touch-up paint on the rear parts of the frame.

Upon inspection, the rear wheel is in great shape. Apparently someone replaced the rear wheel bearings, because they are in excellent condition. Very little wear on the sprocket, and the brake disc is good-to-go also.

Now for the electrical system. I took the main wiring harness and stretched it out on a plywood table. Using nails, I pinned around it on the table. Once I had it all splayed out neatly, I outlined the whole mess, and marked each termination point and branching place with a number. These numbers went into a notebook, listing for each the number and type of connectors, colors of wires, and what it connects to.

When I started unwrapping it, I discovered that there were also 14 places that hidden connections had been made at the factory, so I labeled them J(unction)1 through J14, and they also went in the notebook, listing colors and destinations.

While doing the wiring harness, I noticed two things about the wiring diagram in the Clymer manual. First, they had the tail light and main fuses cross-marked, and second they forgot to mention one of the wire colors used.
The diagram lists black/yellow, but NOT yellow/black.


So, now I am at a point where I need to start spending money again! There are 25 colors of wire used, so that's going to be fun to find, but I'm thinking there's gotta be someplace around here that carries a lot of colors of the correct gauge.

Also, like I mentioned earlier, the swingarm sleeve is not available. Now, I might find one in a junk yard, but I'm hoping I can find a new one from another make / model of bike that will fit. As close as I can tell, the specs for the sleeve are:
ID: 0.634" (16.1036mm)
OD: 0.866" (22mm)
Length: 8 27/32" (8.84375") (224.63125mm)

Another thing I am wondering: is there a 'wiring kit' with everything I would need to make a harness, or do I have to piece it out to get all the wires / connectors?

Well, off to Z1 to place another order! I will be checking back over the next few days / weeks.

To the US readers: Hope you are having a pleasant Memorial Weekend!
Peace,
-out.

If the part you need for the swingarm is #42036-1012 I'm about 99.999% sure I have an NOS one here. It is at my other house I'll try and check it to make sure and let you know.

it is part #6 on the following parts fiche:
www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-1978-kz650-d1-sr_...partslist/57207.html
They call it "420361012", so I'm thinking it might just be ...
:awesomeface:

That should be it, let me take a ride down to the other house and check and I'll let you know for sure in a few minutes.

Well I went to the other house and looked where I thought it was and no dice I did find a bunch of other stuff I forgot I had and hauled it home though. So I went down stairs to check some boxes and I found it, however the NOS part I have is 33034-024 which Kawasaki says fits these models
KZ650-B1 (1977)
KZ650-B2 (1978)
KZ650-B2A (1978)
KZ650-B3 (1979)
KZ650-C1 (Custom) (1977)
KZ650-C2 (Custom) (1978)
KZ650-C3 (Custom) (1979)

The weird thing is when you check the part# you need 43036-1012 it shows as fitting all these bikes
KZ650-B1 (1977)
KZ650-B2 (1978)
KZ650-B2A (1978)
KZ650-B3 (1979)
KZ650-C1 (Custom) (1977)
KZ650-C2 (Custom) (1978)
KZ650-C3 (Custom) (1979)
KZ650-D1 (SR) (1978)
KZ650-D1A (SR) (1978)
KZ650-D2 (SR) (1979)
KZ650-E1 (LTD) (1980)
KZ650-F1 (1980)
KZ650-H1 (CSR) (1981)
KZ650-H2 (CSR) (1982)
KZ650-H3 (CSR) (1983)
KZ700-A1 (1984)
KZ750-E1 (1980)
KZ750-E2 (1981)
KZ750-E3 (1982)
KZ750-H1 (LTD) (1980)
KZ750-H2 (LTD) (1981)
KZ750-H3 (LTD) (1982)
KZ750-H4 (LTD) (1983)
KZ750-L3 (1983)
KZ750-R1 (GPz) (1982)

The problem is the part number I have does not supercede to the part# you need even though it shows your part will fit the same bikes this part fits.:S IIRC the part I have is for bushings and your part is for needle bearings. I have a 78 B-1 I'm going to yank apart but I'm not sure which part it will have in it. Sorry to get your hopes up. You may want to check with www.johnnysvintagemotorcycle.com/
I know he just bought 2 semi trailers full of old inventory from a dealer recently to add to all the stuff he already has.

Does the sleeve you have look like part #6 in this fiche? ->
www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-1978-kz650-b2_mod...partslist/64206.html
also, if the ID and OD where the bearings ride and the length are same, I could probably use it ...

Yep that's what it looks like. I just wish it were worth the price they have it listed for :laugh: 5241.00 Euros wow!!! The one I have should work but you would need to get a set of bushings like these from Z-1 Ent. www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=214
From what I understand these should improve the handling of the bike also.