1981 KZ650 Basket Case

I just bought the subject bike for $300. The PO had completely disassemble it except for the motor and it was in several boxes and baskets. He had bought new tires and tubes, new Progressive shocks, all new bearings and rebuilt the forks with stiffer springs. I think the new parts alone cost more than the purchase price. The paint on the tank is in good shape, and according to the PO it was running well when he pulled it apart. We'll see.

The plan is to put it back together and let me son have it as his first street bike. He's logged quite a few miles on ATVs and dirt bikes, but this will be his first shot at asphalt. So, I put him to work cleaning the engine so we can start reassembly. The seat is gone except for the pan, so I'm thinking maybe a café style rebuild. Still on the fence, but I did a street tracker last year that turned out pretty well (photo below).

I expect this to take most of the winter (I also have a ZX11 project in progress), so hopefully we'll be on the road in the spring.

Sweet Yamaha. But loose hope on your KZ just because the seat foam and cover is missing.
/A

Sounds like the deal of the week. I bet the engine is fine, but get that kid some buffing wheels & polishing compound.

Kawasaki service manual. The following site has the 1981 KZ650 pdf in the Files section. jarlef z650

martin_csr wrote: Sounds like the deal of the week. I bet the engine is fine, but get that kid some buffing wheels & polishing compound.

Kawasaki service manual. The following site has the 1981 KZ650 pdf in the Files section. jarlef z650

Thanks Martin. Buffing is on the to-do list, but I want to get it together and ride it a little before we mod it and make it shiny. It's definitely a skill the boy needs to acquire.

Thanks also for the link to the manual. The bike came with a Clymer manual, but I usually prefer the factory manuals. I also like them in a three ring binder that will lay flat. I'll definitely use this.

It would be a lot easier to get that engine all shiny now, before putting it in the frame. I would paint the frame beforehand.

The clymer is kind of a pain to use for the 81 650. The earlier 650s are quite a bit different, so a lot of info in the main body of the manual is more for the 70s models. You can usually find an 81 or 81-82 KZ650 factory manual on eebbaayy for pretty cheap. I've never seen a spiral bound or 3-ring binder type for the 650.

Yeah the factory manuals are so much better than the clymer. Sounds like a great project for your son. I didn't get a bike until I was old enough my mom couldn't say no.

We'll put it together, make sure everything works right, and then take it apart (mostly) and make it pretty. I've made the mistake of putting tons of hours and money into projects that ended up having a fatal flaw. I like to make sure I've got good bones before spend any more blood and treasure than is absolutely necessary. I've learned that lesson the hard way.

Concerning the manual, I'll print out the PDF from your link and put it in a binder. That's always worked well for me. Plus, I can print for free at work.

DoctoRot wrote: Yeah the factory manuals are so much better than the clymer. Sounds like a great project for your son. I didn't get a bike until I was old enough my mom couldn't say no.

My parents helped me buy my first street bike as soon as I got my license (actually a few weeks before), and I always wanted to do the same for my kids. Sadly, they haven't shown much of an interest until now. I hope this lasts.

We've made a little progress over the last couple of weeks. Just got the swingarm bearings yesterday, so we'll have a roller by the weekend.

We've got most of the hard parts on, and it's starting to look like a real bike. The Progressive shocks that came with the bike are a little longer and stiffer than stock, so the ride height is a little higher. I like it except it leans quite a bit when on the side stand. It's not dangerous, so I'll learn to live with it.



The next big step will be the wiring. For some reason, the PO cut a lot of the connections rather than unplugging them. I'll have to lay the harness out and see how bad is. May have to find a new one on ebay.

Also, the PO tore the seat apart and threw the cover and foam away. All I've got is the pan. I'm thinking about using the stock pan and building a fiberglass café seat something like the one on the silver Honda in the picture below. That would mean minimal modification to the frame, and the seat would still flip up for access to the battery and wiring. Sound like a good idea?

twerth wrote: ....... I'm thinking about using the stock pan and building a fiberglass café seat something like the one on the silver Honda in the picture below. That would mean minimal modification to the frame, and the seat would still flip up for access to the battery and wiring. Sound like a good idea? .........

Yes, that sounds like a good idea to me. Doing that will maintain the structural integrity of the frame and make getting to the battery, tool kit, etc. very convenient. Ed

This project has been on the back burner for a couple of weeks. I've got a 1990 ZX11 I'm trying to get painted before the weather turns cold, so I've been focusing on that. I got the wheels and some of the small parts painted and then the weather beat me, so I've turned my attention back to the KZ.

I got the hacked up wiring harness on the KZ back together last night, and most things work. I'll need to chase a few gremlins, but the most important item (the starter) worked like it should. So, I added gas to see what would happen. It started up and ran after about two cranks!! I've got a massive header leak, and of course the carbs need synced, but this is a giant leap forward. I'll need to do a little tweaking, but I should be able to take her for a ride later today or tomorrow. Pretty stoked!