KZ650 cafe-racer

Thank you, 750 R1 . I also came to the conclusion to reinstall sight glass using sealant. Removed glass and cleaned oil with carburetor cleaner. Found out that remnants of sealant polymerized right in the tube:-)

I wondered the same thing when my window slid in with no real resistance. It was a new piece though. I also used some yama-bond to keep her from popping out. But I suppose if your breather system is up to snuff, there really is no pressure on the glass. Chris

It’s amazing how easily simple matters could be turned into complicated. When years ago I bought an engine for Kawasaki KZ650 engine it was equipped with mismatching ignition (later type) and alternator covers (early style for alternator with permanent magnets). And to make things even more interesting, the alternator cover was not an OEM part, but  handicraft copy. 



I assumed that such a situation with covers was the result of an attempt of previous owner to resurrect the engine. However, at that time I didn’t give a second thought to this situation. When I started KZ650 project I just bought used alternator cover (along with stator)  of design similar to ignition cover: 



Homemade alternator cover became a gem in the collection of oddities I  acquired during the years of working on the motorcycle, like: clutch friction plate which someone equipped with leather for friction material,  completely toothless sprockets, brake pads with material  for friction pads that looks like only brick could look, and so on, and so  forth. And being a real gem, it acquired the place on the wall of my workshop. Working on materials for this article I shot some additional photos of handicraft cover and I will publish them in one of the next posts. However, at the moment let’s return to the covers which I was about to use in the project. 



 

Both of them had something to surprise me. I successfully removed  two of three stator screws, but third stuck dead and despite all my effort that screw broke off.  Since the stump of that screw protruded from the alternator cover body, the procedure of its extraction was clear: the nut was mounted on the stump and then TIG welded to it. Then the M6 bolt was welded atop of the nut in the same way. The amount of heat applied to the stump during welding was more than sufficient to free it from corrosion deposits. However, the screw just snapped again without further progress of unscrewing.

 

 

 

 

I have few situations like this and in all cases the cause of bolt stuck was the same: aluminum adhered dead to one or two last threads of bolt/screw/stud thread. It forms a kind of boss on the end of the thread so during unscrewing only two results are possible: broken bolt or cracked aluminum. So I was about to drill the remains of screw with 2-3mm drill bit and then to dissolve it with nitric acid, but it turned out that I have not much of a reason to proceed further with this cover since ignition cover revealed ever bigger surprise waiting for me.

When I started sandpapering the ignition cover (in course of preparing it for polishing), I noticed what was invisible before: its lower part was covered in grey dots. These dots won’t come off even after intensive sandpapering. After closer investigation I found out that they are deep points of corrosion (it is likely they are chemically caused)  and there is no way to get rid of them and get a perfect finish. 



After discovering this issue I suddenly realized that I have no desire to buy  another ignition cover of the later type. What I really wanted was a couple of covers of early type with the KAWASAKI logo written in capital letters with an S letter that looks to be more tilt than other letters. It’s, by the way, my favorite  type of Kawasaki logo.

So I hunted down both, ignition and alternator covers with aforementioned logos. Ignition cover I found on United Kingdom Ebay: 

 

 

 

Alternator cover (compatible with three-phase constant magnet alternator) came from the USA.

 

 

 

They don’t look great as they are, but I found no flaws I couldn’t manage. So to get them nice and shiny is just a matter of applying some knowledge and effort. I already like the look of the pair of them.


 

 

Whenever I am overloaded with orders and our clients projects I have to lay aside work on Kawasaki KZ650 project. However, what I could keep doing is to pick and buy parts for the project.  Due to cost and delivery optimization reasons, parts for KZ650 come along with other orders and after arriving they were put in  the “Incoming KZ650 box”, while waiting to be sorted. Only recently I sorted out another pile of parts and shot photos, thus now I could show them.Some parts were ordered as a result of my last inspection of engine parts. Among them was this set of TRW reinforced clutch springs. Actually they are for Kawasaki Zephyr 750, so in case of KZ650 it might be a reinforced version of reinforced springs… Hope it won’t be overkill. I like the fact they are zinc plated, this makes them look much better than EBC springs, even if plating  is for sure an overkill:-)

 

Next are parts I bought to finish oil pan setup. I already had an aftermarket oil plug with a magnet, but after some thinking I decided to stick to the OEM plug. Parts lists stated oil plug in black colour for KZ650/Zephyr 750. Meanwhile, plug in silver colour is also available, its part number is 92066-0079. Here it is along with OEM aluminum washer.

 

I cleaned the oil pan, however I had no time to do the same thing to the oil filter cover. Thus I bought a new oil filter cover to match the cleaned oil pan.  And again, the part available by default is of black colour, therefore I found New Old Stock part with part number 16101-004 which corresponds to the part of silver colour. Here it is:

 

It looks much better than the old cover.

 

 

New oil filter  cover and oil plug match clean oil pan perfectly.

 

 

And at the end of the post a bit of madness. When I repacked KZ650 starter motor I used two M6x130 allen bolts to assemble it. To be honest, I wasn’t satisfied with them. I doubt that I will find understanding, but I’ll try to explain.  Whenever my thoughts returned to the starter motor, those allen bolts from nearby hardware store were alike tiny buzzing at the edge of hearing: same annoying feeling. And even the fact that the starter motor is hidden under the chrome plated cover wasn’t an argument for me. So I picked a replacement for them. It’s a pair of flanged bolts with small heads (8mm wrench).

 

With new bolts, the starter motor looks like it has, or in other words it looks like it was not my personal whim, but factory design. Here are two pair of photos, so to say “before and after”:

 

 

I have always been impressed with your attention to detail, and the level you take it to.  Well done, Gazzz!

Thank you!