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A pair of needle nose vise grips will take them right off. If you don’t have the needle nose type then use regular ones it will take one second for each one.

Visegrips, easiest and cheapest route.

But very crude. Why ruin fasteners and have to find replacements when you can remove them properly? Ed

When using vice grips you don’t ruin the screws you hold them on the outside there is such a low torque on those screws they just turn right out. Plus look at the heads of each of those screws they are ruined already. It’s better to take them out and put new screws in so this is not a problem again. Try both ways and see what you like best we all have ways we like to do things. Good look with it

I double checked the tool kit that came with my bike when new, and I looked through the Kawasaki special tools section of my Kawasaki Parts Catalogs, but neither contained any of the following tools. Ed

Yeah, some of those are really ugly looking, priority is to get them out, drilling or anything like that is a pain beyond what it is worth, take the old screws to the hardware store and get some galvanized allen head screws. While you're at it lube the advance mechanism to, might save you a bit of a headache

Ed the chainsaw was supposed to be in the original tool kit they only left it out because of the high purchase cost per bike and the sheer size of the tool pouch bag, along with not being able to shut the seat all the way.

Removed with vise grips.

650ed wrote: I double checked the tool kit that came with my bike when new, and I looked through the Kawasaki special tools section of my Kawasaki Parts Catalogs, but neither contained any of the following tools. Ed

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Where is the cold chisel and the duck tape?

If you have enuf of a head on the bolts, I've also found that grabbing the head with a pair of vice grips... and doing a hard twist, can break them loose. No drilling required! I've replaced all the JIS bolts with hex heads, under that cover.

You must have an impact driver to work on Japanese motorcycles period.

cyclhed wrote: You must have an impact driver to work on Japanese motorcycles period.

Not for most of the fasteners, and not for any crosshead screws if you use JIS screwdriver bits and if a screw is stubborn soak it with Kroil. If your screwdriver tips don't fit like the one in the first image below you will have problems. Of course, if you are trying to use Phillips screwdriver bits on JIS screws you may need a sledge hammer, vise grips, drill, etc.

I've owned my KZ650 for 37+ years and it took a long time for me to learn this lesson, but once I learned it life got MUCH easier. It comes to using the right tools for the job. Ed

Despite their appearance the crosshead screws on the KZ bikes are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. The fact is that Phillips screws were deliberately designed to have the screwdriver bit "cam out." This was done to prevent production line assembly from over-tightening, stripping, or breaking the screws. JIS screws do not have this problem. A proper fitting JIS bit can tighten a JIS screw to and beyond the torque spec without camming out. Here's the good news - you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer "rocks" back and forth in the screwhead. Picture 1 below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. Pictures 2 and 3 below shows DeWalt #2 and #3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don't list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here's their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my home made modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

PICTURE 1

PICTURE 2

PICTURE 3

PICTURE 4

PICTURE 5