1977 KZ650 C

First, I want to thank any and all who have ever responded to my comments during over 22 years of membership on this site. My first bike was a 1979? Kz400. That thing took me everywhere. I learned a ton about wrenching on and even riding on that bike here, and did a lot of work to it. It sold for much more than the purchase price, to fuel the purchase of a slow parade of other “nifty to me” pre-1985 UJMs until 2016 when I saw this machine for sale and snatched it up with almost no questions asked. I never would have bought it if it hadn’t been for kzrider . com.

There’s much more to the story, and I’ll gloss over the gross neglect it suffered by being parked in the garage with a full tank of untreated gasoline and never started or ridden for ten years. (It wasn’t running well when I got it, and I planned the TLC for it every successive winter.) The horror show of resuscitation began last October. I did nothing but concentrate on getting 2 gallons of fuel gum, literally like huge wads of actual chewing gum, extracted from the tank. Or I merely did nothing, because everything I thought of to try just seemed to make a huge mess with almost no results. I will absolutely tell anyone how I managed it, but by the time I did, in April ‘26 or so, I had resolved to sell the whole machine as it was, having done the lion’s share of the work, but after a short weekend of dealing with that circus, I gave up, pushed aside every other encumbrance on my free time, and got busy getting the thing running, which happened July 3 ‘26. Bike is definitely now not for sale. 

Work done to get running, from memory of the last several weeks:

Replaced front master cylinder, unplugged left front brake line, flushed and bled front brakes, checked calipers floating okay.
Sourced and installed mirrors.
Disassembled and cleaned kill switch assy and installed a new starter button/spring etc (old one popped out along the way).
Sourced correct carb set, cleaned and rebuilt, installed with correct holders and new air box boots, vacuum synced.
Sourced air box and installed. Old setup was pods, which I didn’t like.
New battery obviously.
Used KBS coatings system to reline tank.
Spit-shined it. You know, scrubbed off rust and made an attempt at bringing a luster back to the fabulous non-stock but very chipped and worn paint job.
Whip-stitched a split seam in the non-stock saddle. I will be replacing the seat. I do not like it.
Cleaned and adjusted chain.
Got the blinkers working.
Replaced plugs, dug resistors out of wire caps and replaced with bits of copper wire.
Flushed and bled rear brake, checked caliper floating etc.
Replaced broken speedo cable.
Rode it at least 20 miles a day since I got it running.

Having an absolute BALL. 

Well done, though a resurrection thread would have been nice for the rest of us.

Good job on bringing it back to life.

Yeah that seat would have to go.

Nice Job Hendrix!! Do You also play a ripping guitar as the name pronounces? By chance when You were replacing bits, did you save the Front Round reservoir 5/8" original? I don't care of condition, i can refurbish the Tokico back to former glory. Seat..if it is comfortable and keeps your posterior blister-free then keep it! Only looks "different" when you're not in the saddle. Also do You have the original tank and badges?  

Nevermind on the tank-badges. I see you have the original tank with recessed emblem tank feature, just had to look closer.  

asphalt900 wrote:

Nice Job Hendrix!! Do You also play a ripping guitar as the name pronounces? By chance when You were replacing bits, did you save the Front Round reservoir 5/8" original? I don't care of condition, i can refurbish the Tokico back to former glory. Seat..if it is comfortable and keeps your posterior blister-free then keep it! Only looks "different" when you're not in the saddle. Also do You have the original tank and badges?  
 

Sendhendrix was a screen name I came up with in my early 20s when I got a computer and internet access. It was definitely a nod to Jimi, and I'm definitely still a fan, but the only instrument I can play is the stereo. The master cylinder that came off did not have a round reservoir, and I did not imagine that anyone would want it, so it got tossed it, sorry. The seat...I don't know what to make of it. The aesthetic from certain angles is just not right. The fattest thing on the bike, in my opinion, should be that glorious little 4-cylinder engine sticking out on either side of the frame, not a "wish it was a Harley" seat. Not casting aspersions on the the fellow who spent the money on it. It's comfortable for a while, but I end up wishing I could slide a little further back sometimes. I need to take a picture of the bottom and post it with some questions before I follow the impulse to cut it up and make it the way I want it, which is an option I'm considering. I've also found a source for new OE-style seats, but they're a bit spendy. Fleabay seats are disgustingly overpriced in any condition, in my opinion.

I'm a little out of touch about proper forum etiquette. Should I post pics of the seat here or start a new thread over on paint & bodywork?

Nice job, did you do the paint work? I have never seen a set of air shocks like those, do you know what they are off of? I had a set from a Spectre 750 on one of my bikes but one side blew a seal so they are now retired.

I have a C1 that needs to be restored one day, a low serial number bike from end of first month of production.

This is a site that has the majority of Z/KZ650 info on it :

www.jarlef.no/Kawasaki/Series/Z/650/Z650C.htm

You may find it usefull.
 

Those look like the old air S&W rear shocks?

The air shocks are stamped Monroe and also S&W. They still hold air and I’ve decided I actually like them. I should change the lines and fittings, which I intend to do when I remove the tail fairing for access to remove the disconnected aftermarket electronic ignition module.

The paint job is not mine. I think all of the “effects” are actually decals; the pinstriping for sure, which is starting to come loose in a spot or two. Clear coat has started peeling from the tank in various places and there’s a lot of nasty chips, but no discernible dents. It still cleans up well enough for a 1080p photo and looks presentable enough for the street. If/when I get around to repainting, I’ll probably be torn between redoing it the same way or matching the spare tail fairing that came with it, which I believe is the 1978 Metallic Stardust Silver.

Thank you Injected for the link. Very useful info!