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Just got her up and running. An all stock 1978 Kawasaki KZ650-C2. One kick and she fires right up.



www.facebook.com/spencer.mitchell.965/vi...=1467645970246122724

EDIT: Correction. It is a C2 and not a C1.

Wow, nice! How did you come by such a nice survivor? Very nice bike. A little spit and polish and it will look incredible. Good show!

Found her on craigslist for $750... Managed to talk the guy down to $450...At the time, the tires were rotted, it needed a battery, carbs needed to be rebuilt, there was no fuel petcock, no clutch cable, and no ignition coils. Once I got all of that stuff done, she fired right up. Only other issue I have, is that I have to replace the starter clutch because it is slipping when I use the starter. But, that is not too big of a deal because it kicks over pretty easily.

wow!
very nice .
i love the color.

leon

531blackbanshee wrote: wow!
very nice .
i love the color.

leon

Thanks man. You still planning on coming down to Memphis?

Nice looking bike, but certainly not 100% original, and more important - it is not a 1978 KZ650-C2 but it has the tank, side covers, and tailpiece from a 1978 KZ650-C2, so it sort of has the look of a C2.

Notice the footpegs. Each of the rider's pegs on your bike is mounted using 2 bolts. The 1978 used 1 bolt each. So your frame is not a 1978 KZ650-C2 frame.

Notice the speedometer. The 1978 KZ650-C2 speedo shows MPH only or KPH only, not both. Your speedometer is from a later model.

Your engine appears to be from a 1979 KZ650 . Notice it has the clean air system. This is easy to spot because the cylinder head cover is the reed valve type that the 1978 did not have. Also, the 1978 points and alternator covers have all upper case letters and no horizontal stripes. Your points cover has upper/lower case letters and stripes. I can't tell by the video about your alternator cover.

Notice the brake rotors. The 1978 KZ650-C2 did not have the holes in them; the 1979 and later models did.

Seat has been recovered.

Wrong front turn signals; yours have the elongated back and the shallow lenses. These are from a later model; your rear turn signals are the correct style.

Tail light bracket has been painted silver. It should be black.

Hard to tell but may be wrong rear shocks; shrouds should be smooth not ribbed. If yours are ribbed they are from model later than 1978.

Here's my suggestion

Find the frame number stamped into the steering stem neck, and find the engine serial number stamped near the oil filler cap. Using those numbers, look at models.kz650.info/index.htm and discover which year frame and engine you actually have.

I believe any documentation you have that shows the bike as a 1978-C2 is wrong. It is very possible that the bike was built in 1978 because all bike models, just like cars, begin being build before January 1 of the model year. But just like cars, that doesn't change the model year of the bike, and the model year is what matters when performing maintenance or buying parts. Ed

Looks good and sounds good, now ride the piss out of it.
Steve

Spencer440 wrote:

531blackbanshee wrote: wow!
very nice .
i love the color.

leon

Thanks man. You still planning on coming down to Memphis?

yessir i'll be there monday.
i sent you a pm with my contact info.

leon

Looks great.
Nice job.


I think Ed is right on her being a '79 C3.

79 C3 would be a good guess with earlier bodywork for some reason. Good bike, nice and clean and not botched up. Cool.