Identify my KZ650B year

Hi:
I just bought 1978 KZ650B VIN KX650B030033. In my province I can register it as a collector bike if it is in "stock" condition. My problem is that the colour appears to be "Emerald Green" or "silver" and it looks like original with decals. Any info I have found indicates that this bike should be blue or red.
1977 KZ650 were green though?
Bike has spoked wheels and single front disk with caliper behind the forks and a triangular master cylinder.
So everything indicates a 1978 KZ650B2 other than the colour of the paint.
Any ideas or can anyone send me a pic of a "showroom"
model like mine.
Thanks
John

79 B3 most likely.. They were emerald green too. I have one.

By your serial number, it falls before the 1978 B2A (US only model) which begins at frame number 032200. This is according to my FSM.

Someone with an earlier FSM may be able to give better detail.

BTW, what is the build date on the steering head sticker?

Post edited by: N0NB, at: 2007/06/06 23:23

Unfortunately the build date is unreadable on the ID sticker.

Welcome to KZr John.

Pics of your bike might help.
Are the front peg brackets rubber mounted with two bolts? If so, that should be a '78 B2A or '79 B3 model.

According to the VIN the frame is a 77 KZ650 B1, they start at KZ650B000001 and end at KZ650B500001.

Can´t recall when they introduced the triangular mc, but the 77s had a round one.Single caliper behind the fork indicates 78 B2 and the color indicates 79 B3, so what you have is probably a 77 frame with 78 frontend and 79 bodywork (if the paint is original).

About the engine, do you have 3 bolt holes in the center of the stator cover? Only the 77 B1 and C1 engines have those holes (different alternator setup from the rest of the 650s).

OnkelB wrote:

According to the VIN the frame is a 77 KZ650 B1, they start at KZ650B000001 and end at KZ650B500001.

Slight correction, Onkel, KZ650B500001 was the starting frame number for Lincoln, Nebraska built 650s. As we understand it, all of the Nebraska built bikes had the number beginning with "5". My Bayou's number begins with "5" and is shown as built by Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA.

My FSM shows a beginning number for the B2A of KZ650B-032200. So, my suspicion is that John's bike is either a B2 or a very late B1.

Dang Nate, you´re right, I misread the model diagram. :blush:

According to the info I have (lifted from kz650.info as I´m at work) the B1 (non-Nebraska) ends at KZ650B-046872, the B2 (non-Nebraska) starts at KZ650B-046873 and ends at KZ650B-046200.

I´ll check with my own info when I get home.

B1 000101-026990 Japan 1977
500001-508015 USA

B2 027501-032200 Japan 1978
508016-515325 USA

B2A 033501-044828 Japan 1978
515326-523523 USA

B3 045201-047350 Japan 1979
523524-533520 USA

So yours is a 1978 B2, Came in Blue or Red (orange actually). No green in 1978. Here's my 1977 in green, 1979 green is different shade. Maybe you have a different year bodywork.


Post edited by: RonKZ650, at: 2007/06/07 10:39

Ron, where did you get those numbers? Honest question, I´d really like to know, because the info I have is different (and possibly wrong), is your info from the FSM?

Extremely nice 77 btw.

Post edited by: OnkelB, at: 2007/06/07 15:03

OnkelB wrote:

Ron, where did you get those numbers? Honest question, I´d really like to know, because the info I have is different (and possibly wrong), is your info from the FSM?

Extremely nice 77 btw.<br><br>Post edited by: OnkelB, at: 2007/06/07 15:03

It's from the factory Kawasaki parts microfiche card for the 1977-1979 KZ650B series.

Hi:
Thanks for the Pic.
I am amazed by the responses. thanks everybody.
Mine is certainly not green like yours. Does anybody have a silver one in 1977-1978 that could post a pic?
I am beginning to think that the guy I bought it from fibbed about it being the original colour.
I will post a pic this evening once I figure out how to reduce the resolution.
JD