Bike classification..

Is there a good way to find out exactly what model your bike is..? There are D1s, 2s, F1s and twos, Es, all kinds. I tried puting the VIN on kawasaki.com and it says it doesn't exist. The side panels say SR 650, and it says '79 KZ on the exhaust. The sticker on the forks is long gone, its my grandfathers bike and hes passed away. Thanks for all the help,

Ed

This is an easy one since the SR 650 was only made for two years at least for the States. The 78 SR (D-1) had triple disc brakes but they were not drilled. The 79 SR (D-2) had the triple discs but they were drilled. In 1980 Kawasaki started calling that bike the LTD and it came with a drum brake in the rear and a single disc up front they gave it the E-1 designation. The stock colors for 79 were red and a sort of purple color. Here is a pic of a stock 79 that I just bought, it might help you to identify yours.

CptEDIV wrote:

Is there a good way to find out exactly what model your bike is..? There are D1s, 2s, F1s and twos, Es, all kinds. I tried puting the VIN on kawasaki.com and it says it doesn't exist. The side panels say SR 650, and it says '79 KZ on the exhaust. The sticker on the forks is long gone, its my grandfathers bike and hes passed away. Thanks for all the help,

Ed

Hello Ed: When you say the sticker on the forks os long gone, are you referring to the white sticker on the main stem of the triple tree? If that is gone, the frame VIN is still inscribed on the main stem of the triple tree...look carefully for the VIN and this will let you know what the bike is (post the first 6 to 8 digits to verify with someone on this board).

Post edited by: Mcdroid, at: 2007/10/09 11:38

Also, in 79, the bike was listed on the side covers as

SR
650

and the 78 was

KZ650
SR

Alo the 79 was available in purple as well as red. The pin strips are also slightly different from 78 to 79. You can also look for the reed valves in the valve(cam) cover of the 79 but they are not on the 78. There are several other differences, Melvis can name them better than I can. lol


The Gringo wrote:

This is an easy one since the SR 650 was only made for two years at least for the States. The 78 SR (D-1) had triple disc brakes but they were not drilled. The 79 SR (D-2) had the triple discs but they were drilled. In 1980 Kawasaki started calling that bike the LTD and it came with a drum brake in the rear and a single disc up front they gave it the E-1 designation. The stock colors for 79 were red and a sort of purple color. Here is a pic of a stock 79 that I just bought, it might help you to identify yours.

B,B1,B2,C,C1,C2,F1,D,E1KZ,SR,CSR,LTD... My head hurts!:woohoo:

Bluemeanie wrote:

B,B1,B2,C,C1,C2,F1,D,E1KZ,SR,CSR,LTD... My head hurts!:woohoo:

Dont froget the "a"'s either, those made in one model year for the other model year(IE, a 77 made 650C sold as a 78 model)

Of course!!, Stupid me, how could I forget the "A"'s!!?? :woohoo: :blink:

It has a single disc in the front, and a drum in the back... I'll post pictures and the VIN soon. It looks like it had dual disc in the front but one had been removed.
-Ed

Well, gents, I'm just putting the finishing touches on my initial issue of the KZ650 model/frame number chart.
I've researched this at various sources and almost broke my brain sorting things out.
It's not a full model recognition chart....yet....but with some help from the gurus on this board, it will be....hopefully.:whistle: