1978 kawasaki kz650b2 colors

My KZ650 is Canadian, so maybe a few stray black ones made it here. The silver paint has faded with the top coat peeled away, so it does not look good. I think I would like the bike to be as stock as possible, especially if ebony is as rare as it appears to be.

RonKZ650 wrote: I'm not sure on the B3, it may have come in black, but for B2 I still doubt it. I have the original Kawasaki brochures for 1978, and they say blue or burnt red (orange) were the color choices.

Excellent point! Here are excerpts from 1978 KZ650-B2 brochures from 3 different countries. Every one of them lists the red and blue colors but not ebony. Ed

When I purchased my 78 650B (burnt orange) the dealer had a black 78
Can't recall if the stripes were green or red (or both)
but it was definitely a 78 an definitely black

Did You Guys see this????? On the ebay page?
z1kzonly wrote:
Here's one for you KZ 650 lovers! Another fishy story? Barn Find? Credit stiff? Stolen?
Looks true, 1980 inspection sticker. thats a long time sitting. Great for parts or a 1/8 mile beater at your local drag strip. Nice chopper period 3 prong sissy bar :laugh: $75 on ebay.
Amazing how these bikes keep popping up out of the weeds and woodwork.
I'll bet $400 will take it home, Gamble for ebay nowadays, could not even parts it out for that unless your oinkjohnson. I am 45 minutes away from Alden, NY
buffalo.craigslist.org/mcy/4907052045.html
78KZ650.jpg
2 hours too late! Son of a! Damn.
It's going to Rochester, NY. GET THIS $300! I wonder if it is Jeff Saunders? He's in Rochester.
It kicks over, not seized. But gas was left in tank.

Hi:
I have decided to go with black to get it back to factory original. Any hints on where to find what the pin-striping or
decals might have looked like on a 1978 KZ650B. There are lots of images on the inter-web but who knows which are correct factory stock???

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationTake a look at the images in the link below. They show good close-ups of a new old stock ebony tail piece and its striping. That should at least let you know the original colors of the stripes. Ed

I just purchased a 1978 kz650 frame # kz650b521521. .it is factory original finish ebony black with blue and gold stripes. I have read that they only came in red or blue (I have a red one). Anyone know how many black ones were made. It is a totally original bike with 10600 miles. Thanks

There were not many black ones made as I have been "trolling" for pictures of a black KZ650B for several years
I have mine back to black and hope to have it pinstriped this winter. Can you reply with pictures suitable for me to give my painter.

No problem for pictures need a phone number I can text them to. Jon

2504040318 thanks

I've still never seen one to this day, and no publication that I've ever read lists black as being on the B2. Kawasaki parts fiche however listed it. If they made them, there weren't many, and serial numbers back in those days didn't have any rhyme or reason pertaining to color. They sold thousands and thousands of KZ650B in 1978, suffice it to say blue was most common, red (orange) less common, black very rare to say the least. The serial number just listed for the black one is a late 78, possible the B2A. They may have added black very late in the 78 model year possibly after all the brochures ect were printed indicating red or blue was what they came in? Don't know.

If anyone could tell me how to post pictures off of my phone,I will put some images of my black 78 kz650 on.thanks,Jon