77 650s in the house

Well, only two of them. Both produced in 1977. Both have seen slight mods, although I'm not sure what are mods and what are stock when it comes to the front ends.

Bike A: Big front fender likely from a Z1, forks turned 180 degrees (mounting lugs for stock fender stays pointing forward, caliper behind leg) and veeeery wide handlebars at about 34 in. that may or may not be stock. Master pump reservoir with circular plastic cap and see-through white plastic about half inch wide, metal below. Fork tops with hex nuts on top.

Bike B: Tiny front fender likely from a KZ900LTD, forks made to carry caliper behind leg (lugs for fender stays pointing back), Tomaselli handlebars a good 3 in narrower. Master pump reservoir round as on bike A, but all metal with metal lid. Fork tops covered with rubber inserts covering fork tops that need a square tool inserted to unscrew them.

Also...

Bike A: Rear folding footpegs bolted directly into the frame bracket with metal "lids" on their ends.

Bike B: Rear folding footpegs bolted to hangers that bring the pegs back and up a little bit. Ends fully covered in rubber. Like on bike A the pegs are round.

Could anybody tell me what's stock for a '77 Euro model? I do know either bike is stock when it comes to the front fender and that the Tomaselli isn't stock, but what about the rest?

Thanks!

Some pictures would help a lot.

Mark

I don't know if you have the B1 or C1 models.

Here's a pic of a stock 1977 KZ650-B1 Euro-spec (actually, notice they call it a "Z-650") bike. Most noticeable difference is the long rear fender with reflector at bottom:



Here's a mostly stock 1977 KZ650-C1 USA spec. Noticeable non-stock item is the chrome chain guard; black plastic was stock - but I'm a fool for bling. Shocks are Hagon but their appearance is very similar (not exact) to stock.

Thank you, but those pictures doesn't help with the details, although I now know it's a B1 that I have.

Searching the 'net I also found out that:
- forks should have the hex nuts on top
- the wide and tall handlebars are likely stock, at least for USA (don't know if they differed or not)
- one bike has the rear grab rail from the F2/F3 version, the other is period correct
- it seems like the passenger footpegs should sit on separate brackets that move them back and up a little
- both bikes are fitted with the shorter US spec rear fender
- it seems like the master pump with the plastic section is stock, but I've found pictures of both pumps online

Showing one of my brake master pumps:


And the other:

Neither of those handlebars are stock. With stock bars the wiring from the left and right control blocks runs through the handlebars and there is a larger diameter tube in the very center. You can see this thick central section in 1st picture below. It appears that you are missing the clutch lever perch wiring for the clutch lockout. This is the only wire that runs outside the handlebars (see 2nd pic).

The fork top bolts on my '77 KZ650-C1 have a hexagonal depression in them, not a raised hex head (see 3rd pic). There are rubber plugs (see 4th pic) that fit into the hex depression (see 5th pic).

The passenger pegs are as shown in 6th pic.

Let me know if you need other pics of details. Ed

Regarding the front master cylinder; I think they came in 2 different flavors. One was a solid metal reservoir and one was plastic so you could easily check the fluid level. Mine was the second type (see pic).

Great, thank you for the detailed photos, Ed

The top of the fork legs on my red bike have similar rubber plugs, but instead of hex it's a much smaller square underneat. But looking over Jarle's pages and photos, it appears that the hex going up (for standard wrench to be used) is normal on the B1. Perhaps they were both used, or perhaps only the C model used the type with rubber plugs.

Your brake reservoir is different from both mine and also differ from what B1 photos I could find over at Jarle's page - where I saw photos that matched both of my master pumps, so not really clear.

Good info on the handlebars and rear footpegs.

Your bike is really shiny, BTW :woohoo:

Finally, I'm not going to do a restoration to original spec here, just want one well working bike that looks really nice from 2 steps away. Most items will be stock, but I will retain the handlebars already fitted, for instance. And I'm undecided about the rear passenger grip; the two-piece looks better than the one running over the top behind the seat, but the latter is more practical for a passenger. My bike will not be nearly as new looking as yours, however!

Thanks! I do believe there were a couple (maybe 3) different fork top bolts used. I had to make a special tool to remove mine. Regarding the rear passenger grip; the later Euro models (F series) had them as stock. Here's a 1981 F2 and a 1983 F4, the bars look like they changed a little bit between the 2 models.

Yup, I knew about the grab rail (re earlier post). As said I'm no fan of its looks, but it does give better support. If I can persuade my wife to tag along on the odd ride, I'll keep the big bar. If not, the separate grips will go on.

B1 has the hex head caps on the forks like your first picture. The master cylinder is the correct one in your second picture. In 1978 KZ650B2 went to the square drive with a rubber caps on top on the forks. I think basically if the caliper was originally mounted in front of the forks they used the hex cap, caliper mounted behind the forks used the square drive cap with rubber cover.

Interesting, Ron, thank you. I have read somewhere that there is a hybrid model made late in 1977 that was still designated B1 but had the brake caliper behind the fork leg together with a round brake master pump, could that be correct? The shop I bought the two bikes from listed both as 1977 Z650B, and they are vintage Kawasaki specialists.

When you say the solid brake master is correct, do you mean for the B1? Is the other for another version? I plan on using the one that's in the best condition. If they are both fine, I'll use the solid one as I like its looks better.

It looks like according to Ed's picture the plastic round master cylinder was from a 1977 KZ650C1. It was never used on a B. 1977 had the metal master cylinder, then in 78 they went to the different shape cylinder, which was more rectangular. Here in the USA all 1977 KZ650B used the forks with the brake caliper in front of the forks and the hex cap on top of the forks. I would think the European model was also this way, but don't know for sure. Question for Ed: You can't tell me your red line on your tach is still not faded after 36 years? i have to know