General Questions

hey all. recently purchased a 79 kz 650d. 7,200 miles. hasn't been ran in a year or so. all new plugs new gas new battery. started and running.

just a couple of questions.

oil cap - the oil cap does not have a dip stick. do they make one that does for this bike or do I trust the oil light on the dash? what oil is best.

battery- although it is a new battery, when first started up it puts out 12.4v as it continues to run it drops to about 11.7. shouldn't it rise?

Back firing a bit, was told to run sea foam through.

any advice or suggestions will be taken. seem to have gotten pretty lucky as it seems to be in pretty good running order just needs tuned.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to KZR.
Regarding your oil question. There's a sight glass, most likely on the right side of the bike.
If you bring the engine up off of idle doesn't the voltage rise as the RPM comes up?
Best of Luck
Bill

yes but not all the way to 12.4

I'd start by examining all the electrical connections. sounds like you have some corroded connections causing voltage drops. I'm not familiar with the wiring diagram for your bike. I suggest you post in the electrical forum, describing your issues.
I'm sure the answers will flow out easily.
Regards
Bill

Apparently you are new to bikes - welcome into the madness. The oil level site glass is on the right side of the engine (see image below). Keep the oil level roughly up to the top line next to the site glass. Assuming you plan to service the bike yourself you really need to purchase a Kawasaki Service Manual. You will find it an absolute necessity for maintaining the bike and for trouble shooting problems. As an example, your bike's ignition system uses contact points. These points degrade over time/miles and MUST be replaced periodically. With a mere 7,200 miles your bike is still in its infancy (my KZ650 has more than 62,000 miles and some have well over 100,000 miles). However, if the points have never been replaced they are overdue and will cause the bike to run poorly. 5,000 - 6,000 miles is pretty much the max for points, and that assumes they are dressed about halfway through their lifespan. Instead of putting Seafoam in the fuel I would urge you to first perform the rest of the normal maintenance items (such as replacing the points), but do NOT attempt doing so without the manual and the proper tools. The manual has a maintenance schedule in it - you need to assume zero maintenance has been performed so you start fresh will everything being done properly. Regarding the voltage issue, simply use the instructions in the service manual to pinpoint the problem and if necessary to replace the bad part. One other thing you need to understand - there are NO phillips screws on the KZ650. Those crosshead screws are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS). You can modify a phillips screwdriver to fit them (let me know if you need instructions), but if you use a regular phillips screwdriver on them you WILL damage them bigtime. Regarding the engine oil - do NOT use regular car oil as it will ruin the clutch. The KZ650 uses the engine oil in the wet clutch and the only way to be positive that the oil will not damage the clutch is to use oil that is "JASO-MA" certified and has "JASO_MA" printed on the label. There are plenty of oils with that certification so finding the proper oil is very easy.

Could you let us know how to modify a Philips head?

Yes. The 2 links below have the info. Ed

www.kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/609...uy-signing-in#791294

www.kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/609...uy-signing-in#791293

JIS. Get 2 Vessel JIS screwdrivers >> they're very nice & worth the cost. when buying tools, you should only have to buy a good tool once & you'll tend to take better care of the more expensive tools. I also have an unbranded hand impact driver set from the auto parts store (made in Taiwan). I don't know if the bits are JIS, but they're pretty darn similar to the Vessel screwdriver tips & they haven't damaged any engine cover screws . For smaller fasteners I also have a cheapy metric T-handle kit from Sears >> the bits fit the Kawasaki fasteners. I got it before getting the vessel tools. Additionally, the motorcycle tool kit has the correct screwdrivers, but the handle is kind of small. maybe a long shot, but you might be able to find a larger handle, possibly from a cheap screwdriver kit. I have 2 handles I've been meaning to try, but never got around to it. doh.

ps: Phillips screwdrivers are designed to prevent over-torquing a fastener, so they tend to slip out of the fastener head, causing damage.

A really nice set is not terribly expensive.

www.z1enterprises.com/catalog/product/vi...-of-three-144-244-3/

I ordered these when I started to gather tools for working on my bike:

www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07DPSDQMD/ref=...00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Have been great so far Previous owner clearly used Phillips....