KZ 650 1979 starter clutch

How hard should it be to pull apart and re-assemble the starter clutch. Mine was really difficult to pull apart, I wanted to inspect the rubber dampers. I will get new ones as I read that the ZR-7 ones will fit. I tried to put it all back together using the old ones but it looks like it hill have to be pressed together using a press.

Are you referring to item 7?  If so, it's very odd if they have expanded.  On my bike, and most others, these rubber dampers shrink with age and use.

Did the bike sit a long time with a crankcase filled with gasoline?  If so, they could have swelled up.  Put them in the oven for a couple hours at 200F and see if they shrink back to size?  I've done this before with fuel pump O-rings on cars, and the O-ring goes back to normal when the gasoline is driven off.

 

All you have to do is oil them and press them in with a rubber mallet.

I will give that a try, the last time I was playing with it 8 years ago fuel was going into the crankcase through the vacuum line from the petcock.  I hate those things, I was brought up on OFF, RES, ON. And when I get her up and running again I will put a manual petcock on the bike.