I started with a barn find KZ650 and ended up with 700cc bore race cam equipped rocket.  I kid you not…this thing hauls ass.  It’s still being broken in so I’ve been hesitant to rev it over 5k rpms but man does she go.  70+ mph at 5k rpms and pulls strong!  Redline is at 9k….shit I am in for a surprise when I get there.

Here is a list of work/mods/upgrades with KZ photo porn to follow:

• Wiseco K700 Piston Kit (10.25:1) – Bore by PowerSeal USA
• Andrews#20 Cams (.350 lift)
• APE Manual Cam Chain Tensioner
• APE Cylinder Head Nuts
• Rebuilt Head by Mar Automotive
• Lockhart Oil Cooler
• Sprocket Setup 17T Front / 42T Rear
• Braided Brake lines
• Driller Rotor
• Progressive Suspension 14 Series
• Tarozzi Fork Brace
• Unifilter Pods running 110 Mikuni Main Jets
• Martek 440 Ignition System
• Updated FuseBox and LED Flasher Replays – CWS Wiring Solutions
• Fender Eliminator with ZX6 Taillight
• Kerker 4-1 Exhaust
• Pingel Manual Petcock

Here is where I left off.  Polished the engine covers.  Two Dremels saved my life trying to get that valve cover to looks so nice.

Used a K&L Motorcycle Engine Stand for the rebuild and installed new crankshaft bearings as shown covered in assembly lube.  If you look closely I nearly made a mistake during assembly.  The right most shift fork has a guide pin sticking out of it.  That pin is suppose to be recessed to meet up with the shift drum guides.  Turns out I had it reversed.

I used a little bit of carb cleaner to ensure the case halves were free of contaminates before sealing.  There is big debate about what sealant to use but Hondabond worked just fine.  The trick is to apply a thin coat.  Once the case halves are mated the the rest will squish out.  Applying too much can create major problems and potential clog important oil passages.  Red stuff is assembly lube…goes on gears and smooth bearing surfaces.

Not shown in the picture but during the case mating process the most important part was to make sure the shift forks line up to their respected gears on the other half.  A second person was critical in this setup.

Using two pieces of cardboard I was able to create a tool that allowed me to install the Wiseco K700 Pistons (+2mm) with ease.  I’d highly recommend watching techniques on how to install circlips on the ends of the piston.  It’s to easy to damage a piston during this process if you don’t have the right technique.

Dropping the block on to the pistons took two people as well.  A ring compressor wasn’t needed but it can be done by slowly squeezing each ring into their cylinder one by one.  Each ring gap has a specific position it needs to be facing.  This step is very important.

Installing the head and cams was easier than I expected.  Setting the timing on the camshafts was simple with the service manual.

WARNING:  Be careful with over tightening the bolts on the camshaft caps.  With these old bikes its a common problem for them to strip.  I had to replace 2-3 using Helicoils.

Installed a ZX6E tailight and LED blinkers with LED flasher relays – look great in action!

Started it up on Christmas Day and took her out for the first ride.  Bike is not quite tuned at this point.

So far I have 86 miles on her thanks to the recent warm weather.  I’ve used a Gunson Colortune to set the air/fuel adjustment and then synchronized the carbs.  Working everyday on breaking it in.  4,500 rpm limit till 500mi, 6k rpm limit till 1000mi.  Took her on quick intercity highway run to lay on the G-forces.  As I said earlier, damn this thing goes!  Got some solid praise from William Becker.  A man known for his incredible builds feature on BikeEXIF – XS650 – AERMACCHI SPRINT – NORTON COMMANDO MK III

New paint job to come but for now I’ll be stopping by Thursday night Chin On The Tank ride regularly.

My Current KZ Mindset:

OBSESSED

It was found in a shed sitting for over 15 years.  Naturally some things would be wrong with it.  It had dry rotted tires, a frozen master cylinder, oil leaking out of the engine halves, ugly decals, and a hideous sissy bar.  First things first, lets make sure it runs.

GOOD LORD!  That’s certainly not the sound of a stock engine.  Later on I had discovered this KZ has been highly modified with 65mm pistons (+3mm over stock), Andrews #20 Cams (.350 lift vs .304 stock cams), and a Martek 440 electronic ignition system.  All of which screamed to the tune of a Kerker 4-1 exhaust.  It was now time to tear down the engine, frame, and rebuild her with some additional performance upgrades along with a new look.

Opps I managed to chip the piston wall during removal of the circlip .  This is going to suck.

It’s just my luck that Wiseco no longer makes the 65mm kit.  Instead I had to take a small step backwards if I was going to stick with the Andrews Cams.  So I purchased Wiseco’s 64mm kit and a used stock cylinder block on eBay.  Cylinders were bored out by PowerSeal USA and fitted to the new pistons.  Since this is Part 1 of this project I am still working on reassembling the engine.  At this point I continued with the tear down of the motor.

Lucky me, more upgrades!  Those are performance springs installed on the clutch.  I couldn’t be happier.

With the engine torn down I began the restoration process.  First with vapor blasting the engine.

Following that I had the frame and miscellaneous parts powder-coated.  This was my second time using Prestige Powder Finishing in Newark, Delaware.  They primarily work on industrial contract jobs but they will do frames on the side.  Here is the before shot.

And here is the after shot.  The finish is ‘Satin Black’.

The head was rebuilt by MAR Automotive.  Thanks to Ed for the recommendation.

The dirty carbs kept bugging me so I gave them a good wash using an Ultrasonic Cleaner and Simple Green.  Clean on the left, dirty on the right.

Keeping in mind that air-cooled bikes are not particularly fond of hot summers and stop and go city streets I thought it would be proper to add an oil-cooler to the KZ650, especially with all this extra heat I’ll be packing.  Oddly enough there is a simple solution.  A direct oil sump swap from a 84 GPZ750.  You’ll notice the exchange for the oil cooler at the top.  KZ650 on the left, GPZ750 on the right.

Time to get back to the frame and wheels.  Black spokes, polished hubs, and Avon Roadrider for tires.

I replaced the fork seals and added performance springs with 15w fork oil for better dampening.  I also added a Tarozzi fork brace for better handling.

I continued with handling upgrades by installing Progressive Suspension on the rear.

The KZ650 stock sprocket sizes are 16T on the front, and 42T on the rear.  I’ll be running 17T, 42T.  This will drop the RPM’s 1,000-1,500 while cruising on the highway.  I’ve heard the stock setup revs high at 70mph and this should help with that.  At this point I am glad the KZ is finally standing on its own again.

I am using a KZ900/1000 front fender.  It looks better and wraps around the tire to prevent slinging rain and rocks.  Aesthetically you’ll notice I blacked out some pieces and added black euro style handlebars.  I also added LED turn signals.

I found a rough design for a Fender Eliminator on a KZ650 forum.  I purchased an aftermarket LED taillight and began drafting up a template.

I then tried it on for size.  Once I get the fitment right I’ll then go ahead and fabricate the final version.

Currently this is all I have to share at this time.  I am in the midst of polishing my engine covers.  I hate polishing at times but love how it looks in the end.  Philadelphia’s own Bill Becker has agreed to assist me with my engine assembly and after that I should only require a fresh paint job.

Hope you enjoyed reading this.  Stay tuned for Part 2.

As this is my first post I would like to introduce myself. My name is Alex and you would find me riding around Philly on my blue KZ400 or the newly finished KZ650 and sometimes on a gray sportster. I am originally from Tallinn, Estonia. It’s a tiny pixel on the map located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Racing culture in Estonia is pretty big, but the custom bike scene from what I remember is modest. Once in a while a company like Renard Speed Shop will come out with something really unique. Check out Renard Grand Tourer on bikeexif.

The bike is a 1979 KZ650 that I found on craigslist in a very rough form. It had a title, the engine turned over, the price was right and I was itching for a new project. It took a little over a year to complete. I have to say that this project didn’t come easy. It seems like I have spent the majority of time fixing my own damn mistakes. It took me so many tries just to get the smallest thing accomplished. However, the feeling of completing this project was amazing and all the headache was worth it.

I’ve always been a fan of 70’s era Japanese bikes and this is my second project. The first one was a blue KZ400. Unfortunately, I crashed that bike into a van last week and I am pretty sure it’s totaled. However, I feel pretty lucky to escape almost unharmed. I got that bike because I liked the way it looked. It had very nice lines, the tank was beautiful and it was easy to work on. Also, I think the simple tubular frame and proportions of the bike made for a good build platform. The second KZ was an impulse buy. It was cheap and had similar lines, but it was in a lot worse shape. Since I knew a little bit about the 2 cylinder, I thought I would learn about the 4 cylinder and keep the trend going.

A few of the mods include:
-Welded a shorter rear frame loop
-18″ front wheel conversion
-Replaced all the bearings on the bike
-Dual front disk conversion
-Lowered front end and used shorter shocks in the rear
-Welded a small battery box to fit under the seat and it houses an 8cell ballistic battery
-Converted vintage tractor spot light into a headlight to use H4 bulb
-Rear taillight has been swapped for a small under the fender LED (superbrightleds.com has some nice options)
-Fitted a gas tank from an old Kawasaki Enduro and did a custom paint job on it (Used water slide paper)
-Fabricated a new seat pan and shaped the padding out of 3 layers of thick yoga mats and got it upholstered at Romeo’s Upholstery in the North East (Great guy and cheap prices)
-Rebuilt the engine and carbs (New gaskets, new rings, lapped valves)
-New electronic ignition and coils from Dynatek (Those guys are the best)
-Simplified all the wiring and relocated all the switches into the battery box
-Kerker 4-1 exhaust
-Manual cam chain adjuster (Highly recommend)

This build has a bit of a cursed story. I think the majority of it is my own fault. I have broken quite a few things while working on the bike, not on purpose. I had to reorder a bunch of parts. I think the engine is built out of 3 different ones. I have 2 extra sets of pistons, 2 heads, 4 calipers and rotors, set of carbs, set of forks, set of wheels and some other crap that doesn’t work or is damaged. I couldn’t figure out why nothing went smoothly. It could of been just the nature of this beast. One other issue was dealing with a powder coating guy who kept my parts for 3 months only completing 20% of the job. After a bunch of calls and a few concerned messages, he replied to tell me that he left all my stuff outside his garage. Thinking all of the stuff would be painted since I paid upfront, I arrived that night to a locked 12ft gate and most of the stuff on the other side sitting unpainted. At that point i just wanted to get everything back, so I managed to slide some small parts under the gate. The frame was too large to fit, so I climbed the gate with the frame on my shoulder and as I reached the very top a cop showed up. I climbed down and he had that grin like he just solved the biggest crime. Talk about bad timing. I tried to explain to him that this was my stuff and why I was here. His first response was -“bullshit, this is not your stuff.” At that point I thought I was getting arrested. The cop however was nice enough to hear my story and after about an hour of pleading my case and showing the text message and email history he let me go. However, he would not let me take the parts because I couldn’t technically prove that they were mine. I climbed the gate once more and left the parts there and went home. The next day I went back and did exactly the same thing with no cops in sight. Needless to say, I have never heard back from that powder coating guy again.

Not to long ago I started collecting videos of some of my favorite motorcycle builders. If you have some time to kill you can check them out on pistontrigger.com

All the awesome pictures have been taken by my friend Zack Gross zackgrossphoto.com

A couple Honda and Suzuki in there.

Pics are shitty low res. whatever.

Pretty cool to see how they set certain things up. I recently added a lockhart oil cooler to my z1 and set it up in the normal spot above the headers and ran the lines over the engine and under the fuel tank.

Take note of how some of the race bike oil coolers are. Wayyyy in front or all the way in the back. Wild. And some are frickin huge.

Some really cool seats too.

As a temporary solution we decided to trim it down until ryan can get it professionally reupholstered.

Turkey cutting knife.

Jomar – brown vinyl. $6.

Get it tight.

Not perfect, but way better than king+queen seat.