Kawasaki SR650

 

 

thanks goes to my Uncle Ted

THANK YOU!

Who would have thought the bike you got me would have been shown all over the world?

 

Kawasaki KZ650 SR (D2, 1978/79)

I came across my motorcycle in August 99. A friend of mine (Karl) knew someone who went to America every year and came back with a few ship containers full of bikes. Some of the bikes were ride away and others box case jobs. Karl introduced "Berty" to me. Berty has his heart and soul in motorcycles. He showed me around his yard in Southport. Bikes where everywhere, you could hardly move for them. I was looking for early Honda's, though after seeing what else he had there I was soon to change my mind.

There were plenty of Nighthawks, Z650's, H1's, H2's, Goldwings and such, but out of all the bikes there a few SR650's caught my eye. One was a bit tatty, the tank needed a re-spray and a bit of elbow grease to get the chrome up, but the other one was in great condition. Both bikes had at least 13,000 miles on their clocks. The nicer of the two bikes had all the parts (apart from the exhaust and rear indicators) original, even the brake hoses had the year stamped on them ... 1978! But all in sound condition. I gave the bike a test ride.... Then I was hooked, I wanted it.

I spent a lot of time polishing my new machine - every day and night - It looked new after I had finished. I replaced the tyres to Continental TKV12 rear, and Continental TKV 11 front. This improved the handling greatly. The seat was a little tatty so I ordered a new seat cover and installed it myself. I have read stories that it was a difficult job to do. However, I found it not so bad as I thought it was going to be. I can't believe that I have only polished the thing and changed the tyres and seat cover for the bike to look as it does. Many people I have spoken to think that the bike has been restored, I can only think that it's like that because it has lived its life in America.

I know where I am going to get my next bike from :)

I put my bike away for winter and thought it needed a good clean. The bike had been stood in a garage for a little while as winter had set in, and condensation had been a problem. The bike engine had Aluminium Oxide deposits all over it and all the nuts and bolt heads were showing signs of corrosion.

I brought my bike into my house and tried to remove the oxide, which was on the engine. It was difficult to get to all the areas I wanted to so in a moment of madness, I striped down the bike to a bare frame all but for the engine. Now I could clean and polish all parts before I put them back, However, I thought it would be a better idea to remove the engine and get it clean as the rest of the bike. Hmmm.

On close inspection, the frame and swing arm looked like if I had them repainted the bike would is rusting away, it just has a poor Finnish).

I striped down the rear master cylinder and was horrified to see what looked like sand in there! I can only guess that it is very old brake fluid, which has broken down over time. No wonder the brakes felt strange. I found the wiring loom to be in quite good condition, there was only one place where the loom was coming undone, I think a little black insulation tape may cure that problem for a year or two.

My handlebars are twisted slightly so I need to have some new bars or at least shiny second hand ones.

I would have liked the original exhausts fitted but with a price tag of 800 UK pounds this is well beyond my budget and I will have to stay in dreamland for that one. As with all New original parts I am finding this to be the case unfortunately.

Update...

I have had my frame powder coated by "Triple-S" in Bingley, West Yorkshire. The job they did was very good, the finish on the frame is excellent

I stripped down the engine, I didn't want to as I have never stripped down a big bike engine before. I found the engine had a few small problems:

Pot number two had a ridge halfway up the barrel, which you could feel very well with your fingernail.. Re-bore? err no. at £120 for a re-bore £25 each piston and £150 for a new set of rings was well out of my reach! So I honed the barrel. I also found out why the kick-start would slip from time to time too. The main kick-start shaft was worn and the dog gears too, a replacement from "Berty" sorted that out. On cleaning the gears I found that one of the gear cogs had a few pits in it.

By the look of it, it looks beyond repair and will have to be replaced. ...... Well after some advice I didn't bother. I left it as it was.

I also mislaid a cam rubber damper for the cam chain, as this bike is an American import the part isn't available here, so I am trying to obtain one from America.

After waiting for so long for feedback I searched the internet again and found the Kawasaki site in USA ..... http://www.buykawasaki.com I found this site wonderful as I could see part numbers and diagrams.. I found my part number I needed and ordered it through Shorrocks in Preston (01772 463 575) Pete and Derek have been very helpful to me(as have a few of their mechanics and other staff members).

I have tried to get the engine casings cleaner by attacking them with all sorts of things ,like Autosol, wire brushes of all kinds from hard to soft, wire wheel for a drill! worked well (extreme care is needed)...petrol and a paint brush seems to get a lot of crud off too..., and it looks like it's been worth the hard work I put in to it.

As you can see it's just an empty shell here. But the frame is just waiting for the engine now and I can't wait to get the thing going again. It's was December I last rode the bike and the weather is just turning great now...

Watch this space for more info, and pics..

July the 8th 2001.

The cam timing was quite easy once you knew what was going on. It was a little bit of a pain, and as I wasn't confident that it would work, I dreaded the "moment of truth". I had to get a 30mm socket to install the clutch, once that was installed and the cover installed I filled her up with oil, and kicked it over a few times. I wasn't too sure about how it was kicking over, it didn't seem like what it used to be like, perhaps it was because I had bent some valves or something???

I took my time putting all the other parts back on, and trying to remember how the wiring loom was routed, it was a little difficult as it had been so long since I had removed it. But it all went O.K. checked over the bike just in case I had forgotten something, and checked the nuts and bolts, everything seemed O.K. So I took the bike outside.

Now was the moment of truth!

Put petrol in the tank.......yup...

Turned on the ignition...(lights came on anyway)...yup

Wait a min or two for the bowls to fill.......yup

Clutch in.....yup

Press the start button...........yup

3..........

2..........

1..........

VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

I'm back on the road!!!

After taking very easy for the first 80 Miles or so, the bike suddenly developed a cough and splutter, so much so that I stopped. Looked over the electric's and everything "seemed" fine... So I coughed and spluttered home, luckily only 1/4 mile away.. I removed the contact breaker inspection cover and started the bike, points for pots 1 and 4 were sparking very badly, I wiggled the condenser wire a bit and the sparks stopped and the bike ran cleanly ..OK ..New condenser I get the new condenser and it ran OK, but I wasn't to sure about the occasional splutter.

I had an "MOT" due so took it down, it ran very well there...But wouldn't start for the home journey. Not even a backfire! OK...check a plug... No spark, took plug cap off, and a huge meaty spark almost killed me, check all the other plugs, and they were all dead. On close inspection of the plugs there was a metallic deposit on all of them (I guess from the honing), I have been told that the condensers could have gone because of this. I am checking the plugs at regular intervals and not seen anything untoward since. I have changed the oil and filter at 100 Miles, and will do this again in another 200 Miles, then I will start to put a good quality oil in and change that at the 1000 Mile mark.

The engine is running very well right now and it's nice to potter around for a change, as I am usually going mad on the thing (within the speed limits of course). I hope to get some decent images of the bike soon and get them on the site.

Well speak too soon! After another <G> blast on the bike, a sudden splutter and misfire told me "bloody plugs" again!. However, after a lot of thought and checks to the electrical system, I am now wondering if one of the coils is playing up. I did think there were deposits on the plugs, perhaps they could have been metallic or not, that isn't the point, the point is it's not running correctly!

The condenser for pots 1 and 2 have gone again. After buying new plugs the thing still was spluttering and coughing it's heart out, a fiddle with condenser 1 found it running fine with no sparks at the points, but let go of the condenser lead and splutter cough stall! I am waiting for news on the possibilities of why the coil for pot one and four is breaking down. Anyone in the mean time know anything else that could point me in the right direction?

Power to coil 1 and 4, 2 and 3 is about .5V down on the battery. Is this because there is a "ballast" resistor within the ignition circuit? Both coils have slight cracks in the plastic casings, but these were there when I first got the bike. I am thinking the only real way of sorting the problem is to get electronic ignition and coils.

Installed an electronic ignition that goes with my existing points and coils, so starting from the electric start should start my bike now, as I have found in the past that I can crank the thing over and get no where, but if I use the kick start, it starts first kick. Low battery?

I have been waiting five weeks for the return of my petrol tank from the spray shop. So when they first said two weeks for the job, am quite upset that it's taking so long because I want to test the bike and give it a handful to see if my problem returns.

Image of tank before repair

After a six weeks I have got my tank back. I think the paint job is fantastic and the hand painted stripes have come out great, though I am disappointed with the final lacquer coat as it is a little "orange peely", I might go back to see if they can flatten the finish off. I don't want to do it as I don't know how deep the lacquer is. I have taken her for a test spin after strobe timing her, and she is pulling great, and there's loads of torque... I am quite pleased as she hasn't coughed and spluttered once. I did have to re-sync the carb's as she wasn't ticking over to well, and after that she was running perfectly.

As Promised here's some images...

These are of the bike as from the 23rd of October 01. With repaired tank... Tank is going back to spray shop to get the slight "orange peel" effect out.

Click photo's to enlarge (best viewed at 1024 x 768)

The tank is looking great after the guys at Race Paint, Burscough finished it off. All it needed was a quick buff and is looking smooth as glass. Thanks guys!.

Engine running really well. I got the carbs checked at "Berty's" and were found to be almost spot on, so no adjustment was needed.. (I seem to have a very good ear!). However, my luck as usual has let me down again and my clutch cable has died. So... I am off the bloody road again!

But... Derek at Shorrocks in Preston has sorted me out with one, so in a few days time no doubt the roads will be rivers and the skies black for the next six months! well knowing my luck ;)

The clutch feels great now, smooth as silk.. However, after a good blast I noticed (Oh no.. not again!) a strange Noise, a bit like the electric start coming in but the speed of the Noise didn't increase with engine speed, but would stop at about 15MPH and continue again once I got to 20MPH but not constantly, that only came in at about 25MPH...A bearing breaking down? When the engine has stood, and is cooler it's OK.

I drained the oil for the second time and found only after 400 Miles of the re-build and still found metallic oil in the filter, and worse still quite large Particles resting on the base of the filter base. Well there's only one thing to do..

Strip it down again! .....

Oh well.. Here we go

Well I have split the engine, leaving the head and barrels on, and I cant see anything that's trying to break-up.. The ONLY thing that I think isn't quite right are the gear cogs which have some slight play in them.. I doubt if this is the reason. Though I will remove the gears from the shafts to check the bushes/bearings for wear/damage.

On close inspection of the gears there was no signs of bad wear. The counter shaft bearing at the clutch side is displaying signs of being on the way to breaking down. I spun the bearing (after washing it out in petrol) with the palm of my hand, and hey presto I think I have found the problem. I am going to replace ALL of the bearings in the gear box.

And another task on the "to do" list is to shim up my CAM's.. I was horrified to find that there are only TWO ports with 1.5 thou gap! the rest don't have any gap!! eek

When it comes to putting the thing back together I won't use the silicone type of sealant I used before as I think it's quite thick and some of it I have found loose in the engine.. My fear was a blocked oil way.. But I can't find any signs of that type of damage in there though..

Nothing happening right now. Still waiting for the bearings, but I am in no rush to get the thing back together now as its winter. The road TAX has expired so I have had to "S,O,R,N" the thing (Statuary off road notification... A UK thing! I get a fine if I don't do this.) So If I have visitors who are wondering what I am up to, as soon as I get my bearings from Shorrocks in Preston I will put that info on the pages right away. But for now I am enjoying the quiet break.

Ahhh.. After a short quiet break, I get my parts from Shorrocks in Preston only to find that one of the bearings is the wrong one!!!! AHHHH!!! This bike has surprises everywhere for me.. So am in a crazy manic mood right now... (and it doesn't help being off the cig's for my fifth week either...)

Update...Feb 2002...(forgot to use different silicone type when I put it back together, but used less instead).. The bits of Ali in the bottom of the engine seem to have come from one of the CAM shells.. Not the bearing side, just at the side where the CAM buts upto it.

Engine is back together now...Well almost, just got to put it in the frame now, then put the clutch on.

Engine is back in the frame and up and running again.. All I need now is the beautiful English Weather and once again I will be happy !!!! LOL :)

19/03/2002

Just waiting to TAX the beast now... She's running good, so can't wait to get her going :)

Well, she is riding fantastic, no horrid noises coming from anywhere.. Revving cleanly no misfires or anything!! COOL But I still have to do the shims before I wreck anything :( But that is in hand and hopefully within the next few days I will be sorting that one out thanks to the kindness of "Berty's" friend Karl. Cheers Mate!

Went round to Berty's today (20th june 02) andunfortunately he doesn't have any shims..So I am going to try a few breakers and see if they have anything. Unless anyone wishes to send me any shims they have lying about gathering dust ;) I cant say what shim numbers I need, as I can't check the gaps on all but two of the valves!

17th July 02: Took the bike out for a quick blast, it was a thoroughly enjoyable ride, the weather made for perfect riding conditions, Ran the carbs dry when I returned home.

19th July 02: Moved the bike back into house (minus petrol tank). removed CAM cover and took both cams off to get at the follower's. Finding something to get the followers out was easy after I found a sucker which was attached to some toy thing. Just the easiest of tasks to remove the followers now. removed all shim's and followers (all marked with valve number) I have all but one which states the shim number, without the use of a micrometer I can only guess that it is a shim number 255, as the 260 and a 265 are slightly thicker. Before removing the cam shafts I re-checked the valve clearances, and found that they did in fact have a clearance.. I guess that because I checked before turning it over enough on the kick start just after the major re-build, so the shims hadn't settled in properly? anyway, there are gaps now, so I can at least calculate the correct gaps now. If I end up having to get all the shims replaced it will cost approx thirty two UK pounds to sort it! each shim is just about four UK pounds each.. Ahh the joys of motorcycling :) lets hope I can keep the shims to a minimum!

The bike has had a quick polish, the poor thing had been out in the elements for a few months now, and was showing signs of neglect. A re-polish of the crankcases is now due.

23rd July: four shims were ordered (in stock) from Shorrocks in Preston.

27th July..The WEEKEND.....Saturday.......Ahg... I don't believe it.. No Post! ....... means NO SHIMS!!!! The best weekend this summer and no bike. Blast.. Oh well back to the polishing...

6th August 02.. Well what seemed like a very long wait for the shims to arrive, they were installed as soon as the envelope landed on my door mat! My mate Andy was over from the Isle of Man on his RSV 1000 (very nice machine) and I just had to get my machine up and running to at least have a ride out with him. Luckily the shim clearances were just about right..well right enough for a good while. I started her up, and she ran as sweet as new machine (well almost).

7th August.. Made my way to the "Hen and Chickens" pub for the local meet (every wednesday) It was quite busy there, then made my way to the "SCOTCH PIPER" (link takes you to some other site) pub, another biker friendly pub in Lyidiate, Magull. Which seems to be more popular than the "Chicks"..

14th August.. Again went to the Hen and Chickens, which was so busy, I have never seen it so busy, the whole car park to the rear of the pub was jammed packed full of nearly every bike imaginable!!! I didn't go the Scotch Piper as I doubt if I could get anywhere near it! I will have to take my camera with me next time and get some images up on my site so you can see what you lot are missing out on.

The "Hen and Chickens" Maghull, Merseyside.....busy again! click image to enlarge...

Some Z900!!! Best i've ever seen anyway

If you are after a Classic bike, or want good advice, parts I highly recommend "Berty" (Otherwise known as Alan) at AGB Motorcycles in Banks, Southport. He often puts Ad's in Classic Motorcycle & Mechanics , MCN , and other Mags/Papers.

You can contact him on (UK) Southport: +44 (0)1704 227413

Or e-mail him at AGBmotorcycles@aol.com

Sorry I've not had time to do much to my site for a few months as I am now working full time, and I dont have the time to work on my bike, but keep on visiting from time to time and you never know, I might actually do something in the next few weeks or so...

Well after a long break from updates at last an update!

The SR is now in Bike Heaven, as some cager turned right, right in front of me on the 9th June 2003 ... so shes been written off

Carole Nash Insurance have been very good upto now. And have helped me get things sorted..

Will write some more when I have the time... 29th Nov 2004... nothing to write about in this section anymore, but please check out the rest of the site

Dead link check - October 4th 2006 -

The "go-stats" hit couter site seems to have gone now (1/1/07), so on my last count here I remember it was upto about 70500 in Dec 2006 since November 2001. I stll track visitors but in a different way.