[650LTD]

Hello guys, I searched through this site and am suprised and greatfull at how many people are into these older bikes,

I just picked up my first bike, a 1980 KZ 650LTD, at least I think it's a KZ, I paid 100 bucks for it through a lein sale, I have a solid back ground in automotive, engine rebuilds, tranny work, body work, electrical. but am confused when it comes to bikes. the battery is dead, but the battery is what confuses me the most, there is a tube running out of the battery, what is that for. I preformed a search on this website and people were talking about trickle chargers and a few other things, I have no idea what that is. so I at least need a battery, if someone could give me the run down on what the tube is and what a trickle charger is that would be great. also am curious to know how these engines last, if they have been sitting for a while are they fairly easy to get running again. figured I would change all fluids and do a tune up on it. is there anything I should look out for while trying to get this bike started.


Thanks
650LTD

 

[A2rider]

The tube is for venting of the battery. Unless you purchase a sealed battery, they will all have them.

Trickle chargers will maintain battery voltage when the bike sits. If not charged up, either by running the bike, or by a trickle charger, they will go dead within a few weeks/months.

Welcome to the board, and post pictures if you have them, don't care how ugly it is!

 

[A2rider]

If you can't get your specific questions answered here, this another board dedicated to KZ650's

kz650 - Index

 

[gpzrider]

These old bikes are solid and reliable. Check the tank for rust, water, and old gas. It is usually best after these bikes have set to save yourself some headaches and remove the carbs and clean them good and replace the fuel filter. Change the oil and filter. Inspect and lube the cables. If you don't have a manual, get one. Maintenance and repairs are simple and straight forward but the manual will make them a whole lot less of a hassle.

 

[StarGate]

+1 all good advice. If you are not sure what model you have post the frame and engine #'s and maybe someone can identify it for you. There are lots of trickle chargers on the market and some with added features like a monitoring circuit that turns them on or off based on battery voltage. Output is usually .5-1 amp so it's designed to charge very slowly or maintain a charge. If you check the sticky thread at the top of this section you will find links to several parts suppliers and I think Z1 has a charger listed.

 

[Stormdragon]

When you get a battery for that, make sure it's not prefilled and sitting on a shelf. Buy it dry, let the dealership fill it, and then put it in a trickle charger for at least 8 hours. That's the best way to get a battery to last a long time. I've had Yuasas last me as long as six years with just a little basic care.

 

[650LTD]

Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to get back on here, I took some pictures of the bike, to me it doesn't look too bad, especially for a first bike, but it will look alot better shortly after I get it running, painting it should be real easy, 3years in a body shop and I have never painted a bike so this should be fun. any ways getting her running is first priority, just waiting on extra money, I attatched two pics, hopefully it works.


will dealerships sell parts for bikes this old. roughly how much is ideal for a trickle charger and battery. another thing I haven't been able to find sprsingly is what kind of gas milage to these 650's get??

I believe the frame number is KZ650E003865

and the engine number is KZ650DE030054

to me it doesn't look like the numbers match, coul be different on bikes but on most older fords (witch is what I am used to) the numbers are alot closer then these are.

Thanks
650LTD

 

[Tod]

That aughta clean up real nice. Score.

 

[rstnick]

Nice find.
Engine and frame numbers never matched on the 650s.

You can find missing parts either here from members (do we have a classified here? never looked) or the 650.info site mentioned above, or ebay.

 

[onkelb]

Hmm, the frame number doesn´t seem quite right, there shouldn´t be an 'E' in it. According to the info I have your engine is a 1980 D3 (SR) engine - not that it matters much, up to 81 (F2) where there´s a switch in the cam chain setup practically all engine parts (except for alternators) are interchangeable between 650 models.

 

[Norseman10]

Very Nice!

LTD650,
Congratulations on a great bike, welcome to the forum, and your bike looks to be in very good shape - you'll enjoy working on it. Keep checking e-bay, you can get some good deals, but be careful - there's a lot of misinformation and "slickmeisters" that peddle crap they know nothing about (or downright lie about).

My single best new-part source has always been Z1 Enterprises - Jeff and Rob are outstanding guys, very knowledgeable, extremely helpful, and have quite competitive prices.

Your best resource you have already found - this forum! Like you, I was a total novice with mc's, but I have never posted an issue where the guys here didn't help me, explain, and walk me through. Have fun!!!