[Isaac]

Hi, I'm Isaac, I'm 17 and I live in Lebanon, TN. I have a 77 KZ650. It has 24,000 miles on it but still has good compression and a strong engine. But it has some problems I would like to fix.

For one. The back wheel rides a little wobbley. I don't know how to adjust this. But I think it may have to do with the way I installed the shocks back onto the bike, it only came with bars attached to it so It rode shorter. I would like to balance out that wheel...

Second. The battery loses charge. I'm not aware of how an "altenator" would work on a bike, but if there is one, I don't know what's wrong with it bc I have to put the bike on a charger before I ride it.

Third. The starter works, but only when you kick it with a screwdriver. I think the relay or switch is messed up.

Fourth. The horn wires are not "hott". The horn itself works, but not by the switch.


I gave 600$ for the bike, before problems 1-3 arose. That is good around here I think. I am stuck driving it bc my car blew. I want to get it in good shape, any ideas?

I don't have a lot of experience working with bikes, maybe I can pick some things up. I can say I sucessfully rebuilt the starter on it...

 

[Superbike Mike]

Isaac;First let me say BOY YOU GOT GUTS" for a 17 year old young man with no motorcycle repair experience! Your my kind of young man (I'm 50+) started wrenching motorcycles when I was age 7 myself! #1 you need to give everyone more info. my young friend" IE: does the wheel woble from the hub or rim? does it have Mag or Spoke wheels? #2 is the battery full?is it old?are the wires gunked up?Have you checked the voltage going to the battery with a volt meter while the engine's running? #3 are you kicking it over (as you call it) with a screw driver across the starter solenoid? Have you check the starter button with an OHM meter to see if it is the problem? #4 Have you done the OHM test on the horn button? if you like you can E-Mail me at [email protected] and give me your phone# or I'll send ya mine and we'll try to talk it through for ya my young friend! or just post more info. here! what ever works for ya? :wink:

 

[Isaac]

My mistake: The wheel wobbles from the hub, like the yaw, or angle, needs to be adjusted. I noticed that there are two large nuts on either side, and two adjustment bolts in the back next to the exhaust pipes. But then again, it didn't do it as bad until I put the coils on it.... Maybe I did that wrong... it has spoke wheels too, but I was told that the rear wheel is off a honda :?

The battery is new, and is charged most of the time, I have to charge it before I ride or else it doesn't get spark. The plugs and wires are also new. The bike starts when it has full charge and you stick a screwdriver to the soleniod deal...

To add to my problems the clutch cable broke today... That is interesting to ride with... The tach cable snapped at the same time, but I'm not worried about it.

This isn't my first bike, I've had an old tomos moped. 40cc, 2spd auto.
89 honda elite, 50cc
83 honda xr350 6spd

I picked up a few tricks off of each one, but all the knowlege is self taught seeing as how I live with my mom and little sisters. So I'm still learning about them...

 

[shift1313]

well i hope you get it all straightened out isaac. Most bikes dont have an 'alternator' on them. some bikes do but im thinking yours doesnt. usually battery problems arise when you have a bad cell but if your battery is new that shouldnt be a problem(unless your jump starting it with a car then it might). Charging systems on the kaw is fairly simple. It has a small heat sink looking box mounted to the frame around the ignition coils. this is the voltage regulator/rectifier. They usually dont go bad but that could be the problem. I would look more towards faulty wiring in your case or possibly one of the electrical problems you listed that could be draining the battery. Motorcycles have a starter relay seperate from the starter. If you are jumping the relay with a screwdriver then you found your problem, replace the relay. The wheel wobble could be a number of things. what im getting is that you purchased the bike and it had solid bars where the shocks were making it a hard tail? you replaced teh shocks and now it wobbles? are the shocks identical in both make/model and condition? how about the preload setting. there is a sleeve that can turn on the spring that has a bunch of steps on it. works like a spanner nut to compress the spring. if the bike is sitting still can you move the rear wheel at all from side to side? the problem is very hard to pinpoint. could be a bad cupping tire, misadjusted spokes. wheel bearings grenaded, since its the wrong wheel, improper spacing. make sure that your drive chain is not binding anywhere meaning your sprockets are lined up and both parallel with eachother.

good luck, and remember the more info you can give us the better we can help you get that thing running top notch.

 

[Superbike Mike]

Isaac; I've been a motorcycle wrench for 40+ years and set over 20 National & World records with Karts,M/C's,cars,boats and such,so TRUST ME when I tell you "ALL" street motorcycles have alternators/generators,shift1313 is totally wrong in what he has told you I'm sorry to say!! The internet is full of misleading info. so beware of who you listen to! I know your 17 years old which is why I offered to pay the phone call to help you my young friend,being I'm willing to pay to help you,you can tell I'm not going to knowingly misslead you! All you have to do is click on my E-Mail address in my last post to E-Mail me if you need to talk? Any way #1 Does the wheel move left to right as in the axle is loose in the arm? becuase I'm not following you on the wheel problem! #2 you jumping the solenoid to start the bike does not mean the solenoid is bad at all as shift1313 has said.You said it only has 20,000+ miles on it which means this bike has sat most of it's life and if most of it's life has been spent out side the starter switch on the right hand of the bars could very well be corroded if the bike had a 125,000 miles on it everthing would probably work just fine,like I said you need a Volt/OHM meter (Radio Shack has them) you need to unplug the two starter button wires and hook the OHM meter to the wires and push to button the OHM meter will tell you if the switch is bad or not? #3 You really need to GET A CLYMER REPAIR MANUAL for a 77 thru what ever year for a Kawasaki KZ650. it will show you how to run all the tests I'm telling you about! #4 Run a Voltmeter test across the positive and negitive on the battery while the engine is running bring the revs up a bit and your volt meter should go up from 12 something volts to a max high of about 14.2 volts,if it does this there is nothing wrong with your charging system! if not you have a problem. My best advice to you (IS GET A CLYMER REPAIR MANUAL) and follow all the testing instuctions in the manual! or (go to your local dealer and spend the big bucks about $80.00 on a factory repair manual) although I think the Clymer for about $20.00 will do just fine! Good Luck my young friend and drop me an e-mail with your phone # if need be? :wink:

 

[Isaac]

The wheel wobbles with an up and down motion it seems, I haven't had a good chance to look at it. I don't have a center stand.

I don't own any of that fancy testing equipment but I guess I will break down and buy some.

The sprocket aligns fine, no variation whatsoever. I'm not sure what I did wrong with the shocks, but they are both set on the same setting and are both the same model.

 

[Superbike Mike]

Isaac;I know your 17 years old and money is tight,but the volt/OHM meter is cheap my friend,you only have to spend a little for their low end volt/OHM meter,the more you pay the better they are but you only need a cheapy to use once in a while! Also with Radio Shack if you play your cards right you can take it back for a refund when your done your testing (LOL) did I say that out loud?? :wink: and $20.00 for a manual is the best money you'll ever spend (I promise ya) ... Are your spokes loose?? BTW: you don't need a center stand to work on the rear wheel just stack up some 2X8's under the bike and for the last one to get the bike off the ground use a 2X4,with a buddies help lift the back of the bike up together and slide the 2X4 under with your foot! I use to do this all the time when I was a kid! Good Luck my young friend,you have my e-mail if you need to talk!

 

[shift1313]

car quest sells old analog ones for 4 bucks for the volt ohm meters. also stores that have the 9.97 tool sales, they are usually in those bins.

sorry for misleading you, with my statement i meant to say there arent external drive alts like on cars except there are some gsxr setups but thats the only one ive seen. thats why i lead you to wiring problems. that volt/ohm meter will come in real handy when trying to track down electrical problems. most motorcycles have a stator, voltage reg/rect, and battery. the reg/rect almost never goes bad. its usually the stator, wiring or the battery. I was just trying to lure you towards the wiring because bad connections or shorts can be big drains on electrical systems and it helps you learn your bike at the same time. If wiring wasnt a problem then you could dive into the stator.

sorry issac and mike. the solenoid may not be the problem, i just assumed if you were jumping the solenoid that you checked the switch already, my fault. im glad mike was here to correct me. i hate to give bad info, just like everyone else we are here to help but we dont all have a ton of experience. especially giving info on the internet without a bike infront of us. I would take mikes advice and definately get a clymer manual. When i can afford them i buy factory manuals but they get expensive. the clymer should give you enough info to dissasemble the starter button, unless you feel comfortable on your own doing it, and check the contact for corrosion or damage as mike said.

good luck with it. and again sorry if i mislead you in any way, it was not intentional

 

[Superbike Mike]

Your a good man shift1313..... great info. on the Volt/OHM meter!! :wink:

 

[Isaac]

I closely studied the wheel wobble today. It seems that the sprocket is bent. The tire wobbles just slightly, but the sprocket does it the worst. It has a Honda rear wheel, thats the first problem.

I also got pulled over today, and I don't have a class M license :roll:
That was rough...

I also need info on how to put a stock airbox back in...
If I unbolt the carbs can I cram it in there??? The way its looking I have to drop the motor off the bike before I can but the airbox in. A cone filter broke and fell off today,,, not good I'm assuming.

I appreciate the help.