Difference between revisions of "Kawasaki KZ650B"

This four-stroke four-cylinder motorcycle boasted double overhead camshafts just like the bigger Z1 and Kawasaki claimed 64 BHP from the 652cc motor. Unlike the Z1, the 650 used a plain bearing crankshaft and used a primary drive chain instead of a gear driven unit. A single 245mm disk was used up front with a 250mm drum on the rear, more than enough to handle this relatively lightweight bike. It was offered in two colours, candy super red or candy emerald green, the green proved very popular in the UK.

Two colours were offered for 1978, luminous dark blue or luminous burnt red. These proved to be unpopular and the B2 sold no where near as well as the B1. Very few other differences were made to the B2. The front brake caliper was reversed to the back of the fork leg and the front master cylinder was changed from a round item to a triangular one. The charging system was changed from a three-phase system to a two phase and the regulator and rectifier was now a combined unit. The cam chain tensioner was changed to an automatic unit and a hazard switch was added to the left-hand switchgear. Needle roller bearings were now used in the swingarm instead of the previous model bushes and slight modifications were made to the carbs to improve low speed operation. The fuel tap was replaced with a diaphragm type unit. There were also slight detail changes to the outer engine cases to incorporate the new lower case Kawasaki logo. The front footrests were now rubber mounted to combat vibration and the front forks were slightly modified.

The only difference over the B2 model was a change of graphics and a return to the original green and red colours. Sales once again picked up. The new lower case tank badges were also used. This time the red color was described as candy persimmon red.