3rd May 2012

Photo with 39 notes

Kawasaki Z650

Was hanging around the project thread on PSB when I saw a new build thread from a new member - Chris, about his Z650. Never been interested in Z650’s before but thought I’d click and have a look. Wow, nice build thread and nice pics!. I sent Chris a message and asked him a few questions.

Here you go, enjoy. (I’ve edited some of Chris’ answers to improve the english)

Where are you from?
Austria, that small country in Europe :)

What is the story behind the bike before you bought it?
I dont know much about the bikes history. When I bought it I didn’t know if the engine was running at all, all I knew was the bike hadn’t been used for 12 years and was leaning against a wall in a garage waiting for me to come along :)

Where you looking for a project bike?
At the end of 2011 I saw the Movie: ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (in german: ‘Verblendung’) from Stieg Larsson with Rooney Mara as ‘Lisbeth Salander’. In this movie, Lisbeth was riding a nice cafe racer. When I saw the bike, my heart began beating faster and I said to myself: yes - make it! Thats the reason why i was looking for a stock bike…

How much did you buy it for?
EUR 800,-

Did you start the build with a plan in mind?
I had a picture in my mind how the bike was going to look but I didnt have a strict plan or a ‘To Do’ - list as such.

Did it come out the same as the plan or did it change along the way?
If you build a bike there are always problems along the way. But it came out better than I saw it in my mind!

Why did you choose those colours?
I like colours that belong to our earth, like brown, green, sand etc, so when I first saw the awesome Marakesh-Brown on a BMW X1, I thought that I would someday make something using this colour. And this ‘someday’ came with the Z650

What parts of the build did you have other people do?
I nearly did all of the work, except painting the colour with the air brush, and doing the leather on the seat.

How much did you spend on the build?
Parts i needed were EUR 600,- so in total the whole bike cost just EUR 1400,- 

How long did it take?
About 150 hours. From the first february week till the end of march - so we can say 2 Months.

Which part of the build was the most enjoyable?
Putting the painted parts on the bike. This was the last big step before getting ready.

Which was the most satisfying part of the build?
When I started the engine for the first time and it was running fine and smooth.

Will you keep the bike?
For sure :)

Are you thinking about building your next bike?
hmmm… not concrete but I want to have a scrambler too - But I think not this year, and dont tell it my wife!!

Do you want to see what the bike looked like before Chris worked his magic? Make the jump for all the pics.

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