Rebuilding a 2018 z650 after accident

544 Views 23 Replies 3 Participants Last post by mattv, 1 d ago

xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · 14 d ago

Hey guys, new member here. Purchased my lightly used 2018 z650 in 2019, and put a staggering 800 miles on it before I was t boned by a driver who missed a stop sign. It was a low speed accident, under 20mph, but left me with a decently messed up back and a broken bike. Now in 2023 I’ve gotten her shipped cross country and am finally rebuilding, so this thread will serve a dual purpose of both showing exactly what I’m doing, as well as most likely asking for help and advice along the way.

Impact was front left, luckily my frame slider caught the brunt of the impact rather than my knee. Damage to the bike includes broken plastics, a punctured radiator, smushed radiator mount, bent bars and (I’m assuming/hoping) misaligned forks twisted in the triple tree. The forks appear to be straight, but I’ll be having a shop look them over to give the go ahead on them for sure. Front wheel/tire/brake survived without incident somehow, fuse panel cover was smashed and those plastics are destroyed, but the electrics inside survived. Other than that it’s a few scratches on the tank and rear body work that I’m not too concerned about. I’ll drop some photos at the bottom of the post to give an idea of the damage.

Currently I’m in the process of disassembling the bike, stripping the bars/plastics/radiator and going to drop and drain the tank, oil/and coolant that’s left over. Probably going to need a new battery at this point as well. Once that’s done hopefully I’ll be able to find aftermarket parts to “upgrade” some things I think could use it while rebuilding.

The end goal is to have a functioning z650 again, while transforming it into a more personalized street fighter. Currently exploring options for aftermarket bars/round? headlight/plastics and bar end mirrors. Hopefully making this thread keeps me honest and locked in with fixing and updating it in a timely manner.

Thanks for reading and looking forward to bothering you all with silly questions along this journey!

-Tom

Tire Automotive tire Hood Leg Tread

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #2 · 13 d ago

Pulled the bars off and confirmed that they are indeed very bent. I’m looking to replace with a lower slung set, something more sporty and aggressive, if anyone has any specific recommendations that would be greatly appreciated. I’ve seen some mention of clubman’s on this forum but have no idea on what brand or size was ordered so any extra info is good info. Not the best pictures to highlight it but it’s pretty evident that these bars are no longer in line.

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #3 · 13 d ago

Update: Renthal street ultra low bars, dual density pro grips, some generic bar ends, a new battery and a new radiator are on the way. In theory that’s all that’s needed to get her up and running again, so I’ll keep everything updated as parts show up, with feedback on fit and finish!

mattv

· #4 · 13 d ago

If you haven't already, carefully inspect the engine mount points. Sometimes those sliders can crack the mounts on this bike.

Like this one: Ninja 650 2020 ,

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mattv

· #5 · 13 d ago

btw, I did the round headlight conversion and reshaped the side fairings. Let me know if you have questions.

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #6 · 12 d ago

mattv said:
btw, I did the round headlight conversion and reshaped the side fairings. Let me know if you have questions.

View attachment 5809

Thank you for the heads up on the frame sliders. Went and checked and luckily no cracks or fractures on my engine mounts. That would have been a real buzz kill. I would love to know anything and everything you have for advice regarding the front headlight conversion, any info is good info because I’m diving in a bit blind here.

xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #7 · 12 d ago

Update: took the time to rehab my dash, it was horrid after spending years unattended, super cloudy and full of micro scratches. Spent 15 minutes with meguiars PlastX cleaner and polish and it looks worlds different. If anyone else is dealing with beat up plastic on their dash cover I can’t recommend this stuff enough.

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mattv

· #8 · 12 d ago (Edited)

EDIT: Fixed link to headlight clamps

xCLAMSx said:
I would love to know anything and everything you have for advice regarding the front headlight conversion, any info is good info because I’m diving in a bit blind here.

I used this headlight, but wouldn't recommend it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BN44TTT

One of the running lights burned out after a couple seasons.

I used these headlight clamps. I like them and they've held up: Amazon.com: Vnsport Motorcycle Headlight Bracket Mount Clamp 39mm-41mm CNC Fork Tube Spotlight Holder For Harley Cafe Racer Chopper Bobber Universal : Automotive

Aside from that you might need some washers for spacers, a plastic one or rubber one you can experiment with against the headlight bucket (just to prevent marring).

I adapted the oem connector to the new headlight so it plugs into the harness without slicing anything. Can't remember if I just cut/soldered it onto the new one or if I could get the wires out.

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #9 · 8 d ago

Update:

new radiator installed! Bent the old radiator guard back into shape and threw it back ontop as well. Bars are on, controls are drilled in and mounted again. Got the cluster back on as well and polished up the front baby wind screen. If only UPS could hurry up and drop the rest of the stuff off, I am so close to firing this thing up again, Atleast to test it.

Still waiting on a battery, grips, and bar ends, plus I still need to drain the tank, do an oil change and flush and fill the coolant again. That’s it before we crank it and cross our fingers.
On the non critical list is the plastics, headlight swap, pegs swap and lever swaps. Haven’t quite figured out what direction to take it all, though the 7” round headlight is definitely decided on already. Any recommendations for where to grab plastics from would be awesome.

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mattv

· #10 · 8 d ago

Nice!👍

I'd probably watch ebay for oem plastics.

This whole part of my bike is plastic cut from a storage tub, so that's an option if you don't want the shrouds:

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #11 · 8 d ago

mattv said:
Nice!👍

I'd probably watch ebay for oem plastics.

This whole part of my bike is plastic cut from a storage tub, so that's an option if you don't want the shrouds:
View attachment 5838
View attachment 5839

dude that’s unique af. How’d You manage that? I definitely don’t want the side fairings if I can avoid it. I really like the exposed framework instead of the lower plastic ones near the radiator. I found a faux carbon knockoff set for ~100 for the upper tank side fairings but I’m not sold on buying something without seeing its quality, so I’m kinda on the fence about it. If there’s a relatively straight forward way to DIY it and avoid all of that I’m all for it

mattv

· #12 · 8 d ago

There's some info here: Clip-ons + fairing + crg mirror

I cut out some plastic from a tub in the basic shape of the void the side fairings have without the shrouds. Then using a soldering iron "welded" the pieces together using scrap bits of abs plastic from another piece I wasn't using. Then a little bit of epoxy, sand, truckbed liner.

They're not perfect, somebody with more patience could do a better job. The neat thing about it is that once you've got the basic shape, you can redo the truckbed liner with 5 minutes of sanding.

Right side liner looks ok, but the shape isn't perfect:

Left side the shape is better but the liner texture is too chunky:

Matches up with the seat texture pretty well though:

You can get new oem side fairings for $54 so it's not a huge loss if it doesn't work out. Let me know if you have any other questions 👍

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mattv

· #13 · 8 d ago

One more thing I forgot, you'll need to dremel off a straight'ish line here:

Leave an extra half inch or so, then heat with a heat gun and "roll" the plastic underneath itself to have a nice round edge. Doesn't matter what the other side looks like.

I think I wrapped it around the edge of a 2x4 to get a slight curve, then bent it back and literally stood on it while it cooled.

It's been a couple/few years and I'm doing this from memory, but it was something like this; blue = cut, yellow = bend inward

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #14 · 8 d ago

mattv said:
One more thing I forgot, you'll need to dremel off a straight'ish line here:
View attachment 5843

Leave an extra half inch or so, then heat with a heat gun and "roll" the plastic underneath itself to have a nice round edge. Doesn't matter what the other side looks like.

I think I wrapped it around the edge of a 2x4 to get a slight curve, then bent it back and literally stood on it while it cooled.

It's been a couple/few years and I'm doing this from memory, but it was something like this; blue = cut, yellow = bend inward

View attachment 5845

DUDE you are a beast. thank you so much for this, its honestly invaluable to not have to hack and pray with no guidance. Im curious how the fuse box and ecm hold up with direct exposure to the elements, specifically moisture. run into any electrical gremlins from that or does it seem to be fine

xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #15 · 8 d ago

For some reason pics didn’t post earlier, here the update photos with her 90% back together. I need to get rid of the god awful stock mirrors but I’m waiting to test ride the bike before I start doing cosmetic work. It just looks and feels so much cleaner without them, even with the jank gundam headlight

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mattv

· #16 · 8 d ago

Bike is really close, that's great!👍

xCLAMSx said:
DUDE you are a beast. thank you so much for this, its honestly invaluable to not have to hack and pray with no guidance. Im curious how the fuse box and ecm hold up with direct exposure to the elements, specifically moisture. run into any electrical gremlins from that or does it seem to be fine

Happy to help. I haven't had any electrical issues. Got caught in the rain a couple times since the mod and also have given it several baths with the hose; no issues.

Reactions: 1

xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #17 · 5 d ago

Update: decided to properly tune the bike before wailing on her again. I actually live within 30 minutes of 2 wheel Dynoworks so I decided to pop the ECU out and get the bike properly tuned. When I bought it, it had a full 2 brothers carbon S1R system on it, header to tailpipe with a cat delete. Unfortunately I don’t believe it was ever tuned for the system so hopefully I rectify that with this little tuning adventure. My goals are simple, power is secondary to the bikes health right now, just looking to fix the lean running and potentially smooth out the snatchy throttle low in the revs. I’ll update with info when I get it back and installed.
As far as getting to the ECU, it’s incredibly simple, it sits directly under the tank so you need to drop the plastics above, left and right of the tank to get to it. Then it’s 4 bolts for the tank itself, and you simply prop it up (without going to high, there’s two fuel lines that are both underside the tank left side), and pop the two push tabs on the two connectors. ECU slides right out, it’s not even bolted in, simply rests in a space between the tank and frame that’s shaped for it.

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #18 · 4 d ago

ITS OFFICIAL! Took the bike out on its first ride since it went down way back in 2019. Got the fluids all swapped today, as well as the new flashed ECM installed. She absolutely rips. Bars have a decent amount of vibration, but I don’t have bar ends or bar end weights in at the moment so hopefully I can dial that down a bit. The tune turns this thing into an absolute ripper. There’s just more power, everywhere in the rev range. The snappy throttle is way dialed down. It’s smoother, more torquey, and just overall more stable feeling. Temps are way down too, which is a nice touch. Overall, great experience to take her out again for the first time in so long.

Up next is just continuing to shake it down, test and make sure everything is stable and kosher before I really open her up. Then on to aesthetic And QOL mods. If anyone has any questions about the tune, feel free to ask. I’ll update with thoughts and feelings as I ride and get a feel of it more.

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mattv

· #19 · 3 d ago

xCLAMSx said:
ITS OFFICIAL! Took the bike out on its first ride since it went down way back in 2019

Congrats dude! I didn't realize it was down for so long. That's great that it's up and running well again.

I should get a tune done too. -1 in the front with a 3/4 throttle currently, which is fun.

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xCLAMSx

Discussion Starter · #20 · 3 d ago

mattv said:
Congrats dude! I didn't realize it was down for so long. That's great that it's up and running well again.

I should get a tune done too. -1 in the front with a 3/4 throttle currently, which is fun.

Honestly, the tune is blowing my expectations out of the water. Seriously recommended. The added power is awesome, but it really shines in just how much more rideable the bike feels from what I remember. The throttle is smooth, power is linear (more so than before), and it’s predictable. It just feels like a more enjoyable ride all around. And yeah the bike was down for quite a while! November 2019-June 2023, it just spent years unloved sitting in a shop. Great to finally be back in the saddle and having fun again though. I’m really looking forward to the next round of mods but i figure it’s worth it to take a break and just enjoy being out on two wheels again before I start digging back in.

How’s the -1 in the front compared to stock in your opinion? I’d imagine it to be noticeable but not much, but I could be miles off base with that assumption

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