Oggers, it looks like a good honest bike. As I said a survivor and very nice. As an aside do you know if it has vm22 or vm24 carbs? Uk bikes had 24s and some us had 22s. 24s are definately preferable and do release a few more ponies. Heres an easy way to tell, vm 22 have a port at the 10oclock posit...

It is remarkable the variation in colour hue between A1s made in the same year. David I think they were hand spray painted back then. The candy coat looks very different if one or two coats, thicker or thinner coats, etc. I would think there was also more than one guy doing the painting as well whi...

My local paint wholesaler supplies rs paints. When I painted my green 650 I went there for the paint and the silver they said was "coarse magnum silver." Rs paints supply water based paints but it is horrible to use in a spray gun. I asked my guys for solvent based and they mixed some up f...

David, my A1 is original paint. But post a pic is a bit useless as everyone has their screens set differently so it looks different to every veiwer.
Heres 2 pics of mine. Looks very different in different light.

Oggers, b3 was last model of the b's and as such probably was a use up whatever they had. It wouldn't surprise me if your bike isn't a mix of b1, b2 and b3 and possibly c1 parts from the factory. Looking at your master cylinder it looks like a c model one as b's had round mc's. Yours also has 2 poin...

I think it is a 3 colour process the same as 650 candy emerald green.
Fist coats are silver, second are green (for a 650), third are clear laquer.
No paint codes existed from KHI so the exact paint mix is a best guess. They even varied in shade from the factory.

Welcome, I have 2 650's. One period correct customised to be the bike I wanted back in the 70's and the other, in green, I bought new in 77. Still bone stock. Yours looks to be a original un messed with survivor, pretty rare these days so I would clean and fix anything broken but thats about it. Not...

Presume you have tried peter james?

Glad you got it sorted. I've always found OEM the way to go or you will end up chasing an unknown.

Ow, shit, bet that sounded nice on they way home Kev.

Stock on 650 vm24 needle clip is is 4 from top.

Not quite true Phillipe. There is a ball bearing in 650's. So not all old Z's didn't have them. Not sure if Rob's should or shouldn't.

Zed1015 is correct and what I was trying to describe in my earlier post. As per pic below. Being the suspicous type without that ridge I would be thinking the numbers have removed from a nicked and parted out bike.

Does the bit where the engine number should be still have a ridge around it? Tha t ridge should still be there even if it was never factory stamped as its part of the case casting.

As the other guys have said, use lube and lots of it. Make sure your rim grips are very loose and a decent amount of psi. I used to work as a fitter during school hols and particularly stubborn ones got a whack or 2 with a rubber mallet by where they were where sticking, that always got them to seat...