1975 KZ 900 , ZRX Swingarm, 89 GSXR front end

badboie wrote:

haha ok I just said that to make everyone happy,but I guess it didn't. here is a good read about friction and the laws applied. www.stevemunden.com/friction.html he explains it in the best way I can tell so far, better then all of us. so can we now call this conversation done? plus I never disagreed to the fact that load wasn't a factor, but if you have more area to put that load on then you are increasing friction, more weight can then be transferred. like in the article above he mentioned the box. the box will slide along the ground no matter how large or small it is if it has no weight in it. put weight in that box and it becomes harder to move. but if that box is small, less weight can be put in it say to a box that is large.

You are still missing it. The box was the same size, just the load changed. His point is the same as mine, friction doesn't give a rats glute about area. Play it again Sam.

Here is how he explained it, doing quite well I might add. Area is about wear on the tire, not traction.

"Now when you do that, you'll immediately notice that stickier rubber is also softer; it wears out much more quickly. To get acceptable wear, you need to use a lot more of the softer rubber; that is, your tire has to be wider. And there, finally, is the reason high-performance tires are wider. It isn't to get better traction. Better traction comes from stickier rubber. The tires are wider to get acceptable wear from the stickier, softer rubber. (As well as for other things like heat management, rigidity under the stresses of cornering and braking and acceleration, etc.) "

OK Fellas

Tire debate is OVER!!


I spent the day fabricating the rear Brake stay for the CR 450 R caliper.

Here is a photo...

tk11b40 wrote:

OK Fellas

Tire debate is OVER!!

I spent the day fabricating the rear Brake stay for the CR 450 R caliper.


yea, yea, real nice, but does a wider tire equal more braking power?? :laugh: :laugh:
Sorry, couldn't resist :evil:

Bracket looks great!

I am afraid to even comment on that ...dont want to start another "debate"....:laugh:

The bracket, was a bear to make, I will post a photo of the other profile.

The riding club I belong to was doing the annual swim ride today, 105 gerees in Bueatiful Nevada today. Dedication Dedication.

Thanks for the compliment...

Hey 78MkII,

That is a great bike, all I can see is the little Icon photo, can you post a Photo, I love those bikes they were the best looking of all the KZ's.

OK the last photo was not very good at illustrating the amount of effort put into trying to save a few ounces on the rear brake.


This one is better...

tk11b40 wrote:

OK Fellas

Tire debate is OVER!!


I spent the day fabricating the rear Brake stay for the CR 450 R caliper.

Here is a photo...

Its those small details that catch your eye (if u really know the bike well) that make u say ,WOW!, VERY COOL. Things like not having a master reservoir. some may not notice it but those who do, will appreciate your efforts.
I certainly do . Great job, Thanks for sharing.
it seems that your eccentric is upside down, or is that by design?

This may be a dumb question, but why not fab a stay that ties into the swingarm spool mount? Seems like it would be lighter and one less link. Not trying to be contradictory, just curious about your reasoning. I may be swapping swingarms someday and will run into the same problem so I wanted to find and avoid any pitfalls.

Thanks for the compliments.

The eccentric is upside down, this gives me about 3/4 inch more ground clearance which is already a little close. I can turn it rightside up if needed.

The brake stay needs to be able to float, as the chain and incedentally, the eccentric gets adjusted. I actually thought a long time about fastening it to the spool mount.

After talking with a few road racers friends (341) we thought is would put less "bind" into the swingarm, if we stuck with the stock ZRX location. It also looks closer to regular production.

When the bike rides by you, I am hoping people just think fo it as a production bike. When it's sitting in a parking lot on bike night, there should be plenty of conversation.

All good input. I could change the stay mount in the future, now aafter 6 years, i am trying to get things done.

tk11b40 wrote:

now after 6 years, i am trying to get things done.

Can't blame you there, I keep looking for a good second to ride while working on my first.

Where did your lower shock mount go?
It looks like u cut it off?

The lower shock was surgically removed, we then fabricated another, it will be welded back on the swingarm, in the correct position.

So much surgery....:laugh: