GSXF Katana Front-end/Swingarm swap?

I have a 1978 KZ650b in my dining room right now minus front-end and swinger. I talked to a gentlemen with a 92 GSXF Katana 750 today who will sell me the swinger (w/brakes, shocks, linkage, wheel etc.) and the front end (w/brakes and wheel) for a whopping 350 bucks. Does anyone here know by chance, if these items will swap readily? I'm aware of the welding necessary for the mono shock set-up, and brake master etc. Just wanted to know if the swing would fit (with-in reason) and if the steering head dimensions were close (bearing sizes)....Thanks for your time in advance...

PS I have archived this topic but found little on these particular items being utilized.

mpaquet4 wrote:

I have a 1978 KZ650b in my dining room right now minus front-end and swinger. I talked to a gentlemen with a 92 GSXF Katana 750 today who will sell me the swinger (w/brakes, shocks, linkage, wheel etc.) and the front end (w/brakes and wheel) for a whopping 350 bucks. Does anyone here know by chance, if these items will swap readily? I'm aware of the welding necessary for the mono shock set-up, and brake master etc. Just wanted to know if the swing would fit (with-in reason) and if the steering head dimensions were close (bearing sizes)....Thanks for your time in advance...

PS I have archived this topic but found little on these particular items being utilized.

Chances are no and no.

With steering you will definitely want to be as precise as possible.

With the swingarm chances are good that it's not a direct fit and you'll need to mod one thing or another to get it in and use it.

Get measurements. That's the best way to check.

I know measuring is ideal, but those items are now 55 miles away, and I'd like to make one last trip...any way if anyone else has any knowledge of these items working in a swap please let me know...No pessimists please.

mpaquet4 wrote:

I know measuring is ideal, but those items are now 55 miles away, and I'd like to make one last trip...any way if anyone else has any knowledge of these items working in a swap please let me know...No pessimists please.

Well, there's a fine line between pessimism and realism.

Realistically, like I said, chances are slim to none that they will bolt right in.

Have dude measure them for you. Not too hard to take a tape measure and check.

I deleted a few posts that added nothing to the thread.

Both the front and rear are not a bolt on swap, but both front and rear are popular mods to the 750 Turbo's.
All Balls provides different steering head bearings for front end swaps, so you might want to give them a call after you find out what bearings the 650 takes and what bearings the GSXR uses. On the rear it will obviously require some cutting and welding since you are converting to monoshock, and probably have to do some mods to get the swingarm to fit.

If you want to make it fit, then it will, as an example, I swapped a GPz front and monoshock rear onto a KZ750 twin with GPz900 bodywork. :laugh: :laugh:

Thanks for the reply sir. I was considering just pressing out the katana steering stem and replacing it with the 650 unit.
As for the swing-arm, I've read so much about the GS, GSXR, swaps that I thought someone may have hands on experience with this swap specifially. I don't know that the pivot points measure similarly, though I thought it strange for a manufacturer to switch up dimensions in such a foundational area from model to model with-in the same family. I have seen stranger things, but I guess I thought with all the posts in the archives on the topic that someone would know undoubtedly...
Wasn't there a post somewhere of a cross-manufacturer bearing chart including steering heads? I thought it had the steering head bearings grouped in families that included all the manufacturers...

I asked the front end question a long time ago, and I saved the answers I got in a text file:

ANSWER #1:
Get to know a machinist well!

Mine knows me by name! The katana 750 front end was easy honestly, the stem had to be extended about 7/8" and the bearings I happened to have laying around (quite a few bikes and parts laying around) But that is all it was for thicker forks and floating disks, and four pot calipers.


ANSWER #2:
The katana front end was mounted by extending the katana stem by 7/8" (I think) and then using the top bearing from a kz650 tapered bearing kit and the bottom or top from a gs500e, that I had laying around the shop. They just sorta fit. It was more coinscidence than me knowin my shit. Just don't be afraid to try some stuff and you'll come up with a great project. I don't really have any pics of the in between stuff, but I will get close up of the rearsets as soon as I can ( I don't own a d-cam). I hope this helps abit. Any other questions please ask.

Bdog

These were both from the old site. The 600 and 750 Kats have the same frame and suspension parts. If you do go for it, try to get as much as you can for your money (pivot bolt, brake hoses, maybe even rear brake master, wheels and tires, guages) whatever you can get away with. Depending on what you get, that can be a good deal.

As for the rear, as far as I know the width of the swingarm pivot point is your biggest problem, and I think the Suzukis are narrow enough to fit our bikes. You'll likely have to get bushings made to fit, or find some other custom bearing solution for the pivot, but I bet the swingarm will fit. I can't remember if I've seen any successful Kat swingarm swaps, though. I looked pretty hard, and didn't find one. I find the idea attractive, though, because so many of these bikes sold, and they're not as popular as the GSXRs for swapping, so the parts are cheaper.

The GS 1100 E is a direct swing arm bolt in- but still needs alot of modding to get it to work- have to re-route brake stuff, everything also depends on what rims you wish to use.

How good with a welder and how much of a fab guy are you?

I think it is do-able if you have some skills.

Well the inexpense of the proposition, I have to admit, is this project's second most motivating factor. As far as fab skills, I'm not too scared to get out of the gate on anything cars or bikes related. Although just knowing there's a front end out there like the zx/zr7 that will virtually bolt up is nearly enough to scrap project cheapo, and turn my wallet upside down fo some usd action. The ideal swinger has gotta be that zrx...that thing is hot! Although singlesides are nice too! Anyway...what was so attractive about the katana stuff was how complete the project is for 350 bucks. Front and Swing comes with everything from brake master to rubber.

mpaquet4 wrote:

Well the inexpense of the proposition, I have to admit, is this project's second most motivating factor. As far as fab skills, I'm not too scared to get out of the gate on anything cars or bikes related. Although just knowing there's a front end out there like the zx/zr7 that will virtually bolt up is nearly enough to scrap project cheapo, and turn my wallet upside down fo some usd action. The ideal swinger has gotta be that zrx...that thing is hot! Although singlesides are nice too! Anyway...what was so attractive about the katana stuff was how complete the project is for 350 bucks. Front and Swing comes with everything from brake master to rubber.

There's nothing that "virtually bolts right up". If there were front ends that did and were worth it, everyone and their mother would have it.

I just like realism, and realistically this isn't just an afternoon project. You've got a lot of work ahead of you to do it right, and that's just to get it technically correct for safety reasons.

Also, if you have to ask questions about wether or not this or that will fit and how it's done, I don't recommend trying to fit a single. Yes, they are nice, but there's a reason not a lot of them are mounted to these bikes. :lol:

Good luck in your adventures! Pics are always welcome.

Posted by twowheeledterror on 14-5-2005 at 07:06 PM:

I've got a 1999 GSXR 750 inverted from end with the 52mm fork tubes. Thats going on too. And funny thing is, the stems are almost identical between the GSXR750 and the KZ650, so it's an easy swap.

kzrider.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=23714&page=1

kzrider.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=20893

Mark Wings KZ650 thread:
www.kzrider.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=9561

kzrider.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=3882

There is a lot more info on this site about 1000 swaps than there is about 650 swaps, but maybe those will give you some ideas.

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/01/05 09:32