Kz1000 18” front wheel ?

Hello I’m interested in running a 18” front wheel like on a 78-79 Z1R on my 79 kz1000. How can I identify this wheel other than the 18x2.15 stamping is there other marks I should be aware of? Or is there another year model that also has this same size 18” mag wheel ? Thank you john.

Good question.
I have an 18" Z1R wheel on my '78 KZ650.
I will check it for other markings.

Didn't some Police KZs come with 18" front wheels as well?

Thank you.

Hello yes when you have time can you please check to see if there’s a Id number on your wheel I can’t find anything on the web. I did find that the police 18” front wheel is different. Thank you john

jrunner wrote:

Hello I’m interested in running a 18” front wheel like on a 78-79 Z1R on my 79 kz1000. How can I identify this wheel other than the 18x2.15 stamping is there other marks I should be aware of? Or is there another year model that also has this same size 18” mag wheel ?

I don't think you're going to find a part number of anything like that.  But the wheels all should be marked with the diameter and rim width.  

The 78 Z1R (only this year) has a 18" front wheel with a 4-bolt patter for the brakes.  The Z1R wheels have a round bead around the lip of the rim.  
You can see a picture of the Z1R wheels in this auction:   ebay.com/itm/295204035184
By the way, that price is ridiculous.  No one is going to pay that much for Z1R wheels.

According to the parts diagram, the 77-81 KZ1000 Police model also has 18" wheels, and should have the same 4-bolt brake disk mount.  The Police wheels have a flat machined lip, that do not have a round bead at the outside.  I believe these wheels are thicker around the rim, likely to make them stronger for police use?  Just a guess.

You can see a picture of the police wheels in this aucition:   bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-kawasaki-kz1000/

The early police wheels (pre-82) are pretty rare I think.  They aren't necessarily desirable so they shouldn't be very expensive, but they also may be very hard to find.  The Z1R wheels do show up, and still sell for maybe $150 if you have the patience to wait for one to show up on Ebay.

I also just figured I'd mention that moving from an 19" to 18" wheel without changing anything else will reduce both the rake and trail and make the bike less stable and more twitchy.  Just something to consider.

Thank you very much for the great information and thank you for directing me to the sites to show the differences in the wheels. All these years I never looked to see how the rim bead / lip is different. Finally I can feel confident in purchasing a wheel. Thank you again. John

DOHC wrote:

jrunner wrote:

Hello I’m interested in running a 18” front wheel like on a 78-79 Z1R on my 79 kz1000. How can I identify this wheel other than the 18x2.15 stamping is there other marks I should be aware of? Or is there another year model that also has this same size 18” mag wheel ?

I don't think you're going to find a part number of anything like that.  But the wheels all should be marked with the diameter and rim width.  

The 78 Z1R (only this year) has a 18" front wheel with a 4-bolt patter for the brakes.  The Z1R wheels have a round bead around the lip of the rim.  
You can see a picture of the Z1R wheels in this auction:   ebay.com/itm/295204035184
By the way, that price is ridiculous.  No one is going to pay that much for Z1R wheels.

According to the parts diagram, the 77-81 KZ1000 Police model also has 18" wheels, and should have the same 4-bolt brake disk mount.  The Police wheels have a flat machined lip, that do not have a round bead at the outside.  I believe these wheels are thicker around the rim, likely to make them stronger for police use?  Just a guess.

You can see a picture of the police wheels in this aucition:   bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-kawasaki-kz1000/

The early police wheels (pre-82) are pretty rare I think.  They aren't necessarily desirable so they shouldn't be very expensive, but they also may be very hard to find.  The Z1R wheels do show up, and still sell for maybe $150 if you have the patience to wait for one to show up on Ebay.

I also just figured I'd mention that moving from an 19" to 18" wheel without changing anything else will reduce both the rake and trail and make the bike less stable and more twitchy.  Just something to consider.

Good to see you back, there were other Z1R post that needed your experience. Your expertise has been missed.

I have an 18” front rim. Based on the drill pattern I’m guessing it’s a Z1R. I can post some pictures if you like. 

I have a NOS front wheel from a very early police bike with the Goodyear Eagle tubeless tire mounted from the factory that's never been mounted on a bike.
I had this listed for sale here months ago.

 

Hi yes if you have time can you please post  pictures? I really appreciate it. Thank you 

 i heard kawasaki ended up going to a 19 wheel after handling problems on z1r ..