Fuel Tank Capacity and Interchangability

Is it just my eye or are earlier (1980 and before) KZ1000 tanks smaller than the tank on my 1981 LTD?

The tanks on earlier bikes and Z1's look more sleek to me but it could be because of the pinstripe tricking your eye.

If they are in fact smaller, can they be swapped easily?

Pic of yours? The LTD's had smaller tanks I thought.
Steve

Here is mine:

And here is a 78, I'm not sure but the tank looks shorter height wise.....optical illusion?

Is the 81 Ltd fuel tank in the pic stock? Maybe the earlier tanks are longer? notice how the green one covers the front of the frame.

From the Kawasaki factory service manuals:
1981 KZ1000-K1 Ltd fuel tank = 15L = 3.96 gals
1973 Z1 900 fuel tank = 18L, 4.7 US gal.

Check the clearance between the fork tubes and tank at full lock both ways. I think the LTD's frame had more rake. This may be the reason the tank doesn't extend as far forward.

Related to the rake, some triple trees are kinda angled forward which allows clearance of the tank, usually standard models, whereas other triples are kinda straight across. For comparison the 750E standard triple is angled forward; the 650-csr is kinda straight across & has a smaller tank than the E.

750E

650-csr

The Z1 and KZ1000A style tanks, although slightly different, are lower profile but wider than the LTD tank which is narrower, but more hump backed. I recently got an A style tank on my 78 KZ1000A2, it had at some point got swapped out for a LTD one. The A style is bigger in fuel capacity by a decent amount, I forget the exact figure, but I think 1/2 gallon or ao. I personally found the LTD tank too narrow to comfortably have my knees against, but then I am much bigger than the average person.

What I found confusing when looking at different tanks was how much the graphics can trick the eye about the tank shape. It's amazing how different two tanks van look when you have them side by side off the bikes, but be hard to distinguish between when pictured on a bike.

iwish4a69camaro wrote: Is it just my eye or are earlier (1980 and before) KZ1000 tanks smaller than the tank on my 1981 LTD?

The tanks on earlier bikes and Z1's look more sleek to me but it could be because of the pinstripe tricking your eye.

If they are in fact smaller, can they be swapped easily?

, 76-80 LTD tanks are 13.6 liters, & as martin_csr wrote, 81 LTD tanks are 15 liters
Pete

I have an 81 750ltd and I am looking to upgrade my tank for both style and capacity.... Done a lot of searching, can anyone confirm or deny that the 81/82 gpz 1100 b1/b2 will swap over??

Rave71 wrote: I have an 81 750ltd and I am looking to upgrade my tank for both style and capacity.... Done a lot of searching, can anyone confirm or deny that the 81/82 gpz 1100 b1/b2 will swap over??

Not to be trite, but anything can be made to fit...just not easily. The early GPz1100 tanks are fairly large (25-26 inches long) and attach with a large bung at the rear. The tank will extend rearward and interfere with where you currently have your seat...meaning you'll have to change your seat or relocate it rearward. I also suspect the tunnel on the GPz tank is different than your tank as are the front mounts. All changes are do-able, but it is certainly not a drop-on up-grade.,

by Rave71: I have an 81 750ltd and I am looking to upgrade my tank for both style and capacity.... Done a lot of searching, can anyone confirm or deny that the 81/82 gpz 1100 b1/b2 will swap over??

A closer match is probably the 750 GPz, 750-L3 or KZ700-A1. They mount differently at the rear, but you might be able to bend the rear tab down & attach it the same as the Ltd. I would get some measurements. hook a tape measure to the front mount & measure to the rear tab. and get the length of the tank to the rear tab. The rear damper is the same as the Ltd, so that's promising. The front of the Ltd seat is flexible, so fitment there may not be too problematic. Another option is the 750E. Its tank is supposed to be a direct bolt-on, but the tripe tree will bang against it & the triple will probably bang against any larger tank. one fix is to weld some material to the steering stop peg. or drill a hole thru the peg then add a bolt & nut.

Great, thank you for the input.... I'll make the measurements and see what I come up with. I already have a little interference because of the clubman bars I have but it has never given me a real problem. Sometime I'll hit the horn when I'm putting the bike in the garaged and I'm cranked all the way left. I'd love to run a more squared off fuel tank with 4ish gallons though.