So I Want To Hardtail My 1989 KZ1000 Police

New kz owner here, although I have been riding different bikes for years I fell in love with this 1989 kz1000 police. I need to hardtail it and stretch it maybe 8 or so inches for a cross country race I am hoping to participate in. (Yes its the rules to have a rigid, its the BackStreet Choopers Stampede hosted by nomad Charlie)
Does anyone have experience in this? Drawings, design ideas, etc. I haven't hardtailed a frame yet but, have done plunty of welding etc so, I am looking forward to this project! Thanks in advance!

Welcome! There are several good hardtail project builds in the Projects Forum on this website. Should be some good info for you.

Good Luck!

Here's a link with some well done examples to get you started:

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...w&catid=11&id=410173

DrBobMarshall wrote:

New kz owner here, although I have been riding different bikes for years I fell in love with this 1989 kz1000 police. I need to hardtail it and stretch it maybe 8 or so inches for a cross country race I am hoping to participate in. (Yes its the rules to have a rigid, its the BackStreet Choopers Stampede hosted by nomad Charlie)
Does anyone have experience in this? Drawings, design ideas, etc. I haven't hardtailed a frame yet but, have done plunty of welding etc so, I am looking forward to this project! Thanks in advance!

I've seen some really nice example on the net, as I'm sure u have. I've got a rigid frame on my other bike, say ur gonna ride cross country with it?? first thing u better do is start getting in shape, build up strength in ur core and legs, this will take pressure off ur lower back, u might want to keep this in mind when u design ur project if its race specific, how u sit on the bike will determine how much added pressure will be put on ur body. Also consider if u r using forward controls or not. Riding a rigid is fun as hell IMO but it aint for most.
I've not done a metric chopper but I know a few people who have. The easiest (and least expensive) is a bolt on/weld on hardtail for ur existing frame. Let me know if u need some help,

welcome.
if you don't have a jig,i have seen many people extend the swingarm however much they want and then set the ride height where they want it.then build the rigid tube to the axle plates and weld it all in then cut the swingarm out and the rest of the frame that no longer belongs.
check out chop cult forum under japanese bikes there is a thread called kaaaaaaaaaaayZeeeeeeeeeeeeee.he done a sweat job on this one.



i really like how he removed the back of the cradle and went with a seat post type structure.
good luck keep us posted.

leon

yea that straight backbone look is the shit as far choppers go, thats what I got, u can make a jig pretty easy though if u need to, I got some plans for one. it all depends on time and money as to what u wanna do

Hey, how did u know I could loose a few pounds??? I was planning on leaving the pedal boards and just lowering my sitting height. I have riddin across this land a few times but only on my 2 wheeled loveseats so it should be fun! Thanks for the great advice!!

Wow, I found those forms, they are awesome! Thank you so much for the insight, I am still learning how this site works;)

That one is real sweet! I like the idea of using my existing fram and putting me behind the engine a bit so the engine is the center of the front third of the bike and I am the center of the back third of the bike! I believe getting this as close as possible will give me the machine that will stand itself up and go with little effort. I am 6'1, 270 pounds and mostly back (IE 29 inch inseam) so I have the upper body to reach. The most important to me is comfort so I will be building the frame around me, or my frame. I have also seen a 750 kawa with the swing arm extended, top and bottom arms. Although it looks like alot I think more might be better in this, what is your thought??
Thanks in advance for your help in this.

Sweet if you have help. I want to make sure I dont go at this to blind! So whats your idea with a bolt on/weld on rear?? Thanks!:woohoo:

bolt on/weld on is pretty straight forward, attach and weld or have it welded
if u want that cool straight backbone look AND U KNOW HOW TO WELD u can make a temp jig for little money and do ur own thing
or u can buy a used frame off ebay (cheap) and bastardize it to ur liking,

my chopper is a total bastardization so I 'm an expert there LOL

www.cycleonemanufacturing.com

has weld on hardtail for the j model kz frames.
otherwise they will hardtail any kz frame on site for $325 plus shipping. I am sending them my 78kz1000a next month.