Nelson's KZ1000 Fighter? build

Two well known and very reputable crank builders are Pearson Racing in Ohio- John Pearson and Gardner Race Concepts in Maine -Stan Gardner. Google the names to get to their sites.Not a Falicon fan and I believe APE's expertise is more in plain bearing cranks but they may also do rollers.

I'm not positive about this, but it seems to me that I have seen where Jay said that APE farms out their crank welding.

I'm starting to think the welding is not necessary. Here's why:

1. Zedone has this mega motor with no crank welding.
2. I think I read on Larry C's site that welding is not necesary unless drag racing with a slick.
3. I've ridden this thing many yrs and done lots of abusive burnouts/lauches without hurting the crank. Granted the motor was stock.
4. The 1075 pistons and pipes, carbs is all I'm doing to it.

I do plan to do many more nasty burnouts when it's done. :whistle: If I have too much traction and the tire doesn't break loose right away, it sends a hell of a shock thru the powertrain and makes bad noises (ask me how I know). This is the only reason I was thinking of welding the crank, but it's survived all that abuse so far. What do you guys think? I'd rather leave it alone and save the cash if it will continue to hold up to the occasional hard launch.

Welding your crank for what you plan on using your bike for really isn't necessary! It would be a good idea for insurance if you can afford it and have the time to take your motor apart but not necessary. Drag racing it with a slick and bars...yes! I have seen many KZ's with slicks run without welding the crank. It is the sudden hook of the tire that sends the shock through the crank that does the damage. Running a slick won't make a welded crank necessary by itself...only if you are using bars so that you can hit the tire hard and it hooks that can cause the problems. Any competent welder can weld your crank. Just make sure the welds are thin enough so that the welds don't hit the throws when turned. Most times welding without indexing works ok also. Unless the crank is more then about .040 out of time, indexing won't make a lot of difference. I heard this from a pro that does this for a business and he knows. If you want to know how true your crank is, just get a rod that is a snug fit for your small end of the rod and see if it slips through all 4 rods at the same time. I have seen rods specially made for this and even wooden dowels and PVC pipe that is the right size used. Don't line up? Just measure the difference and you will know.

racer54 wrote: It is the sudden hook of the tire that sends the shock through the crank that does the damage.

That's exactly what I thought. Thanks. I have had a few times when a burnout failed because the tire didn't break loose. I was holding the front brake. The bike didn't go anywhere and hell if I know how all the power escaped. It may have slipped the clutch or chattered the tire or...? Dunno but it was very violent and I worried about doing internal damage. This happened when I had a wide, bald tire (sorta a slick) with tons of traction. With a newer tire and plenty of rain grooves in the middle it spins as easily as a dirt bike.

in wichita we have a bearing supply house with all sizes . you dont have that there?

i have gotten large enough ones there for a pinball machine

Nelson wrote:

racer54 wrote: It is the sudden hook of the tire that sends the shock through the crank that does the damage.

That's exactly what I thought. Thanks. I have had a few times when a burnout failed because the tire didn't break loose. I was holding the front brake. The bike didn't go anywhere and hell if I know how all the power escaped. It may have slipped the clutch or chattered the tire or...? Dunno but it was very violent and I worried about doing internal damage. This happened when I had a wide, bald tire (sorta a slick) with tons of traction. With a newer tire and plenty of rain grooves in the middle it spins as easily as a dirt bike.

if youre going to go to the trouble of splitting the cases and replacing the timing chain and anything else thats worn id spend the $100.00 and have the crank pins welded.
considering all the things 99% these motors dont need that everybody pushes so hard like heavy duty case studs,cylinder studs,main cap braces,undercut transmisions billet this and billet that .........its amazing how many people overlook the simplest things that make a differance.
all it takes is for that big ol fat back sportbike tire everybody seems to like to run on back of these bikes to hook up hard the wrong way one time on an old high mileage crank to tweak it,remember when these bikes were new a lot of really fast bikes were running skinny little 4.5-6" slicks that didnt hook up as good as modern rubber

yeah maybe I'll take it to a local welder and see what they have to say about it before I decide. Will just doing welding and nothing else throw the crank out of balance and make it vibrate? I'm thinking it's probably not enough to matter.

What about HD cylinder studs? I'm thinking that's not necessary for 1075 either...?

I found a single ball bearing yesterday at a hardware store. No problem at all, it's just not something I bought before so didn't know where to go. I haven't tried it on the rotor yet.

you can always install heavy duty cylinder studs later if you decide to throw 13:1 pistons in there! :laugh:
once you weld the crank and replace anything worn in bottem end you should never have to go back in there unless you decide to put an 1197 kit in there ,everything else you throw at it top end wise that bottem end should be able to handle without needing to split the cases

KZ's like to leak oil . i allways felt the hd studs work in your favour to helps with the leaks , since they alow higher torque specs. 42 rather than 30 ft lbs.

Thanks Mark. you're full of all kinds of good info.

Nelson wrote: Thanks Mark. you're full of all kinds of good info.

That's not the only thing he's full of. :ohmy: Sorry, buddy, I had to.