76 KZ900 B1 - from crates.

Well it's been a loooong time since I posted. Work, holidays, more work and trying to get this swing arm right all took their toll.

The top shock mount has been a devil for longer than I care to admit. The issue is that the frame on the donor is shaped so that the equivalent of the cradle bars rise backward over and above the swingarm mount, so the shock can be close to vertical, and still meet the frame.

In the KZ frame, the shock is sitting out there in the air. So below is my current solution.

The bracket in there isn't right, but it's close. Getting the spacing right between the two cross bars proved more difficult than I originally thought, (but I think the final product will make it worth the effort).

I'd be curious to get some feedback on the setup. The two crossbars are 12 gauge (1/10 thick, 7/8" diameter) and fish-mouthed in. The bracket itself is 1/4" mild steel plate. The idea is that the upward force is transferred up to the frame, and then cantelevered toward the frame. And, because the cradle is converging (where the cross members are) the whole thing should be pretty snug.

Anyone out there think I've inhaled too many paint fumes?

Oh yeah, there will be another bracket on the other side, with a plate spanning the two where the shock will mount, if that's not obvious.

and another of the current setup. (everything is tack-welded until I know for sure, that this is the right solution}.

it looks plenty stout to me.

it would have to bend and stretch tubes to go anywhere,and i don't think that will happen short of a wreck :ohmy: .

that's my .02,

leon

OK, so lots more time has past, partly due to it taking a while to get the upper mounting brackets right, and partly because life keeps getting in the way. You can see below some of the templates and false starts, as well as the progress.








In case you're wondering, the center plate was mortised into the side plates so the weld isn't taking all the load.

ck allballs they have bearings for front end conversion

Next steps: finish frame bracing and then go back and finish up all the welds.

Speaking of that, I have an old picture from some Japanesse site with all the frame bracing points, (which of course I can't find right now), but I'm sure some of you have seen it.

It's a black background with a grid on it and all the frame bracing members are in red. My copy is really small and kind of crappy and hard to see clearly. Anyone got a better version, or another frame bracing diagram? I've got a pretty good idea of where everything is supposed to go, but I I'm always open to listening to those who've gone before me.

Thanks

if you cant find bearings i just had a new steering stem machined to fit my new triple trees but with the profile of the kz bearings.

Thanks for the tip. I think I'm actually going to have to have a new stem machined. The ZX6r stem is too wide for the head tube, (though the height is perfect). I actually contacted Allballs and asked if they had anything with the right ID and OD and it's a no-go. Their nifty little calculator told me a gixxer front end would've at least had the right diameter (if not the right height), but that would meant loosing the all-Kwaka build, and besides, I already have the ZX front end. I also really like the ZX wheels and I didn;t want to open another can of worms with axle and whell diameters, caliper spacings and the rest.

I tried Old Man Rock's method of swapping stems, but I guess his weld job was a friday afternoon and mine was a tuesday morning, because by the time I grinded down enough to get the stem out of the KZ triple, it was too short to use. I have a neighbor threatening to buy a lathe, so might be able to do one myself, otherwise I'm going to have to have to go with a machinist.

Nice. What did that run ya?

Nice clean work. Keep posting

Hey Rob, it's great to see you get back on this project! Might I suggest that you could buy a different KZ lower triple clamp and extract the stem from that one. They pop up on ebay all the time. The welds on mine had penetrated fairly deep, but I pushed my stem out with a 50 ton press. :evil:

As for the frame bracing info, I'm familiar with the document that you are speaking of, but don't have a copy. Here's a link to Tony Foale's site with some good bracing info: www.tonyfoale.com/ You have to click on "Articles" then under "practicle" click "Frame Stiffening (kawa 750 as an example)." I also have a PDF with the Sanctuary Frame bracing. It's all in Japanese, but has good pictures. If you PM me your email addy I can forward it to you. Also, mark1122, and porchev914 should have some other good documents that I used to have but lost.


Edit: Haha, I just checked my old pm's and I already got your email. It looks like I previously sent you everything that I had. I can re-send if you need me to.