Part compatability

Copying this post into Bike Related forum.

Get fast info by clicking on Kawasaki Parts Diagrams under The Essentials over there in the right hand column >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

At the Kawasaki.com site, click on Motorcycles.

Then scroll to the year in the left column and click on it (say 1981 for example). Ignore choices in the other columns.

All the 1981 models will appear. Just find and click on the model (such as KZ550 Standard).

More choices appear -- click on Parts Diagrams.

An alphabetical list appears showing all component areas of the bike. Click on Seat Assembly for 1981.

A diagram of the seat assembly appears. Look at the part number of the seat assembly and find it in the lower box. Click the question mark and the models appear as follows:

Model (4):
KZ550-A1 (1980)
KZ550-A2 (1981)
KZ550-A3 (1982)
KZ550-A4 (1983)

One shortcoming of using this method to determine common parts shared among different models is that the part numbers may differ because of some irrevelant detail such as color. But this site is a good place to begin a search.

Another member in a different thread expressed concern about the possibility of a slight difference in seat cover pattern causing the otherwise same seat to not appear in the common list -- that wouldn't surprise me.

Post edited by: Patton, at: 2007/11/05 22:15

The seat thing is for sure true. I remember all 4 yrs of the H2 from 1972-1975 all used a different part # for the seat when in reality the 72-73 was identical other than the pattern, and the 74-75 the same other than the pattern. By looking at the part numbers there would be absolutely no way to know that a 73 would work on a 72, but a 74 would not ect.
I run into dumb part things like this repairing TVs sometimes. For example there are 2 RCA parts that are 100% identical except the leads are factory bent at a 90 degree angle on one. Of course both have completely different part numbers. The dumb thing is the bent lead one is like $20 where the straight lead one is like $60. I buy the bent lead one and take 45 seconds to straighten the leads. Voila', $40 saved.
No way to know this kind of stuff without going through trial and error most the time.