Shock Swap

I posted a while back about hating the air shocks on my '83 KZ1100 LTD, well...... The more I ride it the more I hate them.

Anyway! I was working on my Honda Magna and noticed the shocks look like they will fit the Kawasaki so I found a spare set that I had for the Magna and did a little "looking".

The Magna shock is an all chrome progressive shock with a lot of adjustments that allow you to tailor it for the roads and ride that suit you best (they ride wonderfully!!).

The shocks will fit the 1100 by pressing the center bushing from the 1100 air shocks into the Magna shocks. The only thing that I'm worried about is the height. The Magna shock is about 1 inch longer than the 1100 shock so I'm not sure how that will affect the ride and drivetrain geometry.

The KZ1100 is heaver than the Magna by several hundred pounds so my first thoughts are that the weight will settle the Magna shocks when the 1100 is on the ground bringing the bike back to a "normal" ride height and the ride quality can then be adjusted with some of the other adjustments.

I'd love to hear any thought you guys have.

Thanks,
Tony T

Post edited by: stone_cold, at: 2007/05/01 09:44

I don't know exactly how much difference that inch will make, so I'll make that clear from the start. I stole KZ1000 schocks for my 750 and had to jack up the rear to get them in there. Now I have to visit the chiropractor after about 50miles!:pinch: The caveat in your case is that shocks you're trying to use are adjustable. You may be able to soften them up enough to compensate for the height difference.

Hey, just curious. Why don't you like the air shocks? I love them on my bike, I got them off of an old Gold Wing. The ride is awesomely smooth. I have a very stiff controlled ride, but I don't feel every crack in the road. I love them and would recomend them to anyone. I was thinking of these air forks, anyone seen or made these before? Are these manufactured or home made?
eBay Link

Post edited by: steell, at: 2007/05/07 00:40

Yeah vach, they're stock equipment on at least the '81 750LTD. Honestly I like mine, give 'em a tickle up w/ air every once and a while if the front gets spongy. Not too much though:pinch:

vach wrote:

Hey, just curious. Why don't you like the air shocks? I love them on my bike, I got them off of an old Gold Wing. The ride is awesomely smooth. I have a very stiff controlled ride, but I don't feel every crack in the road. I love them and would recomend them to anyone. I was thinking of these air forks, anyone seen or made these before?

The front shocks are air on this bike also and I really like them but the back shocks suck. I've tried several different air pressure settings and adjusted the stiffness from 1 to 4 and they never get firm enough for my taste.

They're not bad on a trip on the interstate (kinda floats) but I spend most of my time on curvy country roads (because that's where I live). There are several curves that start down hill and then have a dip at the bottom. If you lean into these curves and then hit the dip it bottoms the rear shocks and makes the bike feel really un-settled, none of my other bikes do that. The 1100 is heavier than any of my other bikes but that shouldn't really matter. I owned KZ1000 that rode just fine on these same roads.

Anyway, the weather is supposed to be bad here for the next couple of days so I may just go ahead and install them, I can always go back to the sponge shocks from hell if I have to :ohmy:

Thanks,
Tony T

UPDATE!!
O.K I replaced the air shocks with the shocks from a 1986 Honda Magna. I pressed the bushings out of my air shocks and pressed them into the Magna shocks. I adjusted the Magna shocks to there lowest settings and installed them. The shocks are much stiffer than the air shocks but it plants the rear of the bike and makes it MUCH more responsive in a hard corner, The bike feels like you could keep leaning it over until the foot pegs hit the ground. The bike is considerably more touchy and responsive and only a bit more harsh on the open highway --- I think it was a good swap. I have included a few pictures so you can see the fit. I think the install went well.









The bar hanging down from the sissy bar is a little mount that I use to tie off my throw over saddle bags.

Later,
Tony T

Post edited by: stone_cold, at: 2007/05/07 11:27

stone_cold,
Have you tossed those worthless air shocks yet?

If not, I just blew out the shocks on my ZN700 and I'm looking for some replacements. I'd gladly exorcize those shocks from hell out of your garage if you're willing to part with them.

Thanks,

-Fran

Hi Fran,
You pay the shipping and there yours

I have pressed the bushings out and used themon the other shocks so you'll need those from another set of shocks or else be creative :whistle:

You can PM me and we can work out the details.

Later,
Tony T

Post edited by: stone_cold, at: 2007/05/09 16:47

Excellent sir!
PM Sent!
:side:

I can use the bushing from my stock (busted) air shocks.