Simple dual disc brake conversion?

Like others here have posted, I'm going to convert to dual front disc brakes on my 76 kz900. I,ve been accumulating the parts a little at a time.
I still need to get the right side caliper but today I was moving some old parts off the workbench and picked up my spare left side caliper. It appears the caliper could be reversed to either side just by turning the brake pad holder plate around. I removed the 2 bolts, slid them out and then removed the metal plate. The only thing I did was grind flat the area around the mounting pad where it bolts against the forks. I bolted it up to the right fork and it seemed to match the left side perfectly.
Am I missing something? This seems too easy, as I don't recall anyone else talk about doing this. I already have another matching rotor and the dual splitter, just need to figure out the brake lines. I'm planning on swapping the forks to mount the calipers on the back side. Anyone have any suggestions, comments or any reason this won't work?

when you flip the caliper to the other side, it will put the bleeder nipple pointing down and you will be extremely lucky if you get it bled out

The bleeder is actually pointed straight up on both sides because it is in the center of the caliper. I already bolted it up to see if anything was offset. It matches perfectly.
Ive seen other calipers where the bleeder screw is at the top and I agree it would be damn near impossible to bleed. When I move the calipers behind the forks both bleeders will not be at the highest point any longer so I may have some bleeding issues.

Jeff @ Z1 Enterprises and I talked at lenght about this very subject. And you are correct. You CAN do it.
BUT.. make 200 % sure you check EVERYTHING BEFORE GOING ON YOUR FIRST RIDE !!!
You don't want ANY problems with brakes.
Call Jeff and talk to him. I don't want to try and explain the pro's and con's of this on here.
But.. I am doing the same thing on my Z1 with a caliper
setup Jeff sent me already done this way:whistle:
He's a VAST warehouse of Kawasaki knowledge;)
~Pat

If you have the calipers with the bleed nipple in the center you are correct, they can be used on either side by simply turning the caliper holder plate around, no problem.

I used a similar set of calipers (and a set of Z1R rotors) when I converted my 77 650 B1 to dual discs. I also flipped the forks over in order to mount the calipers behind the fork - as you suspect I had some bleeding issues because the bleed nipples weren´t at the highest point. There are several ways to get around this (I´m sure others will chime in with their preferred method) but what I did was assemble and bleed the whole system off the bike with the calipers sitting higher than the master cylinder and the bleeding jar sitting higher than the calipers, worked like a charm.

One thing I would recommend if you´re converting to dual discs is to get a 5/8" master cylinder (if you haven´t already). I´m still using a 1/2" mc and it has a little too much bite for my liking, very easy to lock up the front wheel in a tight spot, caused me and the bike a bit of road rash.

Some points to consider...

A single Z1/KZ900 7mm thick disc rotor weighs 7lb - yes seven... add a second caliper, brake pipes / hoses, brackets, bolts and fluid and the increase in unsprung weight is considerable. Some things to ponder:

1) up the spring rate in the fork springs - either go with new progressive springs, or increase the preload on the spring with a spacer.
2) go with heavier fork oil - i.e from 10w to 15w, or potentially even 20w if you are a heavy individual or ride with a passenger
3) you should (must) go with a 5/8 or 11/16 master cylinder to replace the 1/2" version. With the extra fluid in the double caliper setup, you will have excessive lever travel.

You may want to look for the thinner KZ1000 LTD rotors - these are 4.5mm thick and drilled as well - these are 2-3 lbs less in weight.

If you have some extra money, find a pair of '79 or '80 KZ1000 (NOT the ST model) front calipers. They will bolt right on your '76 KZ900 forks -- these calipers have larger pistons for improved braking over what Kawasaki offered in its '76-'77 KZ900s and its '77-'78 KZ1000s. These calipers, by the way, have 42 mm pistons in them and also have "1 11/16" embossed on the backside of each caliper.

BohicaBob, that reminds me about another thing - making sure the calipers have pistons the same size - remember that one?

Indeed I do! Yes, years ago I upgraded my '78 KZ1000A2 front brake system from a single disc brake caliper to a dual caliper setup. I got a second caliper and a disc rotor from a salvage year over the phone BEBAY (before ebay and WWW). Later (read MUCH later), I discovered, after a conversation with Jeff, that that second salvage yard caliper was from '79 or '80 KZ1000 and used a 42 mm piston -- the '78 KZ1000 caliper used a 38 mm piston.

I'm still running my '78 KZ1000A2 this way -- braking is still very good in fact. But I will replace this oddball setup when these calipers need to be rebuilt, for I did get a pair of '80 KZ1000 ST front disc brake calipers this year. Note that KZ1000E1/E2 and KZ1300 calipers WILL NOT fit '76 thru '80 KZs without a modification -- I was able to use these '80 KZ1000 ST calipers because I replaced these calipers' carriers with those from an extra pair of '77 KZ1000 LTD front disc calipers if had laying around in my garage.

Thanks for the info guys. When Patmann mentioned the pros and cons I figured the unsprung weight would part of the cons. I have already put in new Progressive springs and did go with 15 weifgt oil instead of 10 weight.
Will any of the 4 bolt hole KZ1000 front rotors fit? I have seen auctions for them but wasn't sure of the diameter etc.
Another question about the brake lines. Since the calipers I have don't use banjo bolts, do I still use a short piece of metal line to connect to the rubber line? It would seem moving them to the back side of the forks should reduce the length of hose needed.
And lastly, I was going to try the 1/2 inch master cylnder but after OnkelB's road rash message and Jeff's strong reccomendation y'all have convinced me to change to 5/8.

Find the thinner 4-bolt KZ1000 disc rotors that are 4.5 mm thick instead of the 4-bolt 7 mm thick rotors you see on the '76-'78 KZ900/1000s.

I have both. On my '78 KZ1000A2 I drilled the 7 mm thick rotors. I bought a pair of 4.5 mm rotors from some KZ (don't remember the year) at a salvage yard a long time ago and I drilled them myself and put them on my '73 Z1-900's forks with '76 KZ650 fork lowers and '76 KZ900 damper rods. The '79-'80 KZ1000 4-bolt rotors are 4.5 mm thick and are "factory-drilled " -- I see these on ebay from time to time.