shaft drive forks

hi Guys this is my first post and i did a search but couldnt find a question like the one i have.

here goes
i noticed looking at pics on the net that the shaft drive bikes have the front axle infront of the forks where the chain drive bikes have them on the end of the fork. the question is why? and will they work on the chain drive bikes? are they unquie to the shaft or were they offered on LTD's or other models? any disadvantages to them? are the z-1's through the j-models have the same forks(interchangable?). thanks in advance


ps. i realize it changes the rake/angle some(iknow there is a more technical word but it escapes me now)

Not sure why they made them that way. I think the stem is the same length as the other big kz models but the width might be different. I think the axle is smaller so people would have to use the whole front end if they were to swap parts to an older 1000 or 900.

In have both style bikes in my garage.
I will take a look at them Saturday and report on interchangeability.

ps. i realize it changes the rake/angle some(iknow there is a more technical word but it escapes me now)

That's pretty much it.
The leading axle forks were used on some LTD models (not all).

I beleive it helped front end stability at speed, since the LTD's had a greater rake.

Post edited by: mariozappa, at: 2007/11/01 08:51

School Teacher wrote:

i noticed looking at pics on the net that the shaft drive bikes have the front axle infront of the forks where the chain drive bikes have them on the end of the fork. the question is why?

Well, I can't answer that with any real authority except to say it would allow a bit more travel without changing the rake dramatically.

...will they work on the chain drive bikes? are they unquie to the shaft or were they offered on LTD's or other models?

No, not interchangeable. They are unique in their tube diameter to the LTD's & standards and possibly are a tad bit longer but I haven't laid them next to any other 1000's forks.

any disadvantages to them?

None that I can see except that they are rare in comparison to the others out there as they were only made for two years.

are the z-1's through the j-models have the same forks(interchangable?)

.
I believe you can interchange all of them but someone else that has personally had several model years can better answer this one.

The fork tubes are 41mm I think on the shafty (or perhaps 39mm) but in any case the diameter is unique to the shafty. They MAY be the same diameter as the MK II which shares some of the odd parts used in 79/80 on the MK II and shafty engine models. If you used the triples from the shaft and stem bearings, I am pretty sure the shafty front end would work on other KZ models. You will figure out what the issue is when you try and buy fork seals... you can check the shaft/MK II relationship if you check the part number for the fork seals on both models on kawasaki.com -> parts diagrams. The fork tube diameter on the other KZs is 36mm I think (I probably have all numbers mentioned screwed up but the KZ900 and KZ1000 (77/78) forks are skinnier).

The forks are larger diameter on the shaft than any other Kawasaki I know of. The MKII chain drive model shares the same basic forks with LTDs, KZ650s ect as far as diameter goes where the ST is larger. So in other words, no you can't interchange the ST fork with any other model of Kawasaki. Another thing you run into if you did somehow manage to swap in any leading axle front fork onto a motorcycle that was designed with the regular type forks is the fender will no longer fit correctly because the front wheel will be too far forward vs the fender.

According to Zedder the only other bike to use the same diameter tubes are the 86 & 87 Ninja's.

What bike are you looking to use these on or is this just curiosity?

well i was thinking of putting them on a 76 900 that is lowered(in the process of) and has a sidewinder exhaust. i wanted the shorter fender of the ltd and the extra inch or so of clearance for the exhaust

Florida did you find out anything?

Hi Teacher,

The use of leading axle forks was started in order to allow more front end travel without making the bike taller. Instead of the axle being on the end Yada, Yada, Yada. You get that I'm sure.

This was first started on dirt bikes and how or why it came to street bikes I'm not sure. It's true that, other considerations being equal, as you increase rake you increase trail. One way to add rake and minimize it's effect on trail is to move the front wheel toward the theoretical point where the steering head axis hits the ground. You can achieve this by moving the axle mount to the front of the fork instead of mounting it on it's end.

If you're considering swapping parts you need to look at more than tube diameter. When the designers chose an offset axle design they also designed the triple clamps to work into the equation. Look at a set of triple clamps that are designed to work with an offset axle, they are a bunch flatter. In other words the centers of the forks are not so far separated from the steering stem as they are on a set of forks where the axle is mounted on the end of the forks. Mix and match at your peril! I've uploaded a file to the filebase, it's in the "not model specific" section, it's called Moto Geo. It's a motorcycle geometry calculator. You'll need to change the file extension from txt to exe. Not to worry it's no threat. Once you rename it just double click and learn something. I did.

KZCSI

THANKS GUYS!