Rebuilding original shocks

Hello all,

Have an '83 KZ650CSR with the original chrome shocks. I am trying to find out if these are rebuildable (spell checker doesn't think this is a real word ). They do not seem to have much dampening left and the rubber grommet at the top has turned to dust.

Searching the posts I see that KONI and other (IKON, Progressive, etc...) shocks are rebuildable (there's that word again) but maybe not these original ones. Also, would I even want to rebuild these shocks if I could? Would I want to buy a new set from Kawasaki(trying to keep the bike original)? Or go to Ikon, Progressive, etc... Comments?

Hi,
The stock shocks can not be rebuilt. There are the shocks you mentioned, if you want a shock that's you can rebuild. Some of the riders here have used Harley Sportster shocks on the 650. You need to replace the bushings and they can be bought from someplace whose name escapes me at the moment.. Check ebay for cheap, like new HD shocks.

Keeping original is hard but it keeps the worth of the bike up. I was always told that the factory shocks on these old girls was bad after about 10 miles. That may be a little overstated. But if you are looking for better shocks the progressives are a good bet. I put progressives on front and rear and get great handling and ride comfort. The Harley shocks lower the rear by about an inch but for my thought they are a little unforgiving. I'd get some new progressives and enjoy the ride. But remember 2 each their own!

The Harley shocks i used were sportster take offs (the cool thing to do is lower your sportster so they toss their OEM shocks with very low miles).

I think they lowered the rear end by a quarter inch; 13" as compared to 13.28"(i think).

I reused my old bushings; using a vise and some sockets to push them out of the KZ shocks then into the hardley shocks.

the one problem i encountered was the lower shock mount. The harley shocks are to wide. Some folks bend their lower shock mount, but I just tossed the sportster shock on my bench grinder (with the bushing removed!) and removed material until i had a good snug fit.

I have only taken the bike for one quick up and down the road trip, but all seemed well.

for $30 total, i think you would be hard pressed to find more bang for your buck. And they do look quite a bit like the originals as well...

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I'll get a new pair (not sure what type) for riding and keep the originals just for show.