when to beef up the chassis...drag racing 101

how much horse power can a stock kz1000 frame take before stiffeners and gussets must be added and when is the line crossed when the engine needs a completely new chassis? I am getting into drag racing with my bike this year and after I get my feet wet I am pretty sure I'll want more power and a lower et for next year. but I'd also like to use it for the street so ten feet long and two inches of ground clearence is not for me. whats a good length for a street/strip swingarm? thanks, Lee

the newer kz frames up to around 1980 are far stiffer than the flexi flyer z1 frames 73-75 kawasaki learned a lot the hard way,the ltds have a little more rake built into them stock which is a plus compared to a normal kz.2" over is pretty common for swingarm ,but lowering bike also helps get center of gravity lower which intern helps hold frontend down. my 80 ltd ran a healthy 1327 motor with a stock length swingarm with wheel pushed all the way back in adjusters to gain a little length.my rear shocks were around 11"long and set on limpest setting,the header would drag on anything over 2-3" high with me on it.but it would just hook up and pull like a freaking train.havent decided the details of next build but it will be fast!:laugh:

thanks for the reply, what kind of tire did you run with the stock swingarm, I already found out I"m out of luck with a 130 90 16 slick. I'm thinking about an arm from redline but not sure how to rig up the wheel and offset countershaft sprocket and whatever else may pop up. plus I just invested in 2 new sprockets and an o ring 630

a really sticky 130 tire,didnt work good on the dyno but it sure hooked up good on the street!:laugh:

wowzers plummen,you still got that bike?is that a 51-52 chevy waitin on some attention to?nice toys.

yeah thats my little streetracer sleeper kaw! :evil:its in pieces right now being all redone ,gonna do a few more tricks to the motor while its apart also.ive got a set of 1327 turbo pistons im thinking about a worked over and shaved kz head to bring it up to around 9:1 with 900 crank and a nitrous bottle to continue pissing of sportbikes!:laugh: too many projects ,never enough time and money at the same time!:blush: :laugh: