1978 KZ1000 Front Wheel Installation Procedure

When I put the wheel back on it wasn't spinning freely so I loosened the axle a bit to where its somewhat reasonable, but I noticed that the speedometer is moving around sometimes when the wheel spins.

So, what's the order of operations, and how many ft-lbs should everything be tightened to?

If anybody knows where I can find a digital copy of any manuals related to my 1978 KZ1000-A2 I sure would appreciate it.

I haven't been able to find any manuals for my specific bike. Only a 1975 KZ900 service manual, 1981-1985 1000/1100 clymer manual, and a suggestion based on experience with the KZ750 .

This bike has wire rims, and a mechanical speedometer.

How tight you tighten the axle doesn't matter to wheel rotation, so if it's hard to spin, you've got the speedo drive in wrong. After getting the speedo drive set in right, tighten the axle. I'm sure there's a torque value listed, but it's not important. Just tighten the axle and reinstall the wheel. No tricks, just correct assembly is all involved.

i just replaced my front fender which involved pulling wheel and 1 brake caliper and bottom caps...
the manual spells it out pretty easily...i would highly suggest getting a manual.. i have the clymer
which covers 73-81 chain and shaft drive 900-1000 cc.
it has been an invaluable resource as has been this site.....z-1 has the manual....mine is 3 months old and totally dog-eared already....

RonKZ650 wrote:

How tight you tighten the axle doesn't matter to wheel rotation, so if it's hard to spin, you've got the speedo drive in wrong. After getting the speedo drive set in right, tighten the axle. I'm sure there's a torque value listed, but it's not important. Just tighten the axle and reinstall the wheel. No tricks, just correct assembly is all involved.

I think he might have had the axle ends or whatever they are called on too tight. I think those just need to be a little more than finger tight maybe a half turn with a cresent wrench. Once you get the caps on they won't go anywhere. Like Ron said check to make sure the speedo cable is in right and at the right angle and it should be good.

Richard XYZZY wrote:

I haven't been able to find any manuals for my specific bike. Only a 1975 KZ900 service manual, 1981-1985 1000/1100 clymer manual, and a suggestion based on experience with the KZ750 .

Richard, you haven't spent enough time on eBay...there are a number copies of the Kawasaki shop manual for your bike currently on eBay, including electronic pdf versions...some very reasonably priced.

Clymer lists torque on the axle at 51-65 ft/lbs so they should be tight and the wheel will still spin freely if all is correct. A lot of guys make the mistake of having the tangs in the speedo drive not lined up correctly with the slots in the wheel. It causes the drive to not seat fully and it shows up right away when you try to tighten the axle.