KZ440 Center Stand: Live and Learn

So, I set out to replace the missing center stand on an '81 KZ440B. Didn't care about cosmetics, as I just wanted the thing upright so I can work on it. I figured that since the cases had been pretty much unchanged for years, the cradles hadn't changed much either, and the tabs would fit any old KZ440 center stand. Bought the first one that I found cheap, from an 82 LTD. I was right about the tabs, they line right up. However, the stops on the center stand legs are too high to allow it to open fully. Unless somebody has a great idea for a fix, it's back to eBay and a quest for a stand from a B model.

mwriders wrote:

So, I set out to replace the missing center stand on an '81 KZ440B. Didn't care about cosmetics, as I just wanted the thing upright so I can work on it. I figured that since the cases had been pretty much unchanged for years, the cradles hadn't changed much either, and the tabs would fit any old KZ440 center stand. Bought the first one that I found cheap, from an 82 LTD. I was right about the tabs, they line right up. However, the stops on the center stand legs are too high to allow it to open fully. Unless somebody has a great idea for a fix, it's back to eBay and a quest for a stand from a B model.

I just looked on www.kawasaki.com at the parts diagrams for the '81 kz440 'B' model. There is no main stand/center stand I can find in the diagrams. Only a side stand. I thought 'whoa, that is odd.'

So, I have a parts cross-reference for all Kawasaki models, and I looked there too for a main/center stand for the '81 kz440, just in case the unlikely event the kawasaki.com site's missing it. Nope, no center stand in the cross-reference either for the '81 bike.

I'm thinking -- you may need a custom solution anyway if that '81 model indeed was not given a proper main stand (!!). The fact that the main stand tabs on your frame are there -- is cool, maybe Kaw was in a weird mood to save a few bucks on that model for that year or something.

So if you have a stand that fits into the frame, perhaps you should saw/grind off the protrusion that prevents it from working 100% since looking for a stock stand may not turn anything up. Just fyi, and good luck.

Thanks. You may be right, and it may have something to do with the 2-into-1 pipe on the '81-B. It's also interesting that the "book" identifies the '81 as a B2, but the title and frame identify it as a B1. This one was made in Japan, and they may have just been using up their parts bin.

If your bike has a 17-digit vin, then you can check it at Kawasaki.com to get clarification on what model it is.

Apparently there was no center stand on the '81KZ440B. I'm guessing that this is because they added the 2-into-1 pipe on the B2. The rubber stop on the B1 (LTD, etc.) stands contact the left side muffler. With that gone, the stand legs will hit the chain. Since they had already gone "sporty" with the pipes, they must have just figured that it was cheaper to continue the sporty theme with a side stand only configuration than it was to engineer a new stand. Older 400 stands look like they might work, so long as the location of the mounting tabs didn't change.