GS1100 swingarm

For anyone looking for a GS1100 swingarm for your KZ, try WWW.THEGSRESOURCES.COM . It's a site like this one but for GS riders. I just picked up a swingarm with axle, pivot bolt and all hardware for $75.00 delivered and without the E-Bay bidding or high BuyNow pricing.:woohoo:

Now if we could only get the many guys who did this conversion to give alittle more detailed step by step HOW TO on this conversion for us who haven't done it yet.

Here's a link from the old KZRider site that may help...

www.kzrider.com/archive/viewthread.php?tid=7509

Hey Steve,
Thanks for the link, this is what I was looking for but for a KZ1000. I've seen lots of pictures of KZ1000's with this GS1100 swingarm on them but no info on the conversion.

For a GS swingarm to fit in the frame you need a washer on each side of the swingarm to take up slop.

You will need diffrent shocks. and i can't remember about the brake caliper. Roy

Ok,lets try this a different way.:silly:
I have a 77 KZ1000 LTD that a want to install a GS1100 swingarm on. I will be using the stock cast wheel and brake.

1 - Do you use the KZ or GS front pivot bolt?
2 - Other then the washer on each side what other if any
modifications have to be done such as bearings,
spacers, ect..
3 - I would guess you use the GS axle because the KZ is to
short. Do you use the GS spacers or do you have to
make up special ones?
4 - I'm going to use performance shocks but do I use stock
Kz or Gs length or something different?
5 - Running stock sprockets, how many extra links on the
chain?

Now I know I can figure this all out in time on my own but any help would save me time for the other changes I'm working on like engine overhaul and possible belt drive conversion.:ohmy:
I thank you for any time saving help.

nebiker51 wrote:

Ok,lets try this a different way.:silly:
I have a 77 KZ1000 LTD that a want to install a GS1100 swingarm on. I will be using the stock cast wheel and brake.

1 - Do you use the KZ or GS front pivot bolt?
2 - Other then the washer on each side what other if any
modifications have to be done such as bearings,
spacers, ect..
3 - I would guess you use the GS axle because the KZ is to
short. Do you use the GS spacers or do you have to
make up special ones?
4 - I'm going to use performance shocks but do I use stock
Kz or Gs length or something different?
5 - Running stock sprockets, how many extra links on the
chain?

Now I know I can figure this all out in time on my own but any help would save me time for the other changes I'm working on like engine overhaul and possible belt drive conversion.:ohmy:
I thank you for any time saving help.

OK ready?
The front pivot bolt you use the KZ bolt. You will require a spacer on each side of the swing arm pivot. MAKE SURE that you have the end cap seals on the pivots between the frame and the spacer. Make the spacer as tight as possible so the swing arm can not move side to side. This could be a deadly surprise in a tight turn. I used an axle from a KZ1300 that i got on eBay cheap. It is the perfect size. You will use your stock Kawasaki axle spacers and than supplement them with equal thickness washers on each side. Use stainless steel and measure each one to make sure they are the same thickness. You can stack as many as required as long as there is an equal amount on each side. When it comes to shocks there is two things you can do. If you want a low rider (which will not handle very well in the turns)you can use the stock GS shocks. If you want to raise the rear to a stock sport height, use shocks for a Honda Lead-wing. This is what I did to retain my high speed handling. Mine are made by "Progressive" and are redly available and not too expensive.

Here is another shot.

This one is so you can see how the bike sits with the long Lead-wing shocks. They are about 14" long. i bought three of these swing arms to have some spares.

Hey, thanks for the information and pictures. That swingarm looks so much better then the stock one. I'm off to the hardware store for the stainless steel washers.

I bought the exact size I required from McMaster-Carr. I am not sure if the HW store will washers of any kind of decent quality and consistency.

I used two thin washers and a "regular" thickness washer on each side of mine. Heres a pic-look close.

And the finished product.



I used a 5.5 inch wide Akront rim on a gs hub. You will have to make spacers for the kz wheel. I also use Goldwing shocks for now but will be getting better ones before summer. I lucked out because the guy I got the arm from had the chain gaurd he threw in for free. I'll probably switch back to the kz spoked wheel sometime to make everything match but that can wait.

The Ace Hardware in our area has a real good selection of stainless steel nut, bolt and washers in both metric and sae. By the way, since my GS swingarm came with the axle I tried it and it works, same diameter as the KZ axle.:woohoo: