What is this and is it bad?

Give these two a shot at getting the part for ya... I've had fairly decent success with both.... Granted, we're speaking of a 30 year old kZ...

Bike Bandit
www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/19...-us/o/m3181#sch81926

Babbits
www.kawasakipartshouse.com/

OMR

+1 on the Bike Bandit,

kawasaki.com shows:
front caliper piston seal 43049-001
rear caliper piston seal 43049-002

Z1E lists 38mm:
www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=4124
as 43049-001

and the seal between rear caliper sections
www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=3007

Would suggest contacting Z1E about size and availability of the rear caliper piston seal 43049-002.

Good Fortune!

Patton is that ring part of the seal or a seperate piece? I really have no clue about it and could not tell on the parts diagrams that I looked at.:blush:

andy9802gt wrote:

Patton is that ring part of the seal or a seperate piece? I really have no clue about it and could not tell on the parts diagrams that I looked at.:blush:

The heat resistant rubber caliper piston seal is ring shaped and fits inside a grove inside the caliper.
The piston fits through the seal.

Upon application of brake, the piston does not slide back and forth through the rubber seal.
The rubber seal fits tightly around the piston.
When the piston moves outward, the seal deflects from its normal shape as it holds position onto the piston.
When fluid pressure behind the piston dissipates, the seal retreats to its natural position, pulling the piston along with it back to where it started in its unstressed natural position.
Think of bending a rubber eraser between your fingers, then releasing grip, which allows the eraser to regain its original shape.
There's gentle exertion by the eraser in returning to its natural shape.
That's what the seal is supposed to do. Gently return to its natural shape, taking the piston along with it.
And this action won't function properly unless the piston moves easily and smoothly back and forth inside the cylinder.
If the rather gentle force of the seal's retreat can't move the piston backward, then the brake will likely drag as the pads keeps rubbing against the rotor.
Eventually, as the pads wear down and become thinner, the piston will push ever so slightly through the seal to a new position within the seal, thereby self-adjusting to compensate for the pad wear, whereby the same above mentioned procedure resumes.

There is also a rubber dust cover to protect the seal/piston interface.

The different sizes measured between front and rear calipers, plus the slightly different part numbers, plus no distinction in Z1E's listing, is the reason for suggesting contact with Z1E to confirm fitment application.

Am thinking the much smaller rings fit in the recesses between the caliper halves to contain the brake fluid moving between the halves. But would not be applicable to solid calipers as fitted on the 1978 KZ1000 LTD. Am uncertain why Z1E lists these for 1978 KZ1000 LTD "B" models.

Good Fortune!