Idiots guide to increasing wheel size.

I'd like to put a 3.50 x 18 wheel on my KZ750 twin. I found a swingarm on ebay from a 78 KZ1000. I'd just like to ask what else I would need to do to increase my wheel size. Currently its 2.15x19 with 120/70 19 tire.

Yes treat me like an idiot. I don't know anything, but I'm sure its not simple.

Do you mean 2.15 X 18?
Relace your hub to an aftermarket rim of that size.
How about brakes?
Planned tire size?
Will there be any interference?

RainRider503 wrote: I'd like to put a 3.50 x 18 wheel on my KZ750 twin. I found a swingarm on ebay from a 78 KZ1000. I'd just like to ask what else I would need to do to increase my wheel size. Currently its 2.15x19 with 120/70 19 tire.

Yes treat me like an idiot. I don't know anything, but I'm sure its not simple.

19" on rear? :blink:
are you sure youre not thinking of front tire?
your stock 750 swingarm should work with an 18" rim,id just find a complete 18" rear wheel and brakes with all the wheel spacers from a stock 750 and bolt it on there ,i bet steell has what you need!

See what I mean(idiot!) yes sorry its 18" I was thinking of writing a question about my front wheel too, but I decided to stick to one thing at a time.

I guess I'd keep the stock brakes (unless I can't do that?) Can you take me through what I would have to do to get a 18x 3.50 wheel on my bike? also I have no idea what tires will fit on a 18 x 3.50 rim! Confused!! And..... the only question I think I can answer is that if I buy the new swingarm from a z1000 i don't think there will be any interference, but I could be wrong!

thats a wider rim,not a bigger rim! :laugh:
check buchannon wheel to see what spoke/rim deals they have

Will a 3.5" fit in his swingarm with rubber on it? What about brake arms, etc? Isn't this why most people do swingarm/brake swaps to get wider rear tires?

not to speak like your an idiot.....but...what brand and type of tire are you now running...how old are they...you may be able to do quite a bit of good by simply running a more aggressive profile and a higher quality,newer tire.......

correct air pressure and great ire can change that bike into a joy to ride...regardless of the size of the tire...a really good quality tire with a balance and good psi...will transform that rim into a whole new experience for just the cost of a new tire....

many folks now days want a bigger rim and tire after noticing that most bike today on the road have larger widths than the KZ's came with....

but a thin high quality tire is usually the answer to a decent handling KZ imo

DoubleDub wrote: Will a 3.5" fit in his swingarm with rubber on it? What about brake arms, etc? Isn't this why most people do swingarm/brake swaps to get wider rear tires?

I think I'm confused by the quoted sizes in the first post - nevermind.

Thank you all for your replies to my topic, your questions have answered some of my questions. Yes sorry I meant a wider wheel not a taller one! The tire is a Dunlop 491 - 120/70 its has a lot of tread left on it.

I know I'll need to different swingarm! There is 2 cm between rubber and metal. Along with the wider wheel, I'd like my tire to be 160/60 maybe wider. That was the basis of my questioning about the z1 swingarm size. Just a thought but is it not true that the wider your wheel the more grip and control you will have? Aside from just the looks, that is my drive behind this change.

Does anyone have answers about what I'll need to do with the brakes, chain? any other things I can't think of? I'd really love a step by step. btw Buchanan has beautiful wheels!

Below is my bike stripped down for paint.

if you want a 160 tire on back id suggest finding a swingarm from an 82 gs1100e suzuki,you can use same pivot bolt as stock youll just need to shim it about 3/16" on either side of swingarm with a couple washers.try and get the stock suzukiaxle bolt and shocks if you can .
id say you should be able to run a 140/150 tire on a 3.5" rim using your stock hub/disc brakes and sprocket carrier.
the gs arm is right around 1.5" longer than stock kz900/1000 arm,not sure how it compares to kz750

as far as what wide back wheel combined with skinny front tire does for handling,just asksomebody whos ever tried taking a corner really fast in a 23 ford T-bucket! :woohoo: