KZ650c - new member with hopefully an easy wheel ?

Hello KZR Members, happy to be here.
I recently bought a 77 KZ 650c and the plan is to make it a "streetfighter". I am basically a garage mechanic, not an expert and certainly no fabricator, but I can work on cars and bikes and have successfully in the past created a cool cafe sportster out of a stock Nightster.

So, along with my 7 yr old daughter (she calls herself The Fixer, hence the nickname) we will be working on making the KZ something unique to us.

I already bought a GSXR front end and sent the triple tree in to Cognito Moto to have a new stem pressed in and new bearings from All Balls as well.

I have decided to keep the stock swingarm but to get a more balanced look and ride with the new front rim (120/70/zr17) I was thinking it might be best to just swap out my stock mag 120/90/18 wheel/rim combo for a used 3x16 rim off ebay from another KZ 650.

the question I have specifically is, if I buy a rim that does not have the sprocket and disc attached, is it a direct swap to remove those items from my current stock 18 inch wheel and bolt them right to the new 16 inch wheel?

I can get the basic rim pretty cheap on ebay, and it would be somewhat confidence inspiring knowing that the brake disc and sprocket are remaining exactly the same from the donor bike.

I also plan on selling the front end , rear wheel and tire, and other assorted items I got from the seller. I will be posting those in classified soon.

thanks everyone!

Trust me nothing is going to bolt right on when doing this sort of thing. That is why no one here is answering you. I have done numerous custom swaps over the years and I can only tell you based on my experience is, "no" it will not just bolt right on.

Welcome fixer and daughter.
Looking forward to your project.
Do post up some pictures of what your starting with.

The closest match will probably be the rear wheel from a 70s SR model (78-79 KZ650-D1/D2).
But it may still take some work & you may need the SR swing arm as well to fit the fatter tire.

From the diagrams at Partzilla: the SR has the same axle & shares a few other hub parts & has the same disk, but some stuff is different, particularly the spacers/collars. If the fatter tire fits the C swing arm, it may swap if you get the spacers from the SR. ???

This may not be relevant, but 550-ltd wheels were a direct swap onto my 81 650-CSR. All of the hub parts were the same. very easy. Although your situation is completely different, I'm thinking there's a chance the SR wheel might be easy. ???

Hey Fixer,
Where did you get the new stem you had pressed in your gsxr front end, or did you make it?
Also, what are you doing to mount the headlight?
Would love to see some pics!

Hello Nnope,

I got the stem from Cognito Moto, Devin is the owner, you can find them online. I sent him my lower tree, he replaced the stem and sent me the all balls bearings I needed to make the swap. it went together very easily. he also sold me the headlight and the bracket to mount it to the lower triple and additionally he tapped the triple while he had it also making it easy to screw in the headlight. he is a great resource if you are doing this kind of project, and reasonably priced too.

tell him I sent you!
cognitomoto.com/

an update on the rear wheel issue. I think all I need is a spacer cut and I brought the wheel to a local machinist to do that. my new rim is complete with all of the internal bits and seems almost identical except it is about a quarter inch wider. I am going to try and use the same spacer on the caliper side so that it positions the disc exactly where it was and hope that the slight offset that would create on the sprocket side will be manageable and will not be a problem on the chain, or alignment.

I will keep everyone updated.

also...got these new shocks from japbikespares.com (terrible name) I know they are cheap Ohlins knock offs but they cost $165 delivered (in three days from Australia mind you) and they seem robust enough. Will report back once I get the rear wheel on.

another progress picture

the bike is taking shape. rear wheel conversion from 17 inch 1977 stock to 16 inch 1978 stock actually was easy, just needed to grind down a spacer. just the wiring to do now and I will be back on the road!

Fixer wrote: the bike is taking shape. rear wheel conversion from 17 inch 1977 stock to 16 inch 1978 stock actually was easy, just needed to grind down a spacer. just the wiring to do now and I will be back on the road!
]

All 1977 KZ650 models came with 18" rear wheels. Maybe 17 was typo? Ed

yep, not a typo just a mistake. i went from 18 in the rear to 16. it looks way better and allows for a taller tire. instead of powdercoat I kept with the budget theme and bought a $50 rim off of ebay, scuffed it and painted it with wheel paint from pep boys. The tire was new old stock from craigslist ad off a retired motorcycle shop owner in NJ...also $50. I swapped the guts and cut down the spacer on the sprocket side. it was really easy.