Replacement Forks - Stock or something else?

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting on the forum, nice to meet everybody here! I have a 1983 KZ750-F1 LTD Shaft that is pretty much all stock minus mirrors. About a week ago I got into a wreck on it (only involving me, I panicked and slammed on the rear brake basically resulting in the bike going down and me going off the bike). I got pretty lucky and only separated a couple ligaments in my shoulder which are healing up pretty quickly on their own, unfortunately the bike isn't going to heal itself.

The main damage is to the front forks. I'm pretty certain they're both going to need replacing along with tree bearing and maybe the front axle. So now my question is should I get some used, stock( or similar KZ forks) off eBay for around $100 or should I be looking into aftermarket fork or maybe forks from a different model bike?

I've always felt the front suspension was a little squishy and would prefer something a little stiffer. I've seen a few customized KZs with inverted forks and similar things that look like they'd be great, but as of right now the 750 is my only vehicle and getting it back on the road quickly, and without spending more than a few hundred dollars, is a necessity. That basically means as much as I'd love to completely rebuild the front end I'm mainly looking for something I can bold everything back on to and slide right into the trees. I know this severely limits my options and I'm likely going to be forced to go stock but I just wanted to see if anyone here knows if there are other options out there.

I do plan on fully rebuilding and upgrading the bike at some point once I have other means of reliable transportation, but for now my main goal is just to get it back on the road with the best suspension I can get in my situation. What do you all think is my best option here?

Thanks!

Since the rest of the bike is stock I would try to keep it that way and I would go with stock forks. If the front felt squishy you could have easily corrected the problem. Ed

Getting 750F forks is probably the simplest thing to do & install new Progressive fork springs. the 750 Spectre forks are probably the same, but gold or black. Alternatively to save a little money, you might be able to use the forks from a 750H Ltd & new fork springs.

I would remove the forks from the bike & inspect them. The upper tubes could be bent, but the fork lowers may be fine. I would also check the triple tree. if possible, check the upper triple by placing it on a glass table, then push down on a corner to see if it rocks --- it shouldn't move much, if at all. mine rocked quite a bit, but the replacement only a tad. the test didn't work on the lower steering stem --- I don't recall how I checked that, probably with a framing square or something.

If youre thinking of upsy dupsy forks then you are standing on the edge of a very deep hole. If you fit them to an otherwise standard bike,they are going to look out of place (IMO). Youll start thinking about a different front wheel which will have you looking to the backend for a matching wheel and modern swingarm. Before you know it,youll be doing a full on conversion with all the time and money and nut scratching that that entails
Fantastic! Go for it.There are too many standard.1983 KZ750-F1 LTD Shaft drives on the road anyway and they all look pretty much the same.

If though,you are using the bike for daily transport,I would have to agree with martin-csr. Strip the front out and check whats damaged. If youre lucky youll get away with a new set of tubes.If not,maybe you bent the frame and the bikes buggered .Then its only good for parts.

Be aware that LTDs sit up quite a bit at the front.If you fit upsy dupsys, youre going to loose a lot of that height and maybe run into ground clearance problems with the exhaust.There are ways around it but they aint cheap. Also your original geometry is out the window and theres no telling how the new set up is going to handle until you ride off on it.(unless youre good friends with Tony Foales or someone similar)

Thats my tuppence worth.Good luck,whatever you decide to do.

Did you just slide out when you hit the back brake and fall, or did you hit something? It is possible that your forks are only twisted in which case they can be twisted back straight.
Jerry

The bike highsided right at the edge of the road and dug itself into a raised section of dirt. Not exactly sure what caused the front wheel to twist like it did but the tubes are definitely bent. Just went outside and attempted to just loosen the trees and twist everything back but I was only able to get it about halfway back. Whenever I try to straighten it out fully it pops back to the halfway point.

To remove the forks you'll have to support the front end. I made an engine block stand from some scrap wood --- two 2x4s sandwiched together w long deck screws & attached to a 2x8 (16" L). the 2x4 part is about 8.5" L.

Unless your going after a certain look or racing the thing the stock forks will be just fine, cheaper too.