1981 KZ1000 LTD Swingarm Swap

Guys-

I'm working on my 1981 KZ LTD. my goal is to end up with an AMA style tribute bike to the early days of The KZ being the first Jap bike to win the AMA here in America.

Think Reg Pridmore

The goal is to use mostly period correct race style mods only. I'll retain factory brakes, factory forks, etc. while not stock but try to use period correct modifications, or modifications that appear as period correct.

It seems all those early AMA guys did different things for swing arms. It looks like the original Vetter bike ran some kind of aluminum swingarm. Eddie Lawson's bikes seem to run some kind of braced factory style swingarm that winds up looking like a ZRX arm.

So to the question. What kind of swap or modification would be semi-correct and be a fairly straight forward swap. I want to retain dual shocks and the factory cast 18" wheel. So I guess a 20mm axle. I've seen this done with GS1100E arms as well as ZRX arms.

I'm on a budget. I can source spacers or turned axles if I need them. Not afraid to weld steel or aluminum.

Any advice or suggestions would be super helpful.

You could just add bracing to the stock arm and call it done.

Pic of #21 arm.......

650ed wrote: Pic of #21 arm.......

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To my eye this almost identical to a ZRX arm.

TexasKZ wrote: You could just add bracing to the stock arm and call it done.

Anyone have details on how the factory originals were braced?

black beauty



moriwaki




leon

one somone else done



and another



leon

rstnick and dcotorot both have stock underbraced arms as well.
it's pretty open to interpretation.

shows us what you decide.

leon

Fine work Leon.
Steve

Wow thanks,

Those pics were ultra helpful. I really appreciate it. I'll be posting the process here in my build thread.

I'm a little worried about it warping as I TIG it. I guess I'll V-Block the hell out of it and weld small patches at a time.

they always tweak around a lil .
i tweak em back until they are square.

leon

Don't you have to deal with the metal's memory?
Steve