Rims and Fork

Hi,

Currently building my 78 Kawasaki KZ750B I am looking on changing my front fork since the old one is leaking, I dont want to stick to the OEM forks since it has the attached headlight bracket and I dont want that. do you have any recommendations on where and what fork to buy that will pretty much plug and play on my motorcycle? also I wanted to know what aftermarket rims I should look for in order to fit in my motorcycle, the ones with no spokes.

Thanks 

Are you looking to replace the wire spoked wheels with cast alloy wheels? There won't be any new aftermarket wheels available for an old KZ.
You'd probably either have to get stock KZ 7-spoke alloy wheels or on eebbaayy find old Lester or Morris mag wheels which can be pricy.

For what you're trying to do, in some cases the simplest thing to do is to swap the entire front end: triple tree, forks, wheel & brake calipers.
However, from a quick comparison at Partzilla the 1980 KZ750-G1 has 7-spoke cast alloy wheels & no fork ears. It has the same triple tree as the 750-B3 & the forks are pretty much the same, so that stuff ought to be a direct swap. The x-ref at partzilla indicates that other models have some of the same fork components, so there may be other forks you could use.

Rear wheel. The G1 has a rear drum brake, but a 70s 1000 might have a rear wheel you could use. I didn't check into that.
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Leor13 wrote: Hi,

.......... I dont want to stick to the OEM forks since it has the attached headlight bracket and I dont want that...........

I don't understand.  If you don't want the headlight brackets can't you just remove them when you have the forks out of the triple tree.  They are separate parts as shown in the parts diagram below.  Ed

I was thinking there could be a bunch of rust & corrosion under the headlight ears. but that would be a simple solution.
He could then get a headlight bracket from the 750-G1.



....

martin_csr wrote: Are you looking to replace the wire spoked wheels with cast alloy wheels? There won't be any new aftermarket wheels available for an old KZ.
You'd probably either have to get stock KZ 7-spoke alloy wheels or on eebbaayy find old Lester or Morris mag wheels which can be pricy.

For what you're trying to do, in some cases the simplest thing to do is to swap the entire front end: triple tree, forks, wheel & brake calipers.
However, from a quick comparison at Partzilla the 1980 KZ750-G1 has 7-spoke cast alloy wheels & no fork ears. It has the same triple tree as the 750-B3 & the forks are pretty much the same, so that stuff ought to be a direct swap. The x-ref at partzilla indicates that other models have some of the same fork components, so there may be other forks you could use.

Rear wheel. The G1 has a rear drum brake, but a 70s 1000 might have a rear wheel you could use. I didn't check into that.
...

Do you think I can use my original triple tree and use the 1980 KZ750 fork and rims ?

Yes, the steering stem & steering head are the same, so the swap should be easy.
But you should double-check the full part numbers which Partzilla provides (some places only have partial part numbers).
Also, compare the hub & brake components. but if the triple tree & forks are the same, then the wheels & brake calipers should fit the same.

Don't forget about the rear wheel. maybe a 1000C police or 650C. maybe others.
I installed 550Ltd wheels onto my bike. very easy. see link in signature. Andy-the-gringo said it was a direct swap, but I checked all of the components beforehand to make sure. You should do the same.

Remove the fork ears first. If your forks look to be in good condition, then as 650ed noted, try removing the fork ears before buying anything.
I like fork ears and that they hide the wiring & control cables. my bike didn't have them originally, so I replaced the wire headlight bracket with one that mimics fork ears.
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So I decided that I will just keep the hub of the motorcycle and just buy new rims and spokes. I am looking for a black rims with aluminum spokes, do you guys have any recommendations on where to buy.

what are the key info that I need to know in order to find it: i.e Like what size rim and how many holes

THnaks

I've seen stainless spokes, but I've never heard of aluminum spokes. Here's a supplier of motorcycle spokes, rims, etc. They can anodize the rims to make them black.

www.buchananspokes.com/categories/rims_sun.asp

www.buchananspokes.com/products/product_...g=sun_rims_lg-th.jpg

Ed

Leor13 wrote: So I decided that I will just keep the hub of the motorcycle and just buy new rims and spokes. I am looking for a black rims with aluminum spokes, do you guys have any recommendations on where to buy.

what are the key info that I need to know in order to find it: i.e Like what size rim and how many holes

THnaks

The rims need to have the same number of spoke holes as the hubs. As for wheel diameter, the stock size would be the simplest choice, but the best selection of modern tires will be 17 inch. Rim width will be limited by how much clearance you have , particularly between the rear tire and the chain. Again, the factory tire widths will create the fewest problems, but you should be able to go one or two sizes wider without problems. You really need to measure to be sure.

Sorry make that stainless forks .. Thanks for the info on where to buy

as for the sizes im thinking of 18 on the front with a 2.15 size rims and 17 rear with 2.50 size rims