TOPIC:

Hey there! New member here and proud owner of 1980 KZ750 twin and 1983 KZ250-c single.
The Kz250 was my first bike but ended up giving it away last fall, only to be given another unit of the same year and model a about a week ago. Quite ironic i think, haha.
I searched the forum and couldn´t find answers to my topics. (Well besides from some very old threads.) So i hope you are okay with a wombo-combo topic question here:

1: Does anyone know if the wheels from the kz250-G or LTD models (i believe both are front drums with spoked wheels) fit the C-model drum brake? On pictures the C-model drum looks slightly larger, but I cant tell. Im looking to swap my alloy wheels for spoked ones. I do not think the rear will be a problem to fit, but the spoked drum brake mounts to the fork differently than the C-model wheels, which means i ultimately would have to swap the entire front end.
Hope it makes sense

2: Only a few old threads talk about adapting a kz250 to kickstart, so i was wondering if someone since then completed this task? To me it seems the engine case it already bored for a kicker shaft. The clutch cover is, of course not. To solve that problem I´d only need a Kl250 cover of the right year, as it has the shaft bore and clutch actuator in the right location. Some folk were talking about splitting the case and having to swap over components from a KL250 trans, as the kz is missing a cog, thats been replaced with a sleeve, which the exploded view drawings also clearly tell.

Maybe this is a dead horse... Anyway! Any info is most appreciated!

Best Regards - Chris

Are the various 250 models listed at Partzilla? I did not see a 250G. It would help to list the exact year & model for each motorcycle plus the type of wheels & brakes each model has. If any of them are non-USA models, then there might not be diagrams at Partzilla, so comparing stuff there won't be possible. Cmsnl.com has diagrams for some Euro models, but I didn't see anything different from Partzilla.

The cross-reference at Partzilla may help in figuring out if the KL250 stuff will work for the kick starter. For the engine/clutch covers you could compare the gaskets >> that might at least tell you if the basic shape is the same where it contacts the engine.
...

Made a little mistake, its not a G model that has the spoked drum brake wheels, its the D model, which i think is just two iterations of the LTD. I think the CSR also came with spoked drum wheels, but I dont know the years sorry :/

Good idea with the gaskets, thank you!

The 250G threw me. I thought maybe you were in South Africa or Oz or somewhere. The KZ250 models were available in the USA from 1980 to 83, so just find them at Partzilla & compare stuff. The 83 250-W1 Ltd Belt had cast alloy wheels & it uses the same Fr brake shoes as the earlier models. (#42019-011). I didn't compare anything else, but if the brake shoes & other stuff are the same, the wheel swap will probably work. guessing.

....

Update for those who might be interested: I've continued my research and it seems the bottom end of the kz250 is actually just a kz200. I'm guessing the 250 just has a bigger cylinder and the clutch actuator is also moved. From the left side to the right side.
The 200 had a kicker, so I'm fairly confident that a kick mechanism from that will fit the 250. Additionally I'd need to swap in an idle cog from a 200 tranny. The 250 is indeed fitted with collar instead, so that should be easy.
Because the clutch actuator is different on the two, I'd need a clutch cover from a kl250, because it has the bore for the kick arm, and it has the clutch actuator on the right side of the engine, like the Kz250.

Regarding the wheels:
The spoked wheel will not fit directly on the cast alloy wheel hub, as the dimensions widely differ. The service limit on the spoked wheel braking surface is ~150mm and the cast wheel is ~180mm.
I guess that means I find another hub to fit my current fork, or swap the fork for the one that fits the spoked wheel hub.

Hmmm.....