Wheels wheels wheels???

Hey fellas what year ZX has wheels that bolt on to my 78 KZ, I see them all over the web and want to do as little (visible) modification as possible? Thanks Fellas

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Hey fellas what year ZX has wheels that bolt on to my 78 KZ, I see them all over the web and want to do as little (visible) modification as possible? Thanks Fellas
 

78 KZ.  That's funny.  Ed

gee thanks for your input buddy

Ignore ED mate, he seems to have a problem reading between the lines and adds the occasional dumb ass comment.  
There's no real fast way to do the wheel swap unless you use the forks off the ZX too, that way you won't have to adapt the brakes to fit and make wheel spacers or ,maybe,  if needed, change bearings. You can find all this info out by checking axle sizes and measuring disc spacing, there's a few guys here that should be able to help. I have a friend thats put ZX wheels on an 82 GPZ but that won't really help you, there's more differences with the earlier bikes. Same goes for the rear, check axle sizes and measure or ask for hub width, you'll probably have to alter spacers to centre the rear wheel, you'll also have to measure the rear sprocket offset to make sure you're chain is aligned and sort out the rear brakes, there's more to it than it looks....
Hope that was more helpful...

PS, you also have your speedo drive to take into consideration, I think the ZX wheels are 18 inch  at the front, your 78 would be 19 inch...

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Ignore ED mate, he seems to have a problem reading between the lines and adds the occasional dumb ass comment.  ....



 

I admit I certainly make the occasional dumb ass comment.   However, it would seem logical for the original poster to state which 1978 Kawasaki he plans to install a front wheel on.  In 1978 Kawasaki made a bunch of different KZ models ranging from 200cc models on up through 1000cc models.  They do not all use the same front wheel, so specifying which model would be helpful. I looked between the lines, but did not see what model was being discussed - did I miss something?  One very simple way to avoid such issues is to simply add the year and model to the signature line.  That way one does not need to remember to show that information in every posting.  Ed

 

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I admit I certainly make the occasional dumb ass comment.   However, it would seem logical for the original poster to state which 1978 Kawasaki he plans to install a front wheel on.

 

Then why not say that ED, it would have been a far more appropriate comment.  I'll also point out that you aren't one of the modified guys here, {apart from your horn},  you prefer stock bikes and have made that abundantly clear. One simple way of "avoiding such issues" would be to try., like most people here, and be helpful.  
Most guys here doing wheel swaps own the larger capacity Kawasaki's,{750 and up},  I did assume the OP has a larger bike because the ZX wheels are a fairly common swap / upgrade on these bikes.

Thank you for your input, I have a 78 LTD 1000B, I have seen the newer wheels on these old school bike but I rather not change gauges ect, if i can use ZX forks and maintain my factory gauges I'd be in heaven. It seems this is a more professional swap and a bit above my DIY skill set. Maybe I'll just go as big as possible on the back tire and ride on this summer and look into machine shop upgrades over the winter.

Do you have at least one set of wheels in mind?  Most ZX models are probably going to have different sizes (than your KZ1000 Ltd), such as a 16, 17 or 18 inch at the front.  The 84 ZX900 for example has a 16" Fr & 18" Rr.  This would change the geometry of the motorcycle.

I found these local and rather cheap they are from a 93-95 ZX9 if not these something similar or at the least this style, a fella mentioned that Suzuki wheels are very similar to Kawasaki and available cheaper, but I am not up for gambling on the unknown..I definitely need to find a build and follow that format.

This sort of thing is out of my realm, but instead of swapping just the wheels, usually you would swap the entire front end; and at the rear swap the wheel & swing arm then figure out the brake caliper & chain alignment. 

If you don't get a definitive answer, in the mean time you could do a internet searches.
To search only topics on KZR >> search = site:kzrider.com wheel swap. or use whatever terms are appropriate instead of wheel swap. choose image search first, then search all if the image search didn't show much of anything.

Ugggghhh, thank you for the help, whats the largest tire I can do on the rear? Maybe i will just powder coat the stock rims and put my money in the engine....

I wouldn't go wider than stock tires, personally. With good tires I doubt you need more than that. Swapping front/rear ends is the most straightforward way, I'd say, because you're likely close to the dimensional limits of your forks/swingarm as it is. 

Personally I think KZs look best with their original equipment, but it's a matter of taste. 

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