KZ 750 Standard and LTD Bodywork Interchange

This past Fall, I picked up the complete bodywork/engine/carbs/Kerker and other bits for a KZ750 E1 standard model. I finally got around to seeing what would fit to my LTD frame.
Why this? Well, I have traveled on my KZ (4000 miles in 9 days among other trips) and after that it would have been nice to a break not at a gas station, but when I wanted to (the E model tank holds 4.6 gallons to the LTD's 3.3). This deal came up and I couldn't say no.
The side covers fit great (duh!).
The tank fits as well and it even bolted to the frame with the LTD bolt. The steering stops need to be beefed up due to the forks barely touching the tank at full lock. So, to do this would reduce the turning radius. Also, the LTD seat is pushed up in front by the tank, but with my clubmans and rearsets it doesn't effect me as I sit far back on the seat.
It was interesting to see that the petcock on the E model has the vacuum nipple facing towards the front and the LTD as it rear facing due to the location of the tap. The LTD petcock lies between the engine and the carbs and on the E model the petcock is between the carbs and the airbox (not shown in the picture).
I have the E model seat and tail piece that I was going to fit up as well (or try) but I didn't get that far this weekend.

The before...

Does the triple tree hit the tank when turning the handlebars all the way from side to side?

i've been looking for an E model tank to do longer trips for mine for awhile now, not so thick on the ground here in OZ not sure if they even came out here.

JMKZHI wrote:

Does the triple tree hit the tank when turning the handlebars all the way from side to side?

I put the tank on the bike again last night and yes the forks touch the tank just barely on my bike. I didn't notice the day before since the handle bars turned almost full lock and I was more concerned with my clubmans clearing the tank (no mashed thumbs). So, to use this tank I would have to beef up the steering stops a bit and reduce my turning radius. I will try to take better pictures someday soon of this set up.

I edited my first post with this and added info regarding the petcock location on both tanks.

cafekz750 wrote:

... yes the forks touch the tank just barely on my bike...

Thanks for the update. That fitment issue has been reported by a couple of others. One of these days I'll get an E tank then see if I can make it work. That extra gallon or so may come in handy every now n then.

Have you verified the capacity of the E tank?
I thought it was 4.2 gals - not sure where I got that number.

JMKZHI wrote:

Have you verified the capacity of the E tank?
I thought it was 4.2 gals - not sure where I got that number.

The FSM lists 17.3L for the E tank and 12.4L for the LTD.

1L = 0.2642 US gallons

17.3L * 0.2642 US gallons per liter = ~4.6 US gallons
12.4L * 0.2642 US gallons per liter = ~3.3 US gallons

cafekz750 wrote:

JMKZHI wrote:

Does the triple tree hit the tank when turning the handlebars all the way from side to side?

I put the tank on the bike again last night and yes the forks touch the tank just barely on my bike. I didn't notice the day before since the handle bars turned almost full lock and I was more concerned with my clubmans clearing the tank (no mashed thumbs). So, to use this tank I would have to beef up the steering stops a bit and reduce my turning radius.

I have both a KZ750E, and two KZ750H [LTD] bikes, and have played around with different bodywork combinations. If you want to avoid hitting the E tank with the forks, try putting some spacers on the back end of the front tank mounts, so that the tank sits about 1/2 to 3/4 inches back. This is easier than working on the steering stops, and will not reduce your turning radius. Of course, you will wind up needing to modify (shorten the nose of) your LTD seat, or figuring out how to mount an E seat, but you needed to do that anyway.