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OK
Just brought a basket case Kawasaki ZG1300-AI 1984 with bottom case damage points side. Has anyone on here converted one to chain I see one back in the day but has anyone one done one recent. And modern front and back suspension and brakes. Most of the mods seem to be in SA.

Not sure about the 6 cylinder but when I converted a 1982 KZ750 Spectre engine to chain drive I had to plug a exposed oil feed hole right next to the clutch rod hole (feeds the bevel gear with oil) I also had to replace the whole transmission (both shafts) as the gear ratio was way off. Thought I could get away with just replacing the one with the U joint drive. I also had to make a gasket to cover up a miss match between the shaft drive housing and the regular chain drive trans door cover as they did not match exactly.

Injected wrote:

Not sure about the 6 cylinder but when I converted a 1982 KZ750 Spectre engine to chain drive I had to plug a exposed oil feed hole right next to the clutch rod hole (feeds the bevel gear with oil) I also had to replace the whole transmission (both shafts) as the gear ratio was way off. Thought I could get away with just replacing the one with the U joint drive. I also had to make a gasket to cover up a miss match between the shaft drive housing and the regular chain drive trans door cover as they did not match exactly.

I guess the "deal breaker" is whether or not a "chain Drive" trans from something else will physically fit (shaft length, bearing spacing etc) maybe time to get on "Partzilla" or CMNSL and see if the part number for the trans shafts are the same as a 4cyl model ???????

Hi
Yes I have started looking for parts that may fit I have two spare gearbox internal and a top, bottom case and final drive so I can see if it do able it not for the faint hearted but interesting.

I went on CMNSL to look at part numbers for the ZG1300A1 transmission shafts, they are unique to that model only, no Z1 overlap except for bearings on one end of the shafts. The bearings on the other side are much smaller than used on the Z1 for some reason. The trans gears are also unique to that model.

If someone did do a chain drive version in the past they may have just grafted a sprocket on the stock output shaft somehow then sealed that end of the engine off with a custom plate.

Might not be as cool but realistically much easier to modify a Z1 to get the same power output for a lot less trouble and probably way less $$ spent.

I love to take on a challenge and find solutions but I think (unless you have significant engineering skills and budget) this might be a little too far !! Firstly the "power output" is on the right hand side significantly limiting choice of donor parts. Below is one that has been done but this has custom engineered "external" transfer box that I guess contains a set of bevel gears driving the remote sprocket. It's nicely done but must add a chunk of weight to an already heavy bike and unless he has found some way to lubricate the transfer gears will be more of a "show piece" than a usable bike

 

I guess I did not look at the bike close enough to notice the drive shaft was on the right hand side!

Jack shaft output to the left side really complicates that situation. When you get into extra drives like that they typically rob some HP which kind of defeats the purpose of using a chain.

Shaft to chain conversion are much easier if there are common engines using both drive systems (KZ750 Chain/KZ750 Shaft or KZ1100 Chain/KZ1100 Shaft)

I think that shaft drive goes perfectly with that beast of a water cooled L6 engine.  Back in the day, there was a mature gentleman that commuted past my house everyday on a naked 1300.  My motorcycle friends and I would stop what we were doing and just gawk, every time he rode by.  I just loved the sound; it was quiet with a great burbbling sound.  

They do have a cool engine design but they were never meant to be a sport bike. That picture posted seems to indicate a performance bike (Lawson Replica?) It was always mean to be a sport touring bike but the sheer weigh held it back from mass appeal.

I do agree that a shaft drive makes more sense than a chain drive for a touring bike. When I bought my chain drive 750 Spectre engine I was planning on putting it in a 650 chassis, I soon discovered the frame was not wide enough to accommodate the shaft drive output. I sold the shaft dive/rear wheel assembly but kept the engine and did a chain drive conversion.
 

I guess it comes down to how bad you want a big wheel and what lengths you are prepared to go to 

Would it be too difficult to run the chain on the right side?

Not a sport bike... indeed...