TOPIC:

hardrockminer wrote:

One minor correction.  The 900's came with 15/35 but the 1015's came with. 15/33. 


 

Sort of...  According to the FSM, the '77 A1 and '78 A2, D1 came with 15/33.  The '78 B2 manual also gives 15/33.  The '78 A2A manual also gives 15/33. 

However, the '79 A3A, and '80 A4, D3, and H1 all state 15/35.  I don't have the supplement for the '79 or '80 LTD, so I can't check that model.

Anyway, that's why I qualified my statement by saying the "79/80 KZ1000 came with 15/35 sprockets"

One could guess that Kawasaki reduced the final drive ratio in '77 when the engine size increased from 900 to 1000, since it would have more torque.  They also reduced the redline from 9000 to 8500.  But then may have returned to the higher ratio in '79 due to increased market competition.  It may have allowed them to advertise better performance numbers.

Don't know if it's relevant but on some of the later models (1100B2 etc)  especially with HRM being in Canada the FSM lists a lower ratio on the sprockets for Canadian spec ??

 

One could guess that Kawasaki reduced the final drive ratio in '77 when the engine size increased from 900 to 1000, since it would have more torque.  They also reduced the redline from 9000 to 8500.  But then may have returned to the higher ratio in '79 due to increased market competition.  It may have allowed them to advertise better performance numbers.


My 77' KZ 1000  B2 has a 9000rpm redline. I know for sure it's the original tach, my uncle bought it in 78'. You can see it in this picture when you zoom in.

Wookie58 wrote:

Just "spit-balling" here as I don't know if it would even fit but the below shows the effect of using a 5th gear set from a Z1300 (0.93) without effecting anything else through 1st to 4th

 

Fifth gears in a KZ1300 are 27/29.  If they are the same cut as a K1 they would be too big (in diameter) to transfer to a K1.  

Kawasaki may have made different gears to fit a K1.  They did it for the Z1/KZ series of bikes.  I have a close ratio transmission that I pulled out of a restoration.  Every gear has different ratios.  First and second are much taller.  Fifth is shorter, revving about 500 rpm higher at the same highway speed.  I think it was used for racing.  

DOHC wrote:

hardrockminer wrote:

One minor correction.  The 900's came with 15/35 but the 1015's came with. 15/33. 



 

Sort of...  According to the FSM, the '77 A1 and '78 A2, D1 came with 15/33.  The '78 B2 manual also gives 15/33.  The '78 A2A manual also gives 15/33. 

However, the '79 A3A, and '80 A4, D3, and H1 all state 15/35.  I don't have the supplement for the '79 or '80 LTD, so I can't check that model.

Anyway, that's why I qualified my statement by saying the "79/80 KZ1000 came with 15/35 sprockets"

One could guess that Kawasaki reduced the final drive ratio in '77 when the engine size increased from 900 to 1000, since it would have more torque.  They also reduced the redline from 9000 to 8500.  But then may have returned to the higher ratio in '79 due to increased market competition.  It may have allowed them to advertise better performance numbers.

I checked my manual and it agrees with what you wrote.  I think the redline was lowered for the 78 model year, not 77.  The Z1 transmission was used for all of the KZ1015 years, so primary drive ratio, all gear ratios and sprocket ratios are the same except for the 33/15 sprocket bikes.

I’ve got the B3&4 supplement manuals, both list transmissions and gear ratios as the same.

 

I agree with HRM, but can confirm that the redline was dropped in 1978. Both Partzilla and CMSNL list the same tach number from 1976A4 up to the ‘80B4 which I know isn’t correct. Z-Resto gauge identification only goes up to the 1976A4.