TOPIC:

Hey y'all. First off I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Andy....longtime lurker first time poster. I'm starting a long awaited KZ 900 pro-street project....long, low, and loud.

My question involves raking the front end. I'll itemize my questions.

What is the usual rake for an old school KZ drag bike? I've typically heard 3 to 4 additonal degrees.

What is the stock rake angle of a '76 KZ 900?

What angle is being measured in relation to the neck when you refer to rake?

I would really like to hear from those of you who have done the surgery yourself or have at least been initmately involved in the procedure (pictures would be an added bonus).

I'll probably be checking in for some more info and I'll post some pics of the progress.

Thanx,

Andy
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check in the archives,weve posted quite a bit of stuff on this.goodluck,happy wrenching!

Welcome Andy.

The stock rake for a '76 KZ900 was the same as the Z1, 27*. The Kz1000 went to a 26* rake.

Give us some pictures of your ride.

Welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy, check this out! www.msgroup.org/forums/mtt/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=76

what are you trying to acomplish with the bike,streetbike,weekend warrior?

Hey Wireman,

Thanks for the earlier suggestion of searching the archives. I found some good info and I apologize for not thinking of that one myself.

To answer your question...my bike project is mainly a street warrior with the occasinal blast down the 1320. I am actually a backdoor KZ fan. I did a lot of bracket racing in whatever hot rod I was driving at the time and was exposed to the multiple KZ and GS dragbikes of the time. I vowed to own one someday and when the opportunity came to grab one, I jumped at the chance. It's a '76 KZ900 that was last licensed in '84 and only had 7000 miles on the odometer. I got it running and ran it for a couple of summers before tearing it apart. Then fate stepped in with all of life's responsibilities and my KZ has been asleep in multiple boxes for a few years....until now.

Anyhow, my new shop is done and I've officially started on a kick butt pro-street project. I'm intent on getting that full on drag bike look. I'm not interested in carving corners...just long, low, and loud. I've since acquired a '79 KZ650 that I plan on keeping more tame.

I would really like to see some closeup pics of some frames that have been raked and hear some stories of the good, bad, and the ugly of frame raking. I am intent in doing a show quality rake. I want the finished product to look as if it were done at the factory.

I keep on hearing about the cons of taking sections out of the top tube, heating the bottom tubes and pulling the neck back yet that's seems to be the most popular method despite clearance issues. Another accomplished builder uses new necks and cuts the angle in the old neck. This seems to be a quality mod but aesthetically, it leaves a little to be desired (absolutely no offense to anyone who has this, just my opinion).

Come on guys, jump in here. I've seen all the nice bikes in the gallery with obvious rake jobs, lets hear some opinions and see some pics of the work.

Thanx,

Andy

if you are going to use it mostly for street use id keep it at no more than 2-3 degrees with a 2-3" over swingarm i used to have 3 degree raked frame around here,ill see if i can find it and take some pictures of it.the biggest thing about raking a frame is making sure its straight,going down the road wrestling a bike with steering geomotry out of wack really sucks,and make sure the welder knows what they are doing!goodluck,happy wrenching!

I hear of some guys taking a v-cut at the top of the frame, but that shortens what you have. I never done a rake before, but I do know that someone on here has to have done one.
Of course if you rake your bike it will get lower and you already mensioned that you wanted to be low.
What about stretching the frame? Have you consisdered that? Some time ago I remember a friend of my fathers was raking his bike and he also wanted to extend it. I believe he cut the down tubes and bent them outward, then he put a strait piece of pipe inside the backbone of the frame to extend it, but I'm not 100% on that one. Like I said it was a long time ago. I'm sure there is a simple way to get it were you want it and to cruise straigh with simple measurements. Good luck.
If all else fails how much is it to get it profesionally raked?

Wireman,

I reeeeaallly want to see those pics of that frame. By the way, I recall you mentioning something about you being from the Bluegrass state. I don't want to pry but I was curious what part of the state you call home. I'm originally from a town called Ashland in Northeast KY....sits right on the banks of the Ohio. Do you remember River Cities Raceway?

I now call Billings, MT home. Back in ye olden days there were so many people cutting up KZs for dragbikes you couldn't hardly find one without spending a fortune. Here in the wilds of Montana they are somewhat rare because of their age but when you find one, they're typically cheap and parts are abundant in the junkyards if you know where to look. I've actually found a guy who has quite the selection of OEM parts he acquired from a defunct Kaw shop.

Thanx,

Andy

wrong ashland,im in nebraska.i need to go digging to see if i can find that frame it was done 20 some years ago but never got used i wanted to build a bike with 8" tire but lost interest in it for some reason.

i can take a couple pics of my drag bike, show you what it looks like when they cut the back tube and heat it.

it's not pretty, but it works.

--r

Sorry Wireman...somebody on here was talking about being close to Lexington, KY. Lexington is a stones throw from my hometown. I'm anxiously awaiting pics from you and solomrus.

Thanks guys. Anyone else care to contribute.