Ok so I have a 1980 kz440 that I'm doing a lot with, one of those things is to convert it to disk brake in rear. Now I already have a wheel that fits close enough to space to fit it's a 1983 kz550 16" rear wheel. This is all I know about the wheel. It did not come with the rotor or sprocket assembly. I have acquired the sprocket assembly but now I need a rear rotor and caliper to proceed with the swing arm modification. I can not find a rotor for this wheel. I have called local stores and they say that they don't list a rear rotor for that year make model. It has a 4 bolt pattern for the rotor and is about 3" diameter from outside bolt hole edge to opposite edge. I just need something that will fit this pattern and I can get a matching caliper.

Does anyone have any clues for me as I have been googling for days on this?

Welcome aboard!

Here are some tips that you may find helpful:

Many newbies and not so newbies run into or issues with their bikes which could be easily avoided with a little preparation or information. Here are a couple recommendations that I hope you will find useful.

Before riding your KZ you should take a little time to become familiar with it. Simple things like checking the oil, tire pressures, etc. are explained in the Kawasaki Owner's Manual. If you bike didn't come with one (they normally are in a little holder on the bottom of the seat) you can usually find one on eBay - be sure to get one for your exact year/model.


MANUAL

You really should consider buying the Kawasaki Factory Service Manual for your bike. The factory service manual provides instructions on the various maintenance procedures and schedules for your bike, procedures for diagnosing problems, proper torque values for the various fasteners (VERY IMPORTANT), and insight into how each system on your bike works even if you are not repairing that system. Studying the manual before you attempt performing service on your bike will impart an understanding of the system you are working on which will increase the odds of success.

The manuals usually are readily available for most models on eBay and other sources; but be sure to get one that has your specific year and model in it as there are differences between the various KZ650 models. I do not recommend Clymers, Haynes, or other aftermarket manuals as I have seen instances where they provide inaccurate advice. You may decide to use those to supplement the factory manual, but in my opinion they are not a suitable substitute. If you have trouble finding one for your model ask us to help.


TOOLS

WARNING! Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. The fact is that Phillips screws were deliberately designed to have the screwdriver bit "cam out." This was done to prevent production line assembly from over-tightening, stripping, or breaking the screws. JIS screws do not have this problem. A proper fitting JIS bit can tighten a JIS screw to and beyond the torque spec without camming out. Here's the good news - you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer "rocks" back and forth in the screwhead. Picture 1 below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. Pictures 2 and 3 below shows DeWalt #2 and #3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don't list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here's their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my home made modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

PICTURE 1

PICTURE 2

PICTURE 3

PICTURE 4

PICTURE 5

Before reaching for that wrench or ratchet consider the following. The bolts are steel, but your engine and front forks are aluminum. The bolts are much tougher than the aluminum and if over tightened will strip the aluminum threads. Although these can be repaired, preventing damage by applying proper torque will save you grief, time, and money. Tightening fasteners properly requires torque wrenches. Various vendors, including Snap-on, CDI, Sears, etc., market torque wrenches. The two most popular types are the bar type and micrometer type. Either will work, but the micrometer type is a bit easier to use, especially if you are tightening several fasteners with the same torque - such as cylinder head covers. You will need a torque wrench calibrated in INCH POUNDS for many of the bolts. You will also need a torque wrench calibrated in FOOT POUNDS for the larger bolts. Don't try to use the foot pounds wrench on the smaller bolts as it will not be sensitive enough at low torque settings to provide accurate torque. There are many fasteners that require low torque. These include such things as 6mm oil pan bolts, cylinder head cover bolts, etc. for which the torque in 61-78 inch pounds. These low torque bolts require a wrench that is accurate at low settings and this wrench should be graduated in inch pounds. In addition, there are numerous high torque fasteners such as the front axle nuts (51 - 65 foot pounds) or swing arm pivot shaft nuts (58 - 87 foot pounds). These require a wrench that is accurate at higher settings; this wrench should be graduated in foot pounds. Using the proper torque wrenches to correctly tighten fasteners will help prevent damage and contribute to a safe bike. The Kawasaki Service Manual will list the various torque specs for the bolts. I suggest you get the manual before buying the torque wrenches so you can decide which wrenches best meet the torque specs.

Consider buying a can of Kroil penetrating oil and use it to soak stubborn fasteners for a couple days before trying to loosen them. Remember, the original screws and bolts were installed on your bike when Jimmy Carter was President, so many of them may be hard to remove. Kroil can be bought online, at guns shows, and at some other venues.


MOTOR OIL
The ingredients in oils have changed over the years. For example, today's Castrol GTX oil (and pretty much all other AUTOMOBILE oil) is not the same as it was in the 1980's. Back then it worked great in KZ bikes. But, things have changed. Early AUTOMOBILE oils contained zinc phosphorus compounds (ZDDP) to protect engine components from metal to metal contact. This was good for engines, but it was found to be destructive to catalytic converters. Consequently, in AUTOMOBILE oils ZDDP was virtually eliminated and replaced with different chemistry generically referred to as "Friction Modifiers." These work fine and offer good protection for normal AUTOMOBILE engines. However, today's AUTOMOBILE oil "Friction Modifiers" are destructive to wet clutches. KZ bikes (and many other brands) have wet clutches. As a result of these oil chemistry changes a distinction needed to be made between those oils which are suitable for wet clutches and those which are not. That distinction was documented by the Japanese Engine Oil Standards Implementation Panel (JASO). JASO developed a number of different oil specifications for different applications. The specifications that apply to 4 stroke motorcycles fall under the "4T Specifications." Within the 4T specifications the JASO MA class oils are specifically formulated for 4 stroke motorcycles with wet clutches.

There are synthetic, semi-synthetic, and non-synthetic oils that meet the JASO-MA standard and any of them will work ok. However, using oils that are not designated as meeting the JASO-MA standard is destructive to KZ clutches.

Good luck with your bike. Ed

kaw-a-holic wrote:

jowek70 wrote: Mock up day

What front end is that? FYI I used a 92 GSXR front end and it's to short. From what I have read ZX9 is the way to go.

Front: 94-97 zx9 forks, zx9 triples with kz stem, zx9 clip ons, zx9 front wheel, axle, rotors and calipers.
Rear: gs1100e swingarm, gs1100e JSB shocks, 94-97 zx9 rear wheel with different bearings to run gs1100 rear axle. Still figuring out spacing on the rear and a rear brake set up.

Yup.Im well happy about it. Things are moving. Got the wheels and the swingarm out to send to the powdercoaters. Expected to take 2 weeks (+ - ).Went on the interweb to price up all the bearings and seals Ill need to put them together again and nearly had a heart attack.So,I went off to a local bearing suppiiers yesterday and got most of what Ill need at a far better price. Still have to get genuine dust seals for the wheels and needle bearings for the swingarm.


Had at it this morning and hit an old problem with the rearsets. Frigging sidestand is going to be in the way of course. Mostly the spring.Ill have to figure something out there.

Bugger.

swest wrote: I'm keeping my eyes open for a KZP in my price range. That's what I'm going to do. Modern suspension like the ones here and Z1 style bodywork. The frames are stiffer than my Z1 and if my swing arm mod works out, I'll make one for it too. One hell of a CYN carver and street fighter. I could thrash the SHT out of it and give Bossie a long deserved rest. :evil:
Steve

Not sure how far it is from you, or your price range, but this KZP popped up on my radar today(so to speak :whistle: ) losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/mcy/5508401158.html
If that mileage is accurate(and a 2nd owner should theroretically have paper work to prove it) then it sure seems like a great price to me. There's a kzp here locally with similar mileage and they'r trying to get double this price. Granted, I'm not sure they will..

Race Tech Cartridge Emulators

Got a link for the Race Tech emulators?
Steve

KZ802: On my '73 Z1-900, the chrome front fork tubes are original, believe or not. The fork lowers are from a KZ650 because I wanted to use later model calipers ('79-'80) and because these calipers have 42 mm pistons instead of 38 mm pistons. Also, with the KZ650 lowers I could easily bolt on a Telefix front fork brace - all of this was done many years ago. The damper rods I used came from a '76 KZ900. In the last couple of years I installed RaceTech cartridge emulators which really helped the front end a hell of a lot plus the emulators are tunable.

Yes, the front rim is an 3.5" inch wide 17" Excel rim fitted with a 110 mm wide Avon radial tire and an aftermarket chrome front fender - that required a bit of work to fit. Note that those calipers cannot be installed or removed without first removing the inside brake pad from each caliper because of the 17" rim.

I have a 4.25" wide 17" Excel rim on the back fitted with a 166 mm wide Avon radial tire. I needed a 1/4" offset countershaft sprocket to ensure the drive chain did not rub the rear tire.

This setup provides very stable handling characteristics but remember that I reinforced the frame a long ago so the upgrade to wide wheels and radial tires was feasible. Don't know how all of this would have worked with the stock spaghetti frame however.

BohicaBob, I guess it was my browser. I run adblock and ghostery to keep my information tracking to a minimum and even though I paused them I couldn't get it to load. I used a different browser and I was able to see everything. Thank you, that definitely helps me out a bit with what to expect. That's a couple of really nice bikes you have there! I love the white I can't believe more people don't do it! I would black out even more on them and go more towards the storm trooper style. Are those stock forks on the Z1? I was surprised to see the 3.5 fit in there. I got a deal I couldn't pass up on a 5 inch 17 rear rim so we'll see if it fits. I think all it will accept is a 160 or 170 so I think it will be doable, judging by your setup. What did you end up doing to offset the chain?

KZ802: Yes the links are active and they are not secured. What response do you get? "Page not found" or such?