fred1r wrote: Hi rons z, check out the kawasaki GT 750. They are definitely an 18" rear wheel shaft drive.(lots for sale on ebay).
failing that, if you did want a 17" wheel( as on the z13,) then the z1000 ST is the one.
both bikes had the standard 7 spoke mags, so will match your front.

Well, I found and purchased an 18" shaft wheel from Hairy breakers in the U.K. Once it was delivered and I unpacked it from the box I noticed two things. 1) It was 3/4 inch narrow than my wheel and 2) It was a DRUM BRAKE wheel. :ohmy: and my bike has rear wheel disc brake. I was so excited to find a 18" shaft wheel I failed to notice or ask if was a disc brake wheel and the width of the wheel? Well that wasn't a $150 well spent. So I'm going to look into having a wheel fabricated. I found a local CNC machining company that makes custom wheels for cars and motorcycles. wheelrepairtn.com/cnc-machining/ I want to keep the look of the original wheels, but have a one of a kind 18" shaft driven/ disc brake wheel 3.50 /4.00 inches wide. I will have to massage the swing arm and brake stay to make it all work.

Hey guys, this is my first post on here.
My name is Tim, I'm new to kz's but not bikes.

I guess this will be my build thread. I wasn't planning on starting one until I got farther along but what the hell!

I picked this 78 kz650d off of my room mate about 2 weeks ago. He was trying to do a bobber style build with it and honestly he really didn't know what he was doing so I have my work cut out for me! I personally don't like the bobber style and I have always wanted to do a cafe ish style build. So I have pretty much undid everything that he has done and started to build it in my own style.

This is the bike when I got it off of him

Starting out I already had a suzuki bandit 600 swingarm, wheel and rear brakes from a previous project that has been put on the back burner for a while. So I decided to use that, it was a little less than half an inch shorter in the pivot area than the frame was so I made two spacers at .225 thick and now it fits snug. I decided I wanted to use the kz650 swingarm bolt so I made 2 bearing races with the id the size of the bolt and the od at .990 which fits in just perfect. I don't have any pics of these but I'm sure you get the idea.

I got a set of zrx1200 shocks off of a buddy here locally that I am going to use. I had to make new shock mounts for the swingarm since it use to be a mono shock setup. I spent a little bit of time on the manual mill and got the mounts made up then welded on. I still need make the gussets on the bottom of the mounts since they stick over the swingarm quite a bit

Ignore the seat on there. I was just getting ideas.

I still need to figure out what I'm going to do about chain alignment. I think I'm going to find a 5/8" offset front sprocket and mill down the back of the Cush drive till it's exact

For the front end I'm going with a 02 gsxr 750 setup. I picked up the triple tree, forks and clip ons last week, I still need to find a wheel, calipers and axle.
I didn't really know what to do with the stem swap because the od of the kz stem was smaller than the od of the gsxr stem where it presses in. So the only idea I could think of was to turn down the od of the kz stem and make a collar the same dimensions of the gsxr's, press it on, then weld it and finally turn it down to the right dimensions to be pressed into the lower triple. I'm waiting on my kz650 steering stem bearings to come in so I can mount it all up.

Pics of the stem that I modified
Kz stem is on the left, this is after I made the spacer and pressed it on

Welded together

Turned down to the correct dimensions

And finally pressed in

I still need to drill out the top triple because the kz stem is to big to fit thru the hole of the gsxr's upper triple. I will do this tomorrow I think.

But that's about as far as I am for now. If you have any questions or concerns I'd be more than happy to hear them.

Welcome aboard!

Here are some tips that you may find helpful:

Many newbies and not so newbies run into the same problems or issues with their bikes which could be easily avoided with a little preparation. 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

I did it on mine and ,if youve got all the bits from the pivot part,including the dust caps then itll fit straight in with just a couple of washers.The pivot bolts are the same diameter.
I think the axles are also a straight swap if youre keeping the wheel but I didnt get that far as I was changing to a bigger wheel so I went with a gsxr600 arm in the end.
There is loads of stuff on here about it anyway. It is a pretty common mod.
Good luck with it

Oh yeah,youll need to do something with the shock mounts or get different shocks.

scarabexc wrote: I have a question about a 78 Z1R I just picked up. I am doing a complete frame off and noticed there are no rear foot peg arms and no center stand brackets. I thought someone had cut them off but on closer inspection, it does not look like this frame has ever been modified. is this possible? KZT00D002230 vin

Someone must have done a good job of shaving them if they left no trace. The rear pegs are mounted to a small-tube triangle on each side. The center stand mounts to four tabs that protrude from the cross tube under the swingarm.

There are also downward facing screw bosses to the left and right of the center stand mounts. These were mounting points for the stock exhaust collector box.

Here are some pictures:

Welcome aboard! Here are some tips that you may find helpful. If nothing else be SURE to read the section on JIS screws under the TOOLS heading.

Many newbies and not so newbies run into the same problems or issues with their bikes which could be easily avoided with a little preparation. 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.

When you get the manual take a look at the torque specs. MANY of them are in INCH pounds, and some of the larger bolts are in FOOT pounds. You will need 2 torque wrenches; one small one calibrated in inch pounds and a larger one calibrated in foot pounds. Trying to use a foot pound calibrated wrench to tighten the inch pound fasteners won’t work properly even if you do the conversion correctly because the foot pound wrench will not be sensitive / accurate enough at its lowest settings.

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

I don' know if you have seen the info below; if not take a look - especially the section labeled "TOOLS."

Here are some tips that you may find helpful. If nothing else be SURE to read the section on JIS screws under the TOOLS heading.

Many newbies and not so newbies run into the same problems or issues with their bikes which could be easily avoided with a little preparation. 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.

When you get the manual take a look at the torque specs. MANY of them are in INCH pounds, and some of the larger bolts are in FOOT pounds. You will need 2 torque wrenches; one small one calibrated in inch pounds and a larger one calibrated in foot pounds. Trying to use a foot pound calibrated wrench to tighten the inch pound fasteners won’t work properly even if you do the conversion correctly because the foot pound wrench will not be sensitive / accurate enough at its lowest settings.

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

Things are moving forward with my 77' KZ1000A. Rebuild the Rear Brake Calipers yesterday. Full of old dried up brake fluid. But cleaned well, everything seems to be working good now. Even the Rear Master Cylinders seems to be not leaking at all since I took it apart and cleaned again.

Upon examining my 630 Drive Chain, the wheel is shoved al the way forward in the swing arm and chain has about 1/2" free play which tells me either the chain is too short or sprockets have been changed.

So I counted the Sprocket teeth.
Rear: 33-T
Front: 14-T ?

Drive chain is 90 Links

So something has been changed from prior owner? Who knows, bikes been out of commission 25 years. Obviously I need a longer chain, at least where the axle is moved back so that I can at least read the adjustment marks on the swing arm.

I want to go with a 530 chain and sprockets and keep the same drive ratio as stock.

WHat do you guys recommend ???

Firestorm3 wrote: No apology needed mate for going off topic but still talking about Kwakasakis all good!!

Knowing Peter, he would have done it to the exact right colour that the S1 came in - and I think (??) that it is the Kwaka Green that the KLR came in - maybe because the picture was taken in bright sun it looks a bit different.
Compare it with a couple of others and a genuine S1 off Ebay ( for US $107600 ) with zero miles on it ....so that would have to be the right colour, yes? The other bike is a race bike in Germany, also a copy, belonging to Klaus who runs a business making stuff for S1 - those S1 copy brakes are his.

The swingarm - mate, that was a one-off special just for the S1. I have posted pictures of mine - the guy who made it was a true artist, the welds are brilliant. I do a lot of welding myself ( and have 6 welders including a lovely $12K Fronius pulse MIG that makes amateurs look professional!!! ) and I can no longer do welds that nice, especially since my hands aren't that steady and eyes are crap.
The thing, I would think you would agree, is a work of art. Note the cam adjusters for back axle, race stand lugs, built in oil catch can - and it is very very light - a perfect replica of the S1 swingarm - and a price to match!!!!
No, and I won't leave you that in my will either, mate.....!!! :laugh:
Cheers
Wayne

Attachment rightsideEbayS1.png not found

Attachment S1fertig.jpg not found

Attachment DSC014322.1.jpg not found

Very Nice!

I only read bits and pieces of the posts in this thread... for what you're after in the transmission two thoughts come to mind...

a] you don' need a six speed...but that's my opinion and has nothing to do with satisfying your goal....

b] I would investigate some of the big bore, late model transmissions before laying down a pile of cash for an aftermarket transmission...

Regarding my first comment, If you build the engine properly you'll have so much torque that you can simply use taller final drive sprockets and achieve great results.....

No apology needed mate for going off topic but still talking about Kwakasakis all good!!

Knowing Peter, he would have done it to the exact right colour that the S1 came in - and I think (??) that it is the Kwaka Green that the KLR came in - maybe because the picture was taken in bright sun it looks a bit different.
Compare it with a couple of others and a genuine S1 off Ebay ( for US $107600 ) with zero miles on it ....so that would have to be the right colour, yes? The other bike is a race bike in Germany, also a copy, belonging to Klaus who runs a business making stuff for S1 - those S1 copy brakes are his.

The swingarm - mate, that was a one-off special just for the S1. I have posted pictures of mine - the guy who made it was a true artist, the welds are brilliant. I do a lot of welding myself ( and have 6 welders including a lovely $12K Fronius pulse MIG that makes amateurs look professional!!! ) and I can no longer do welds that nice, especially since my hands aren't that steady and eyes are crap.
The thing, I would think you would agree, is a work of art. Note the cam adjusters for back axle, race stand lugs, built in oil catch can - and it is very very light - a perfect replica of the S1 swingarm - and a price to match!!!!
No, and I won't leave you that in my will either, mate.....!!! :laugh:
Cheers
Wayne