dkoz wrote: thats a mean looking machine .. what helmet do you got their?
my 73 needs way more than i thought.fork seals, fork boots swingarm needs rebuilt, im in the process of complete carb rebuild,,haven't checked the valves or chain tentioner..the kid who had it hacksawed the exhaust pipes of so i got open headers..not my style..tires are dryrotted..so will do wheel bearings and hopefully the spokes wont be shot.. oh and the fuel tap needs redone..want to buy it?? lol

I did the paint to the BEll star helmet and the body parts metalflake brand candy fire red over a pearl white base with bronzing dust stripe/panels.......the original bell star was a cool looking helmet

I cant seem to find any info on swingarm swaps for a gpz550. Does anyone know what would work? The bike is already monoshocked too so if I can use the existing points it would be great. From looking at other kz builds (750,1000) it looks like a 01-03 gsxr600 swingarm is the same length and you just need to make a guide for the inside since the kz bolt is narrower. This would be perfect since I'm doing a gsxr1000 front end swap and then I could get matching wheels.

Thanks in advance, as you can tell by this post, Im pretty clueless with swingarm swaps

thats a mean looking machine .. what helmet do you got their?
my 73 needs way more than i thought.fork seals, fork boots swingarm needs rebuilt, im in the process of complete carb rebuild,,haven't checked the valves or chain tentioner..the kid who had it hacksawed the exhaust pipes of so i got open headers..not my style..tires are dryrotted..so will do wheel bearings and hopefully the spokes wont be shot.. oh and the fuel tap needs redone..want to buy it?? lol

Hello, Mike, and WELCOME to KZr!

Some things coming to mind --

BELT is clean, efficient, quiet, smooth and durable, with low maintenance.
No lube fling-off on rear wheel, swing-arm, tire, fender, etc.
May be relatively expensive if ever needed to replace.

CHAIN accommodates ratio changes and extended swing-arms, but is nasty, and requires higher maintenance to run quiet and smooth, and remain efficient and durable.

Would consider keeping the belt, and spending the saved "change-over" money on more important stuff like whiskey and women.

Good Fortune!

Hi,
I just feel in love with the KZ now I must have one. I have a 1977 RD400 a 2006 SV1000 and a KZ1000 or a KZ900 not sure a bud of mine has 15 or so H1 and H2 and 20 or so kz 1000 and 900 with a few 650.

Not 100% sure what he will give me I think it's a 1978 kz 900 with a 1000 in it.

I would like to change the swingarm not sure maybe a gpz? Fork maybe a 06 gsxr. I hate to kill the bike but I what it to look some what new just for looks.

Thank you I hope to call this home. Here is a few pics of the last bike I did a 1989 Hawk 650.
How I got her.

Done

Hi everyone. I have a few questions regarding swapping parts for my 1977 kz1000A. So far I've done some research and found that a gs1100e swing arm is a direct fit and can keep the stock master cylinder as long as I drill open the 17mm hold to 20mm. I would like to switch to a modern wheel but match it with the rear and front. Also if I get a gs1100e swing arm, what shocks could I use? (Progressive, Stock, something else. if so what spec would it be) And would i be using stock bolts/axle etc... or the gs1100e bolts/axles/etc...

What modern front end could I use with USD forks and a triple that would work with the fork. I don't mind the drop as the bike was lowered anyways and would just install a new rear set later on to get foot clearance on sharp turns. I love my kz1000 and would like to put modern parts on it. I do not know how to fabricate so the rear set would come later. I am looking to as close as plug and play as much possible. Please let me know if i can just get parts and change bearings/bolts or something else, that would be very helpful. I was hoping using modern kawasaki parts / suzuki (hayabusa) / or such. What should i look for in person if people are parting out parts of a bike (rust, pitting, dents in specific areas)? Thanks for any help and recommendations.

I will be doing a lot of checking on craigslist/ebay listings for parts.

I have been toying with some ideas for mounting pegs and brake/gear shift. Made up some plates to accommodate but not sure this is the way to go. I feel like it's not getting an aggressive enough riding position and the pegs are to close to standard positioning.

Theu make straps specifically to use to lower the front end down for racing and then you can release it to stock height later if you want. I think they cost about $20 or so. They bolt to your front end using the caliper bolts. I agree it would be best to lengthen the swingarm but be careful. Beings you are only running a 150(?) rear tire, you don't want to go too far back to where you don't have enough weight on rear and tire starts spinning again. Could you mount a 18" front tire to lower bike and gain some clearance also? You can also lower the front end by putting in a spacer in the lower front forks too. Just some ideas. Oh...if you mounted a turbo and upped the boost, you wouldn't have much use for a front tire anyway... :evil: just a thought!!! :whistle:

If the bike fells a little "buzzy" it may just be engine vibration. HOWEVER - If the bike is shaking as if it feels like it is wobbling you have a problem that MUST be corrected; forget a windshield, that has nothing to do with the problem. The wobble can cause you to crash if it becomes severe. The good news it, it can be cured. Here are the likely suspects:

1. Tires - they can look perfect and still cause a high speed wobble, also make sure tires are balanced and pressure is set according to Kawasaki spec. If tires are worn replace them. If no other action in this list eliminates wobble replace the tires even if they look great (guess how I know!) Make sure wheels are not damaged at all.

2. Shocks - if yours are original throw them in the trash - they are shot; if they have been replaced make sure they are high quality units in good shape or else replace them.

3. Swingarm bushings - if you don't know when they were replaced you should replace them (even a little play in them goes a long way to mess up handling)

4. Steering stem bearings - if yours are original replace them with tapered roller bearings; make sure steering stem torque is in spec

5. Fork oil - if not fresh replace with Bel-Ray 15w FORK oil

6. Wheels bearings - if they do not feel dead smooth replace them.

7. Make sure drive chain is adjusted correctly and chain/sprockets are not worn out

8. Make sure there brake rotor(s) are not warped and dragging unevenly

Ed

Frame turned out real nice. See pics below. Looks like my motor is actually an 1105 vs 1015.

Got my gs swingarm but not really sure what shocks to go with. I have a set of Werks shocks that would be perfect but they have rid ends instead of clevis. I've thought about midifying the gs swingarm to accept kz shocks but haven't been able to find any write up on anything like that. Any suggestions? If I decide to go with new shocks does anyone know what length I need to maintain stock ride height?