A angled die grinder with a sanding disk will make short work of that silver coating. I just did a ZX11 arm and it was the same way.

Hello All,

I'm working on my '78 KZ1000 A project and I've got a GS1100 swingarm for it. I've got everything ready to go now....reconditioned / painted / new: All bearings, sleeves, shocks, chainguard, brake caliper, 3.5" aluminum rim laced to a stock hub with a 150/70 tire, etc...

I'm ready for final assembly but I'm having a real hard time refinishing the swingarm. It's the last piece I need to clean up. There's a factory silver coating that won't come off! I've tried chemical strippers, sanding, etc...with no luck. I wanted to polish it but I'm thinking about painting it black or silver.....which I swore to myself I'd never do to an aluminum part. Or, I'd send it somewhere to be polished if I could find some place to do it. Nobody ever gets back to me? Any thoughts??
Thanks

Greetings KZR community,

I'm a semi new member with a frankenstein of a 77kz1000 project.
long story short, i inherited a 1977 kz1000ltd in lieu of some money that a buddy had owed me. I joined the site a year or so ago to help him out with the project but now that it's my project i figured i may as well get active.

what i have so far is....
-a 1977 kz1000a motor
-a 1977 kz1000b frame that im pretty sure is straight, however its been chopped/welded on and has no title
-im going to pick up a titled straight 78 kz1000a frame, swing arm, and rear wheel tomorrow.
-a 1977 kz1000b front end in ok shape, ok enough to restore.
-a 1977 kz1000ltd tank that is becoming more and more rust free by the minute thanks to a month long barrage of MEK, naval jelly, and currently vinegar/baking soda

my ultimate goal is a good running, strong, fun to ride cafe style bike.
i already have a set of airtech-streamlining 36mm clip ons and tarozzi rear sets.

i know its not the best way to start a project, but i have the time and money, and while this is my first bike build, ive built numerous high horsepower ford windsor motors, and i have a degree in engineering, so i'm confident that with a lot of fabrication, time, and patience, i can make this work.

I live in Houston, Tx, so if there are any members in the area or anyone that knows any good shops/resources i'd love to hear about them.

i'll be started a thread in the project section here as soon as i get things consolidated and pictures and such organized.

Wish me luck, gents!

Hollywoodmx wrote: I've done it with 2010 r1 but that swap isn't for thr light hearted.

Looking at that swingarm your in a bit of trouble with the upper bracing. If you flip you to have to plan mounting the rear brake upside down, if possible. Then you you will custom Fabbing for that. Keep in mind some rear brakes only mount a few ways.

Do us a favor. Mount it normally then tie a piece of string to the shock mounts with a nt on the end. Then take pictures. Need to see where the shocks hang relative to the swingarm.

No problem being light hearted, I was a Millwright for almost 20 years.
This is in Projects now. www.kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/589806...750-suspension-build
I'll drop some plumb bobs after I get it on my table and have the bushings for the swingarm made.

531blackbanshee wrote: i would remove the upper brace and weld an under brace on,add the dual shock brackets and it is a bolt in deal after the custom work that accepts a 99-07 busa rear wheel brake etc...

leon

Find a '97-03 Gsxr600 arm. It should be virtually identical to the Busa's but lacks the top brace to begin with.

Later, Doug

99-07 busas need custom pivot bolt reducer bushings machined out to make them a bolt in.

i would remove the upper brace and weld an under brace on,add the dual shock brackets and it is a bolt in deal after the custom work that accepts a 99-07 busa rear wheel brake etc...

here is one done.


leon

1980 KZ750G front fender is shorter and looks a whole lot nicer.
Grease the swing arm pivot, it's behind the down tube on the right side.
It has a separate regulator and rectifier, combined unit is available if yours craps out.
MAC is it for exhaust (aside from DIY), 2 into 2, or 2 into 1, your choice.
B7ES spark plugs (I think), someone will be correcting me if I'm wrong.
I run Shell Rotellat T 15W40, and so do a lot of other twin owners.

I converted to 17" radials, so can't help you with tire selection.

hell all i have a 1982 kz1000 that i would like to get stretched. i have a 2004 factory gsxr1300 rear wheel complete with sprocket, axle and rotor.

with this wheel and lets say a stock kz swing arm that has been extended whats my option for brakes. i would love to use the stock brakes because when i have the stock kz swing arm extended i can just have those mounting locations moved around and can also save money and time looking for parts.

if this wont work what will i need to look for . i have found a couple of gsxr swing armes already extended or even a after market swing army built for the kz

i think my biggest issue is the rotor on the busa wheel is not going to match up with the stock kz brake caliper

any help would be nice

these are things for sure...assuming those things are decent shape...two up is safe...make her scoot up like there is just one weight mass...it makes ahuge difference..my gal ends up back a bit in the city...when we begin to hit the road or fast sweepers. ....I'll reach back and tug her leg forward,,,she has learned this means scoot tight...we are outta here...

martin_csr wrote: You probably ought to install new Progressive springs in the font & new shocks at the rear. You should also check the Fr & Rr wheel bearings, swing arm bearings, & triple tree, to make sure they are rock solid. Also, do any drive shaft checks. A flat tire can cause the bike to sway, so make sure the tires are good.

Most passengers don't understand the risks of motorcycling, so it is your responsibility to make sure the bike is suitable for two-up riding. Just expressing concern for the passenger. Personally, I would never get on the back of a motorcycle.

Ederer wrote: Thanks guys! I got more time on the bike last night and I just can't wipe the smile off my face!

My only complaints are a small amount of wobble when cruising at 65-70 and the rear brake requires a lot of pressure to be marginally effective. It was pretty windy so I'm sure that contributed to the wobble but I think maybe a steering stabilizer/damper might be on the short list for upcoming modifications.

As for the brakes, not sure if the used pads that came with the caliper assembly are contaminated or if I have a gross mismatch between master cylinder size and piston bore. Pads are easy and reasonably cheap so I guess I'll throw those at it first. If that doesn't fix it I guess I'll be looking at the master cylinder. I used a 14mm master that was from a zx10, assuming that a similarly sized bike would have similar hydraulics to the gsxr1000 caliper. Time to warm up the old search engine for some researching there.

Don't bother with a steering damper; if it does anything at all it will only hide a problem that will get worse. KZ650 bikes do not wobble at all when everything is in good shape, so you really need to find the source of the wobble. I had a high speed (90+mph) wobble on mine several years ago (scarey stuff). It turned out to be a bad tire (Michelin Macadam) even though both tires looked great and were not very old. In trying to track down the problems I did the following:

Replaced steering stem bearings with tapered roller bearings. This made a big improvement in steering as the original loose ball type bearing races were dimpled, but it didn't change the high speed wobble.

Replaced swingarm bushings. They were worn and replacing them somewhat reduced the amount of wobble, but they were not the cause.

Replaced wheel bearings - no change.

Replaced fork oil and shocks - improved suspension, but didn't reduce wobble.

After all that I replaced the tires and POOOOF! the wobble is totally gone from 0 - 120 mph (max speed on my bike). The bike rides and handles like it is new. I highly recommend you find the source of the problem rather than masking it with a damper. Once you find and correct the problem you will be amazed at how stable the KZ650 is at any speed. Ed