steell wrote: Done it with 83-85 ZX750 swing arms, but never with a GSXR.
Z1 Enterprises has the brackets.

I seen Z1 has them for sale. Do you have any pics of what you done?

Done it with 83-85 ZX750 swing arms, but never with a GSXR.
Z1 Enterprises has the brackets.

I found one thread, but has anyone done this with a GSXR swingarm?
www.kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/406129...opper-thing?start=60

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 working on or 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.


SERVICE MANUAL

You really should buy the Kawasaki 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 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

Before reaching for that Phillips screwdriver to do a repair or maintenance PLEASE do yourself a big favor and visit the following link. It explains the fact that Phillips screwdriver tips will wreck the crosshead screws (they are not Phillips - they are JIS screws) on your KZ650 and tells how to easily deal with this issue so it will not be a problem.

kzrider.com/forum/21-tools/532335-budget...ewdriver-tips#532335

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 ( www.kanolabs.com ), 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.

Ed

I know I have seen members converting mono shock swingarms to dual shock.
I have a 1995 GSXR 750 suspension, but not sure I want to go mono.
I've been trying different search terms for the last hour to find pics and info on dual shock swingarm mounts, but I'm not having any luck.
Could someone please point me to these threads or pics?

Thanks

Hi,
I have been a lurking member of this forum for a little over a year, and it has been very helpful and inspirational. I thought it might be time to present my own build thread so that I can hopefully inspire some other KZ owners and probably embarrass myself a little bit too. I guess I should start my formal introduction with a little history of the bike and how it came into my possession. Its a 1976 KZ900 A4 that has been in my family for about 20 years. In the early 90's my dad bought the bike second hand in Pennsylvania where he would ride it to work. After we moved to Virginia he continued to ride it until about 97' or 98' when he decided to clean it up a bit with some fresh paint. He media blasted the frame and placed all the parts on shelves in the garage. The engine sat under the work bench, with just under 20K on the clock. And there it, along with everything else, including the bare steel frame, remained for the next 13 years. He never gave up on building it, I know it was hard for him to find the time and perhaps with two boys one of them might have the heart to build it with him instead. Too bad I never asked, would have been an awesome way to get back and forth to school.
After high school I got out of trail riding, but with a little street riding I felt the itch and started to dig out all those old KZ parts. It didn't seem all that daunting a task, considering my brother and I had built a few cars and they required a hell of a lot more work. So with all the parts gathered I felt it would be worth while to make some improvements so I started reading up on frame bracing and that's when I came across the KZ streetfighter. From there it snow-balled into USD forks, a zx636 swing arm and looking for a set of 5 spoke rims. To sell the idea to my dad, I had to provide some basis of practicality, and he liked what he saw online anyway. Monoshock, plus a fat tire and USD forks for comfort and big brakes for stopping. My dad says I've taken that bike farther than he ever expected to himself, he wants it back now haha. And after being set back again and again this is the second year of the project, and I think I'm on the home stretch.
I have to thank all the people on KZR for putting their projects out there for younger guys like me to drool over. Who needs an x-box
So I hope that you all enjoy the build, with plenty of pictures to keep you entertained and explaining the build up to this point. I'll post a couple pics to capture some attention, but trust me, I have the whole build story to add. These are from the first mockup assembly, except the naked one. I'll be starting from the beginning as I get the photos together.
You'll have to excuse that blue anodizing on the pegs, they've been stripped :laugh:

650mod wrote: It's the only way we can make things better- learn from the past, improve the future. Next time will be a breeze for you

Devin

Thanks man.

Update. Swingarm and gas tank repainted and cleared. A stupid mosquito landed right on the platform of the gas tank. Decided I will buff it out instead of trying to take it off. The seat I had some problems in the sanding so it back to primer for a portion. I thought the base would cover it up but it didn't. Sigh.

Well the tank wheels and swingarm are SHINEY! That the 2k clear for ya.

I'm away for the weekend so not much happening this weekend but after dicking around with the seat I will be in bolt on and minor fab mode.

the Ninja 600 arm should slap right into your frame then, might just need end caps made up. The swingarm is 9 1/4 inches at the pivot tube, 23 1/4 inches long.

For the undertail, you might want to consider a swingarm that has the pipe section already in it. I think newer CBR or GSXR's have the pipe dimple in the swingarm. You might be able to make it work with this one, might just take more work.

As for building stuff- Leon (blackbanshee531) is a huge help with machining stuff. He's got a world of knowledge on build aspects. He could help with spacers, triple tree swaps, etc. I think he also fabbed up his own swinger. Les Holt is also another great guy- he can help with triple tree creations, swingarms, etc. For rearmounts, best (and probably cheapest) method is just to buy a set off a newer bike, and weld up tabs to mount to. I'm using rearsets off a 98 ninja 750- just need mounting bungs welded up, check placement, good to go.

Back to work! Getting all the little details ironed out with hopes of riding this weekend.

Lots of tabs for electronics, brake reservoirs, etc. Got the exhaust mounted and I'm happy with it. Of course how does the old saying go, 1 step forward, 2 steps backwards? My exhaust bracket now interferes with my rear master cylinder but that was a pretty easy fix to get spaced out.

Couple pics of the exhaust mount:




(sorry for the blurry pic)

I set the sag on the bike and was tweaking the ride height when I ran across some pretty pimp "lowering linkages", and had to get them just for the bling factor. Their range is 0-3" on a GSXR. I have them basically at 0 with the shim for the shorter shock in place and . I have another shock that's a tad longer and even though I designed the upper shock mount to accept shims to adjust height I thought these would be nice too.





Now it's time to blow it back apart and get some paint on the frame/swingarm. Just going to spraybomb the back half for now so I can get on the bike. I'll strip it back down this winter to do a little more work on the frame and powder coat everything then.

Only lacking detail at this point is the offset sprocket and I think a fellow Okie is going to take care of me in that department.

1980 thru 83's 1100's (twin shock) :huh: ..... :lol: 1150's started in 84 and they are all monoshock....... GS 1100's arm is almost an inch and a half longer than a KZ stock swingarm ( the real advantage ) .plus the gs 1100 swing arm is aluminum...... you can use the suzuki wheels,brakes, wheel spacers,shock,axle .
just a couple of shims for the pivot bolt...... when you start wanting a wider than a wm8 rim....things get tight.... :dry: