FYI- Hayabusa USD forks are 30" long.

THANKS ........I measured my original KZ fork and measeures 29" from centre axle to top of triple clamp so this is the dimension I will be looking for. I haven't got the GSXR parts bike home yet to measure the forks.

This fork, GSXR 1100

Gives me about

4 and one half inches ground clearance at the lowest part of the header.

Yes, the 750 forks were about 1 inch shorter. Now on the 1990 model I am not certain, but I think it is the same. The 1100 had the clip on's mounted above the top clamp, so the fork tubes were just a little longer.

I started with 750 tubes, then found 1100 tubes (fork). If you already have a 750 donor bike, I would use the 750 forks, and keep looking for a longer set. They are identical other than length. this is of course assuming the 750 forks you have are actually shorter than the 1100 forks.

The "Bandit" series has the longest set of forks out there, and they are near identical to the early GSXR forks. Same diameter.

Use the forks you have to mock up the bike, while searching for longer ones.

There are a few guys on the forum who make triple clamps for other members. I cannot think of the names right now. You can also put an offset in the lower clamp, to raise the bike an inch. It is more expensive, the machine work is not cheap.

Bolt_Upright wrote: Thanks a million. I NEVER would have identified that perusing catalogs. Does that mean this swingarm is probably from the same bike?

not necessarily......
yours does not look like a swingarm from an ex 500.....as that brake is used on other bikes. hth :S

Thanks a million. I NEVER would have identified that perusing catalogs. Does that mean this swingarm is probably from the same bike?

Thanks a million. I NEVER would have identified that perusing catalogs. Does that mean this swingarm is probably from the same bike?

I know I haven't been in here much lately. That's because I've been busy putting together this:



This is from the gallery - here .

A lot of what I needed to know to be able to put this together I learned here on these forums, so thanks to everyone

A quick rundown on the specs:

• KZ750 engine, bored to 810 (Wiseco) with KZ550 6-speed transmission
• Mikuni BS34 carbs from GPZ750 into ported head
• Yoshimura race-only 4-into-1 megaphone exhaust
• Dyna III ignition and Dyna coils
• Stock forks with Racetech Gold Valve emulators and springs, Tarozzi fork brace
• Zephyr 550 swingarm and Progressive Suspension shocks
• Z1R front/GS500 rear wheels with Dunlop RoadSmart II tires: 110/80ZR18 and 150/70ZR17
• Handmade fibreglass seat, aluminum battery box, rear fender eliminator, and various other weight-savings

My goal was to build something with more modern handling, but without losing the older look. I hope everyone thinks I made it

Thanks for the info..........I've been following a few builds on this site for a while. I haven't pulled anything apart yet as I am slowly gathering parts ( swingarm / forks etc ) Right now I'm trying to get running properly........I'm planning on picking up new coils and DYNA S ignition next week from Z1 enterprises. I have a line on a 1990 gsxr 750 w/blown motor and was planning to use suspension parts from this bike as I see some of our other KZ owners have done. BUT I think in one of your posts you commented you switched from GSXR 750 to 1000 front end due to height?? Is this true??
Because I want to ride this bike as a commuter when done I don't want to run into any ground clearance issues.

Thank you for the compliment!!

The hardest part of installing the new suspension was lining up the rear swingarm, to the counter sprocket, and then to the front wheel.

Somewhere in the 20 something pages of this post is a pretty good explanation. Complete with dimensions. One of your chief concerns is the fact that Kawasaki had about a 2.5mm tolerance form centerline of front wheel to centerline of rear wheel. this comes into play, as the numbers I came up with may not match your bike.

I built a jig, and used it to line front and rear within .005".

The next issue will be frame and exhaust header clearance to the ground. There needs to be about 4 inches clearance between the bottom of the header, and the surface of the ground. You do not want to bottom out and slam the header.

Kossman made the steering stem for me, they are quite comfortable with this work, and know what they are doing. The new stem was then pressed into the GSXR triple clamp and the front end was good to go.

The swingarm aside from alignment is almost a bolt on deal. The bushings in the old KZ frame needed to be reamed a little to get the ZRX swingarm bolt through them, but not much. It then pretty much fit right in.

I have both a 99 ZRX and the KZ in my garage, I could measure some stuff if you need it. But first take the time to study this post from start to finish, I bet most if not all the info is already here. I tried to use the forum as a log of sorts.

There are a whole bunch of very supportive riders on this forum, and they have all run into the little hang ups you will find along the way.

The re-build was time consuming, but not all that hard.

Good luck, you have a great bike to start with.