Great point about keeping it stock.
I'm torn though. I believe, but need to really do some research, that most everything is near stock. I switched bars back in 2006 and still have original bars and all other extraneous trim pieces and lights I removed. I have a strong pull toward making it look more sleek and stripped down. I've always thought it was a blast to ride it, going all the way back to the days before I was 16 and I'd ride it into town illegally and show off to my friends. Luckily, I never got caught, and luckily I still have the bike.
Which brings me back to keeping it stock. Not sure which way I should go. I'm not gonna do any major engine mods. Maybe just the suggested upgrades on the coils and and new exhaust. As long as I've got the stock bars off, I want to do something better than what's on there now. I like the look of eliminating the rear chrome fender and mounting the tail-light under the duck fin. One of my buddies has a '78 KZ1000, but his is on a custom frame, front end raked and an extended swing-arm. low and long. sweet drag bike look. I'll get some more pics up of mine and I'll get him to send me a few of his as well and I'll post em.
Again, I really appreciate this forum. It's so cool to have so much info available. And the advice and suggestions are great.

bluezbike wrote: You may want to do a little homework on how stock your bike is (apart from the bars that you changed). If it is in good stock condition.....it may be worth some money, especially if you (and dad) have had it since 1981. May as well learn to really take care of your current bike and have fun customizing a bike you bring back from the dead. Soon as you de-stock (don't know if this is even a word) your bike it's value will drop a lot. What do the current pipes look like? This is just my 2 cents as stock bikes are becoming very hard to find.
One of the really worthwhile mods to stock bikes is changing the headstock bearings to roller type and changing out the swingarm bearings, ltd's come with needle roller bearings as stock....this really helps with overall stability. +1 on the Dyna coils and new HT leads.

Some pictures always go down well!!! Can't wait to see it

+1

Do yourself a HUGE favor and don't permanently change things that are original. Stuff like painting over the original paint, cutting the frame, cutting the original exhaust system, cutting off frame tabs or welding crap on. etc. will kill the value of the bike now and even more so in the future. As Bluezbike said - "stock bikes are becoming very hard to find." And they're becoming more scarce every day which means their value is increasing every day. Now, about those pictures...... Ed

You may want to do a little homework on how stock your bike is (apart from the bars that you changed). If it is in good stock condition.....it may be worth some money, especially if you (and dad) have had it since 1981. May as well learn to really take care of your current bike and have fun customizing a bike you bring back from the dead. Soon as you de-stock (don't know if this is even a word) your bike it's value will drop a lot. What do the current pipes look like? This is just my 2 cents as stock bikes are becoming very hard to find.
One of the really worthwhile mods to stock bikes is changing the headstock bearings to roller type and changing out the swingarm bearings, ltd's come with needle roller bearings as stock....this really helps with overall stability. +1 on the Dyna coils and new HT leads.

Some pictures always go down well!!! Can't wait to see it

I used a 1997 gsxr 750 swing arm. Same exact fit as what you are going through. First of all I turned a sleeve in the lathe and pressed it into my swingarm's existing sleeve. The inside I bored out to 5/8". My pivot bolt fits nice and snug inside of my swingarm. The way I solved the problem with it sliding past the dust caps was also very simple. I essentially used large washers and welded them flush with the frame gussets. The washers are the same o.d. as the dust covers. Both problems solved. I didn't take pics of it in my build thread so I can't link you to it. Here is a similar idea as to what I did though.
kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/531667-81-kz750h-project

Generally you need to mimic the spacers that held everything on the gsxr originally. Was something retaining the seals on the gsxr? Maybe the frame flange compressed the seal/spacer? Can't tell, but it looks like your seal is integrated to the thrust washer/spacer? Does it contact the inner race of the bearing or is it just a cap that sits over the end of the tube? Looks like the inside diameter is smaller than the axle tube flange on your KZ frame allowing the seal to move? If it moves side to side it would seem your spacer isn't long enough. Perhaps you could make a new flanged spacer to take up the play and retain the seal? Takes precise measurements to get it right. Mine only has about 0.002" clearance between the tube/bearings/spacers and the width of the frame. It's a bear to put in and take out if it gets cocked.

Ive been messing with this build for a few months and im itching to get the mono rear welded up within the next few weeks.

Swingarm is off of a 01 gxsr600. Width is 9.25" at the pivot tube(the same as the stock kz swingarm)

Having a few different issues....one being this:

[img]http://[URL=http://s99.photobucket.com/user/havoc97/media/KZ%20CAFE%20BUILD/rsz_1rsz_001_zps72ac62f8.jpg.html][IMG]http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l318/havoc97/KZ%20CAFE%20BUILD/rsz_1rsz_001_zps72ac62f8.jpg[/img][/URL][/img]

Seems like no matter what the dust caps will tweak out of position because the pivot bolt tube in the frame is so much smaller than the dust cap.

Second issue:
It seems like no matter what, even with metal spacers in there it is impossible to get all of the play out of the swingarm so it doesnt move back and forth on the pivot bolt. (yes i have a machined tube inside of the gxsr swinger to take up the gap between the stock 5/8" pivot bolt and the gxsr stock bolt.
[img][URL=http://s99.photobucket.com/user/havoc97/media/KZ%20CAFE%20BUILD/P2211488_zps1cde3643.jpg.html][IMG]http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l318/havoc97/KZ%20CAFE%20BUILD/P2211488_zps1cde3643.jpg[/img][/URL][/img]

Even with the swinger off of the bike, if i take my hands and place them on each side of the dust cap as firm as possible, you can make the swingarm shift back and forth maybe a bit more than an eighth of an inch. The internal bearings in the arm stick just ever so slightly out past the edge of the pivot tube.

Hopefully these things make sense....I just want to get this damn issue figured out so I can move on to the suspernsion

Thanks Ed :]
Baldy I believe there is an exhaust leak as you can see from the video one of the bolts used to tighten the exhaust pipe for cylinder 1 is broken. I over torqued it and it sheared half way along. Sadly I'm concerned that there might not be a replacement part for that. I don't really know how to go about removing it either. Although there is an exhaust leak the high pitched rocking sound is what troubles me.

I apologize for my bad English, what I meant by rocker shafts are the rods that time exhaust and intake at the top of the engine block. I believe they are called camshafts ?
Unfortunately the previous owner had only the supplement and not the manual. Hence there are only basic routine inspections on it (i.e throttle grip play, brakes and such) it doesn't go into engine details.
Yes I changed the oil and the oil filter 2 months ago. Changed the brake fluids as well. Adjusted the brakes, ( I like to have a bit of play with my rear brake just so I can ease into it, it's a drum brake btw ). However you should know I don't use the bike that often.
I don't have any specialists tools so I just put everything back the way it was. I haven't touched the cam chain tensioner, just used it the way it was. The chain between the camshafts is nice and tight with little play. By no means am I a mechanic, however I'd still want to do it myself. I consider myself a newby when it comes to this. Hence why I came for help, I don't wish to mess around with a blindfold and hope everything goes in it's place.
I have a list of things that need fixing on the bike:
Electronics (tachometer) possibly related to why the fuel gauge doesn't work
Exhaust pipe fixing bolt
New fork seals
and the newest one The infernal racket

When I got the bike from the previous owner, I guess he failed to mention that the bike had a shattered rear shock. Which I didn't notice when I was inspecting it. Oh well... with the help of a friend we got it welded back with a thicker plate. (the broken bit was where the shock connects to the swing arm)

*Edit*
Forgot to mention the exhaust gaskets are all in their place. Everything is nice and tight.

If you look they are progressive, the top few inches are a separate spring. They are for stock kz's. My gpz springs don't look that much less spaced..??

I could move them forward on the swing arm but the swing arm weld is in the way, so I can either grind the weld flat or grind a hump in my platforms.

This is awesome.. I wish I woulda seen the z1000 post before I comitted to a fork but such is life. Mine is a 02 GSXR1k swingarm and 08 ZX600p forks...

Haha thanks for the garage compliments. My dad loves to keep it clean... Its his shop, not mine. Today I sorted out the front and rear brakes as well as the rear swinger. THANK YOU so much for the help and links... There will definitely be a lot of updates to this thread and I have so many questions.

Rear swingarm: 2002 GSXR1000
Rear Brake: 2002 GSXR1000
Rear Shock: 2007 GSXR1000
Front Forks: 2008 KZ600P
Front Calipers: 2008 ZX14
Front Rotors: 2003 GSXR600
Front Fender: 2008 ZX600P
Wheels: Matchin 2002 GSXR1000 Wheels powder coated Gunmetal Grey

Really excited about where it's going!