Hello everyone. First time project bike here... Im 25 and have been into dirtbikes and streetbikes forever. This is being done with my dad to spend a little time together and hopefully get that panzy out riding! So far we have stripped it, sent the motor to Florida at Pit Stop performance for a complete overhaul and piston upgrade. Its a 1075cc now and has new everything in the motor. The rear swing arm is off a 2002 GSXR1000 and the front fork is off a ZX600P. The wheels are matching 2002 GSXR1000 wheels and they were powdercoated gunmetal grey. I need guidance guys! I need info on how to fit the stock KZ triple shaft into the new ZX600p forks as well as any advice on controls and how to mount up a rear mono shock. We are buying a gsxr mono today... Also, the front wheel is going to need a spacer on each side to stay centered and we are not sure what this is going to end up doing for us when we go to put on the front brakes on each side. As you can see, we are noobies... but we are on the right track. ANY HELP IS AWESOME!









Motor was pretty beat up...

here is a quote from kzr member rslingshot.

"the reason I did the busa arm is because they fit the kz frame with nothing more than some pivot bolt reducer bushings. Pretty much all of the early model gsx-r's and all of the busa arms even the second gen busa fit the kz frames with just a simple bushing set up. It is a little more work with other late model sportbike arms."


welcome.
hth,

leon

OMR........new to this site and FYI you have an awesome bike!! That being said I have purchased a 76 KZ900 and have a plan to swap out the suspension. I see you used ZX636 front and rear.......did you have to change any of the spring rates due to the extra weight??? I have been looking for forks and swingarm but was concerned about handling!! Any help??

Hi Guys

New to the forum, based in Dubai in the Middle East. I have a small collection of Kawasakis and recently bought a 78 KZ1000 A2. The bike is in very average condition, repainted a modern Kawasaki green so not really a project for original restoration. I have a complete front end, from an 02 hayabusa which I see no hassles in getting fitted, my question is about the Hayabusa swingarm setup that I would like to mount( also from an 02 Busa). I have searched the forums and found it done with a shaft drive conversion but not from a standard chain drive frame. Can anyone advise if they have seen it done and point me in the direction of a thread on it.

It is my aim to keep the dual shock, I have weld on tabs on the way for that. I have access to a 98 gsxf rear assembly but really want a 180 on the back for its looks. I am only choosing the Busa bits as I have them already, got them from a guy who didn't understand that it was bad for his bike to hold it at rev limiter and after 3 motor rebuilds (completely clueless) he decided the bike was not worth repairing.

Welcome!!! Bike looks great so far! Swingarm looks a lot like mine. Is it off of a GSXR? I'll be eyeing this build!

I have a 1979 kz1000 b3 frame with a 1979 kz1000 mkii engine, it has a different head on it, has been bored out to 1327, mre lockup clutch,mtc jugs, different front end,breaks,swingarm,suspension,exhaust. It has the cafe racer 1 piece gas tank and seat combination, that I want to change. It also has clipons and an unidentifyable front end setup. I have done substantial modifications to bikes in the past and the work doesn't bother me. I just have no idea where to begin with speccing a front end with USD forks and tripple trees. Not to mention a gas tank/seat/brake light that will fit. I removed the points and install a dyna 2000 kit to match the green dyna coils. Bike does run, but was leaking from a broken oil cooler , I would like to replace it with a more modern setup but again have no idea what kind of clearance the front end offers for bigger modern oil coolers. I'm looking for any advice I can get as far as what other people have had success with on the same foundation i'm working with. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I have included some pics in the post to help with identification (front end, rear end, breaks, wheels). This is a great bike that i'm prepared to invest in , just need to know where to start.
Thanks in advance
Rob Spector

bluezbike wrote: I don't know if you are going to keep the fairing and bags but they add a lot of weight and the suspension may not have been upgraded to deal with that.

I got around to changing my fork oil last night. Unless my book is wrong my front forks have longer springs. The book says they should be 7.6" and 14.4" the springs measure 8 1/8th" and 15 1/4". I highly doubt that would have became longer over time. Either they have been upgraded or the book is wrong.

I also pulled the swing arm out and greased the prop shaft and swingarm bearings and changed the oil in the rear drive.

I've changed the brake fluid and flushed them through. Changed the oil and filter and changed the air filter.

I've lubbed all the cables, the speedo unit on the wheel, and the mechanical timing advancer.

Is there anything else maintence wise that I should attend to?

hawkman wrote: The engine does a bit of torque production. I bought a new chain for the bike and was stunned to see the size difference. I had heard more than a few stories about the 750 snapping chains... And I'm leaning towards keeping the swing arm, as I don't have all the jigs and stuff to hold the bike straight. I got the bike loaded in my truck now I'm waiting for the weather to co-op so I can get me some fabbing done. Since I moved out the house and lost my garage space, I have had to work off my trailer in storage... no fun !

37 ft lbs @ 8k rpm is not that much considering we are talking about the same bike.

The engine does a bit of torque production. I bought a new chain for the bike and was stunned to see the size difference. I had heard more than a few stories about the 750 snapping chains... And I'm leaning towards keeping the swing arm, as I don't have all the jigs and stuff to hold the bike straight. I got the bike loaded in my truck now I'm waiting for the weather to co-op so I can get me some fabbing done. Since I moved out the house and lost my garage space, I have had to work off my trailer in storage... no fun !

Some useful information about your 1981 GPz 1100 B1:

1981 GPz 1100 Info

Does it look like a real good example. Cost is irrelevant. If you can stand looking at it that's good enough . Experience ? Sorry to laugh but with just 5 members here I could easily document 200 years total experience . I probably won't have to introduce you the post and the pic will draw them in .

The stock coils come in two flavors , crap and soon to be crap .

Now on to the real info :

1) adjust the valves unless you are confident that the PO has recently adjusted the valves . then do it anyway

2) never run or ride on anything but a fully charged healthy battery . the stator on these bikes has always been a wee bit suspect but the rest of the charging system is more or less bullet proof . Custom Rewind -- High Quality Remanufactured Motorsports Electronics, Rotors, Stators, Ignition Systems just in case . Gary just gets it right .

3) the front forks are ok for the era but marginal if they go without service for a long period of time . they respond very well to just a complete disassembly and reload of oil . if you're going to ride it consider progressive springs . this is one front end where I don't like the cartridge emulators . A good word for the emulators I tried would be spooky and disconnected from the road . up to you ...

4) if in need of a chain and sprockets you may want to consider a 530 conversion . the stock 630 chain is incredibly heavy and has a habit of transmitting it's inertia to the rear suspension . although the sprocket sets can be had cheaply on e-bay pass on the included chain . modern 530 O ring chains are every bit as tough as the original 630 and will with care last every bit as long .

5) The front brakes need constant attention . mainly just disassembly and cleaning . in the odd case a tiny bit of grease on the back side of the pad and scuffing the pad and rotor with some 80 grit will cure most ills . if the pads are still metallic (bronze sintered) get rid of them and use a quality semi metallic . full metallic will just trash your rotors in short order and unless you are racing the slight decrease in braking performance won't be missed or even noticed . replace the brake lines w/ braided steel covered tfe . replace the brake lines w/ braided steel covered tfe . did I repeat myself ? must have been a reason.

Optional :
these bikes are torque pits . near bottomless buckets full of low end torque. with a little bit of minor engineering an extra friction plate can be fitted . this is a better option than aftermarket clutch material in the long run . you need to acquire the kz400/440 clutch steel plates they are just enough thinner that an extra friction plate can be fitted with just a little modification to the release mechanism.

you should take a look at the swing arm pivot as most I've seen are corroded and just plain shot . a disassembly , cleaning and re-lube may be all it takes .

tapered needle bearings in the steering head . if it doesn't have them already it's just the thing to do .

that should be enough to wrap your mind around for now.
Kopcicle