Gday

I can get a set of 2000ish R1 front forks for next to nothing well a bottle of bourbon :evil: so got me thinking has anyone put this on a 76 z900 ?? i am in the process of putting new wheels 17" spokeys (front and rear) and will be using a GS1100 rear swing arm. Ill probably get billet tripple clamps.

Has anyone done this, can they comment ride height handling etc. i know i will need to sort caliper wheel spacers disk spacers etc

thanks in advance

yes i have both front and rear disks for the 750e, i was thinking maybe i could get away with replacing just the rear axle. I havent mocked it up to see how the width of the wheel fits the 750b swingarm yet but we will see i guess

The dual and single disks on the 650/750/1000 are the same diameter, but dual disks are thinner.

The best way to install 750E wheels on a 750 twin is to install the 750E front end and swing arm on the 750 twin. Second best way it to have some collars made that slide over the axle and act as spacers because both front and rear axles on the 750E are smaller than those on the 750 twin.


My first dual disk conversion used two 750 twin single disk rotors, lots of rotating weight there, I wouldn't recommend that set-up

Hi Bozo,
For what its worth, I have a Metmachex shallow under braced aluminium swing arm that I no longer need as I recently acquired a K&J swing arm from Germany.
The Metmachex was previously fitted to a Suzuki GS1000 and with very little engineering will fit into a KZ. I'm afraid I dont have pictures of it and it is at home in Ireland at the moment. (I'm going home at Xmas) If you are interested in using this swing arm, give me a call back. Im in Toronto, Canada, 905-467-9041 Hope this may help you out. Cheers, Slash.

I know Im just saying that the fancy jigs are definateloy overkill for something that can be done with a couple good levels and a tape measure.
if your swingarm is straight and shocks are both same length thetres your jig right there

I just bought a kz900 79 frame along with custom swingarm, zx11 front end rear end ect. and a almost complete 76 kz900 with 1800 original miles in a box... motor is perfect never apart and everything was stored inside and very very nice. Anyway I am having trouble swapping the front ends due to the lip in the steering tube on top where i want to put my bearing... Do i cut this off? or how do i fit this together and what bearings should i use? any help would be greatful thanks!!

Hey all. Small update.

The project forges ahead, a bit yo yo on progress but deffo on the finishing straight.

Frame has been sent to powdercoaters and also for seat to be made. I've basically asked for a seat like this:




Also, all other parts for powder-coating, anodising and fork sliders for DLC or Nitriding have been stripped and sent off. Frame and swingarm also.




The engine is on track for a full rebuild / 810 pistons / GPZ cams at Debbens after a delay waiting for new clutch rubbers from the Aussies. But on its way now. I basically gave them a GPZ motor and another Z750 one to find 4 sets of rods, valves etc that all match up in weight and bearing life as a better starting point. It will also get new drive chains, bearings, shells etc etc - a proper nut and bolt build finished with stainless exhaust studs, ARP rods and stainless fasteners where possible - should look great when done.


Whilst I'm waiting, back to the computer for a small but very important detail - side panel badges! I was planning on going with a custom 'Z800' badge but I'm sure it will be very pricey and may turn out crap.





The side badges below are still available from a replica maker and are genuine designations.


Nice 750 Twin Cam emblem...




GPZ750 is obviously cool - and kind of correct as it's a GPZ motor




Or I thought this traditional Kawasaki racing flag looked pretty cool too...






There's loads more here:

www.reproductiondecals.com/default_frame...aw_content.html~main

www.badgereplicas.com.au/badges_kawasaki.htm#other


Stay tuned.

Ramtough, I'm not totally opposed to doing some sort of swingarm swap that would allow the traditional shock location and thus no cutting on the frame. Who knows, if I find a good deal on a pair of shocks I might go that direction. For now all the stock parts are getting stored in the attic, and pretty much everything could be returned to stock if needed...

As for progress, the brown trucks were good to me today! My gauge cluster arrived, and I couldn't wait to go test fit it.





Using the included bracket the gauge cluster fits pretty well. I need to space it down a little closer to the headlight but I'm thinking I also need to bring it 1/2" or so back towards the top yoke. My biggest concern is it being off-centered. The CNC top yoke was intended for a 2007 GSXR, so it has provisions for the ignition, which are preventing me from centering the cluster unless I mount further away than I would like. With the asymmetrical nature of the cluster, I kind of think it balances pretty well being off center to the right. At least that's what I am going with for now if anyone asks why it wasn't centered .

finally got some pure un-interrupted shop time,to get dougs swingarm closer to finished.
it is amazing how many different things can distract/steal your time completely from you :pinch: .
i was able to get the tubing for the braces cut to length and four of them milled off at (depending on where you call 90)60/30 degrees.
which seemed to set the angle nicely.


i also used the mill and a hole saw to cope the tubing to fit where it intersected the brace.



i was wanting to get it all welded up :whistle: ,but everything i got done turned out well.
so i am satisfied,thanks for being patient doug .




i'll be back at it tonight and i will post the pics of the progress tomorrow.





leon

Been lurking for quite a while, absorbing as much as I can from the site. I've finally made enough progress on my bike to warrant a project thread of my own, so here we go...

To get a decent idea of what my end goal is, we have to look back to my previous bike - a free 1979 GS750. It was a basketcase, mostly just parts in boxes with a frame that had been bobbed, then welded back together with a back end from a different bike. My plans were pretty lofty considering this was to be my first ever bike build. I accumulated lots of GSXR bits, a fork, a couple swing arms, etc. I was moving my car parts to the attic to make room for bike parts on a daily basis it seemed. I tweaked a photoshop of my "vision" until I had what was to me a pretty cool bike:



About then a deal fell into my lap I couldn't refuse - a true "barnfind" KZ650. I actually found the bike for a friend and he snatched it up. After letting the bike sit for 6 months he decided he didn't want another project and handed the bike over to me. To please the wife, I gave the GS (in many boxes) to a buddy and proceeded on now with the KZ project.

A little back history on the bike - it was originally purchased in 1980, ridden for a year, and then the owner passed away. It only had 4500 miles on it! The bike sat since 1981 parked until March of this year, when it was resurrected, advertised on Craigslist, and eventually sold to me. Overall it was in pretty good shape, but most importantly it was a complete and running bike.

Unfortunately between 30+ years of aging and the "work done" in the 6 months before it got to me, it is going to need a lot of cosmetic work. The chrome was ruined in many areas with what I assume was the use of sandpaper to remove rust. The wiring harness was cut to remove indicators. All the aluminum is badly corroded. Leaks are starting to appear from degraded seals and gaskets.

Anyway, I'm not shy when it comes to modifying things as evident by my LS1 powered BMW, so I'm not keeping this one as an original restoration. My original thoughts for the GS are pretty much getting carried over to this build, but I'm going to make this more of a rolling project so I can enjoy the changes each step of the way.

So onto some pictures. Preparing for the first ride, I had already swapped out the bars:

Made it to our destination! Did I mention that was the first ever ride on anything larger than 50cc?

Now some changes are starting to happen. Got the 2007 GSXR fork fitted up, mostly with a bearing swap. Had to turn down one of the races and make a couple other things skinny, but it ended up fitting nicely. Went with a top yoke from Coolncomfy, kind of expensive but it made things easy. Made some quick brackets for the headlight and started powder coating black...




I found a nice Corbin seat but it was intended for the bigger KZs, the 900-1000 I think. With a little massaging, mostly just moving the hinge points, it fits pretty well. Certainly looks better than that tribute to the 70's seat that came on the bike


Next up is a functioning instrument cluster (a koso rx-2gp), the exhaust, and then over the winter I'll be tackling the rear mono shock conversion.