Stock Z1 shocks (actually aftermarket shocks) are 13 7/8" eye to eye.
ZRX shocks are 14.25" eye to eye

I measured the sags from the center of the axle vertically to the bottom edge of the rear fender.

Stock shock sag
Free sag 15 1/2"
Static sag 15"

ZRX shock sag
Free sag 16"
Static sag 16" ???

Ride height was measured from the floor vertical to the center of the top shock mount.

Stock - 27 1/2"
ZRX 27 3/4 - 7/8"

Main issue is the chain guard. I was going to save mine but it was a little scratched so I decided I'd cut it and find an OEM one later for replacement, or not. There were burrs on the top shock mount studs I had to file down, not sure how they got there but since the ZRX shocks have a steel inner sleeve the top stud has to be clean. With the bike on the center stand, the swingarm hits the exhaust mount so you have to pry the bottom of the shock to insert the bolt.











Might hear a clunk when the suspension fully extends while riding. When I service the shocks I'll install a limiter so the shock's bump stop takes the hit.

I wouldn't use the GS front end, it is basically the same idea as the KZ front ends. The rear swingarm however is much stiffer. Made difference on handling with my KZ650.

The gs1100 frontend is an overly complicated piece of crap in myb experiance anyway,the 82-83 swingarm is ok

Hey crarkota- I actually had to PRess out the GSXR Stem- an have my kz1000 Stem pressed into the GSX bottom Tree mount.. Doin so i had to have a LOCK Sleeve made- Due to the Difference in Stem Diameter- OD- an the ID of the Tree--- i know a machine shop that i brought the hole thing to.

just Make sure they make the sleeve so you have to PRESS the stem back in orelse it wont work..

I had the stem machined
an the rear swingarm Sleeves to match my Frame Bolt. only things ive had done to the bike i have not done myself-


Good luck Message me if you need any help-~ Anytime~

Can anyone give me some info on a GS1100 front fork and rear swing arm swap? I tried the search function but didn't come up with much, what are the pro's and cons? From a google image search the GS1100 isn't an inverted front shock set up, is the rear arm lighter or stiffer than the stock KZ1000 arm? The GSXR front end is inverted, correct? One might be coming up for grabs locally and I'm just thinking ahead to what I want to do with my 78 sooner than later.

Anyone using this set up?

Jetting:

Ok so so far no Dyno run.

Next question. The bike is really lean, the carbs are the stock 29MM round slides.

The bike has been bored to 998cc, has K&N Filters, and a Kerker header, Dyna ignition.

This has got to be a common set-up, so do any of you have a baseline jetting recipe I can copy?

The kicker is I live at 4500 foot elevation, but don't think that is going to make a huge differnce.

Hey guys. While struggling with removing the rear wheel bearings, I decided to paint the frame.

I used the POR-15 Rust Preventive paint followed by the POR-15 Chassis Paint.

I'm happy with the results so far. supposed to be tough combo for chips, scratches, etc.

Here are a couple of pics:






Next I will put in engine, attach swingarm and rear shocks while still trying to remove rear wheel bearings.

The were right below the battery, above the swing arm. I have a Clymer manual and can't find them on the diagram at all.

Frame no. on my bike is KZ650B024257, in other words mid-season as well. Original colour was green. I suspect, but cannot guarantee, that the other bike was red originally. At least it's red now and under the badge on the sidecover it was red bordering on pink, almost flake - heavy metallic content.

This is the description on Patton's link:

Two colours were offered for 1978, luminous dark blue or luminous burnt red. These proved to be unpopular and the B2 sold no where near as well as the B1. Very few other differences were made to the B2. The front brake caliper was reversed to the back of the fork leg and the front master cylinder was changed from a round item to a triangular one. The charging system was changed from a three-phase system to a two phase and the regulator and rectifier was now a combined unit. The cam chain tensioner was changed to an automatic unit and a hazard switch was added to the left-hand switchgear. Needle roller bearings were now used in the swingarm instead of the previous model bushes and slight modifications were made to the carbs to improve low speed operation. The fuel tap was replaced with a diaphragm type unit. There were also slight detail changes to the outer engine cases to incorporate the new lower case Kawasaki logo. The front footrests were now rubber mounted to combat vibration and the front forks were slightly modified

My bike still has the round brake master
Pretty sure it has a separate regulator and rectifier (something with lotsa cooling fins hanging under battery tray)
Cam chain tensioners look the same
No hazard switch
Plain swing arm bearings
Fuel tap is conventional IIRC
Front footrests are solid mounted
Capital letters for KAWASAKI logo on the engine covers

The fork is different the brake caliper is slightly different and fitted to the rear of fork leg, which are the only things I can find to correspond with the list above.