It's really hard for us to say without seeing the bike and hearing it run. $4100 isn't out of line if it's in truly tip top condition. A lot of bikes out there though that run fine but haven't been updated via maintenance in most ways so the reliability can be fleeting. For example: original brake system with crud developing inside, original carb o-rings getting hard, stator getting weak, swingarm bearings have never been greased, and same for wheel bearings. Stuff like that takes effort and time and money to get right, and it's part and partial to purchasing a 40+ year old motorcycle. If you don't like working on old bikes I'd stay clear too. There is always something that needs doing it seems.

Part 2/2:
Forks installed. It looks fantastic but the LTD seat, ignition cover and alternator cover need some red to tie them in to the color scheme. Tailight needs to go as well. But those can be done later. Paint needs to be touched up, but again, at a later time.


I plan to finish the last few things (clean tank, install exhaust, install front caliper) and start it up today. The bad thing is that i'm already dreaming of the next build! i'm thinking another kz550 frame, newer water cooled 1200 motor, forks/swingarm swap.

Aggghhh this forum. It wouldn't let me post and kept deleting the image links in the post... im guessing there's a picture limit, but it didn't give any errors!

The 1990 ZX-11 had a very sturdy extruded aluminum swing arm with eccentrics. It will fit tires up to about 240, and most wheels with ample room. It is even wider at the pivot than the GPz1100 - about 10.3". It requires you mill the ends down and install new sealed bearings at both ends to fit the stock pivot bolt diameter from the frame....if you want eccentrics....

Often you have to make extensive frame modification so the chain will clear and the wide arm can clear foot-peg bracket mounts and such when it sweeps through the suspension's travel, too

Well, your metalworking skills will be required - I just measured my spare 83 /84 GPz1100's swing arm across the bearings and it is about 9 15/16". That is about 7/16" wider than the KZ1000. Still, it should be possible to take of 7/32" off a side (approximately) to make it fit. I remember I had put a GPz750 Uni-Track swing arm in a friend's 82 CB750F around 1985, and remember doing only minor work to get it to fit, so I'm surprised that the GPz1100's arm is wider at the pivot than my 81 CBX's swing arm. On the other hand, my 79 CBX's arm is just a hair under 10" wide at the pivot. Maybe my memory isn't that good, or the 750's arm was narrower than the 1100's....?

Thanks for the reply sir!

I have recently purchased a stretched complete swinger from an 84 uni-track and am patiently awaiting it's arrival...and I'm not real good at patiently waiting.
I'm mainly hoping it will not require extensive modifications to adapt to an 80 LTD project I have recently started...however if it does Im pretty sure I can make it work. 20 years plus as a fabricator/welder and the ability to tig weld heavy aluminum at home sure helps.
Spacers I'm not too concerned about as I have full run of a well equipped machine shop at work....
My main concern is it being far too wide at the pivot which would necessitate milling significant material off the end of the pivot tube or cutting it out completely and turning a new one and welding it in place.
I currently have a 6" zx7 rim on the shelf that I am hoping will fit if I go 520 chain and an offset sprocket...I guess time will tell.
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to make such an informative post...I really should have just gone gsxr with it....I really just wanted eccentric adjusters cause of the "different" factor.
Off I go to patiently await the mail man again...boo

I have an 84 GPz1100 arm off the bike buried somewhere and will check in a day or two, but I'm 99% sure it will fit in your KZ1000 as a bolt - in for the pivot width. As far as being a good choice for a mono - shock set up, I'm less convinced. Unless you already have a GPz arm available, including all the shock linkages, axle, chain adjusters, etc. with it, I would look elsewhere. Most Suzuki swing arms up to 2003 have narrower pivot areas than Kawasaki, Honda, and Yamahas do, so installing something like a Bandit 1200 arm typically only require machining spacers (on a lathe) for end play in the KZ frame. Early GSXR arms are plentiful, too. My buddy recently installed a 2000 GSXR-1000 arm in his 81 GPz1100 frame and it was a direct swap, according to him. The Suzuki arms will fit tires as wide as 200 on a 6" wide wheel, and you can use the GSXR light weight wheels and modern brake.

If you do decide to use the GPz arm, I'm again 99% sure the 83 - 85 750 and 83 - 84 1100 are the same part except maybe in small details like the chain guard mounts. I also know that an 88 ZX10 4.5" wide x 18" wheel fits in the arm with little effort (I have one of those, too). It is possible to mount up to a 170 tire width on an 18" wheel, and some 180 tires will fit on a 17" wheel in the GPz arm, again, with some minor modifications. Chain alignment and clearance around the tire and in the frame will be bigger issues to resolve with tires wider than 160 on any KZ1000. Switching to a 530 chain will help.

Stosho wrote: No. Sorry for the not being clear. I have a Kz650. I want to upgrade it with the GPz forks, mags dual disc front brakes up front and the swingarm, mags, and disc brake in back.

That's basically what I did..
If you use the GPz triple tree you will find it to be taller. I did the taper bearing conversion with the help of "All Balls Racing" website help and it went smoothly.

FRONT SPROCKET
You will first need to decide if you want to use a 520 or 530 pitch chain. I chose the 530 as there is a much greater selection of aftermarket offset sprockets for the 530’s.
** Zephyr zr750 and zr-7 transmission output shafts are a 1/2” and 5/8” longer than the kz650/750. So you will need to use the longer zr550 or zx600 transmission and an aftermarket sprocket in order to retain a straight chain alignment. The offset can’t be determined until the motor is back in the frame. And you will have to verify sprocket chain alignment using a used/cheap 550 sprocket to measure off of.**
** A 520 or 530 17-tooth front sprocket is the largest that will fit without forgoing the use of the front chain guard **
**550 sprockets are designed to float around on the output shaft and are NOT supposed to be bolted rigid like the 650/750 sprockets are.**
** Kawasaki and some Suzuki’s share the same output shaft splines. The sprocket I used was from japan.webike.net and was for a gsx1100 Katana but has the Kawasaki keeper holes drilled and tapped in it already.**


The other issue I encountered, is that the 550 transmission is designed to use a 520 sprocket and the 530 sprocket I used had a wider splined area and it would not fit onto the output shaft fully. There is a collar that is on the shaft that the transmission cover seal rides on, that kept the wider sprocket from seating properly.
*If using the longer zr550 or zx600 transmissions, this step will not be needed.*
On the 750 transmissions this collar is held on by the sprocket which is bolted in place and once the sprocket is removed, the collar slides right off. But the 550 collar is pressed in place as the sprocket is held on by a splined collar that allows the sprocket to “float” on the output shaft. The 550 collar is designed to be removed by pulling off the outer bearing. Instead of doing this, I wedged the collar away from the bearing with a jewelers screwdriver just enough that I could fit a bearing puller on the collar and pull it off. I then had to have 3mm of the collar machined off to make room for the new sprocket and give it room to float. Then I pressed it back on and it sits just flush with the outer edge of the transmission cover.

Difference between stock and modified collar


Pressing the modified collar back on


Finished product.




Note gap between sprocket and cover.



You will probably need to custom fit your chain depending on the variables of what pitch you chose and what sprocket tooth count you used, combined with any swingarm modifications. I bought a 120 link chain and trimmed off the extra links to fit my specific setup.




Having done this swap, I simply cannot imagine how it did not come this way from the factory. I was worried that in sixth gear and at a steady cruise that I would be out of the torque band of the motor and it would bog and have no ability to accelerate. These fears proved to be completely unfounded. And as long as I don’t let the rpm’s dip below ~2750 in sixth, the engines low end torque can easily accelerate the bike as if Kawasaki designed it that way.
So I got exactly what I wanted, totally stock gearing and a true over drive gear that did not sacrifice my low speed performance the way that a sprocket only upgrade would have done.

Stosho wrote: No. Sorry for the not being clear. I have a Kz650. I want to upgrade it with the GPz forks, mags dual disc front brakes up front and the swingarm, mags, and disc brake in back.

Ahh, that makes more sense.

No. Sorry for the not being clear. I have a Kz650. I want to upgrade it with the GPz forks, mags dual disc front brakes up front and the swingarm, mags, and disc brake in back.