Hey Shoe48. I have a 650Custom and it is a fantastic middleweight and they have been popular since their introduction in 1976. They were designed to outrun any 750 in this era and they did until the GS750 Suzuki arrinved. 650's are popular because they are bulletproof and inexpensive compared to their bigger brothers the 900/1000. The Kz650 is a sweet handling little bike and you can build them to pack quite a wallop but you will be hard pressed to build one strong enough to spank a fully-built big bore 900/1000. There is no replacement for displacement when it comes to cranking out the power.

I don't believe that there is one thread that covers all potential upgrades for any bike. You might just want to post the question "What would you do to build the ultimate Kz650." I am sure members will chime in on this invitation. Also check the archives under 650, 750 or 810.

You will hear the obvious...750 cylinders bored for an 810 Wiseco kit. Bigger carbs, 750 head mildly ported, electronic ignition, lighter wheels, aluminum swingarm, header pipe...etc. I'll leave the rest to others to kick in.

Cheers-Colin Firth

The KZ650 seems to be the bike of choice to do anyv and all mods to . Lucky me bought one with out even knowing , C model with rear disc , I see posts on here about all the different things that can be done , swing arm , forks , engines ,, Is there a post in the past that put it all in one thread ,, Maybe this could be that thread if not .. Thanks , Shoe

Thanx guys that should get me there. Now I just need to drive down to Boise to pick up the parts. I'll have to remember to grab the shocks while I'm at it.

You can do it that way but I'm cheap and didn't want to re-bearing the rear wheel so I simply used the stock pivot bolt from the GS and used it as my axle bolt. It's the same diameter as the stock KZ650 axle bolt. I simply turned a couple of spacers to fit over the bolt to make up for the larger hole for the axle hole on the GS swingarm. That way I could use my existing wheel bearings and not have to drill out the rear brake bracket
I used two 1/8" washers on both sides of the GS swingarm at the pivot point. The GS is a little narrower than the KZ swingarm.
I used the stock brake line and used the GS brake arm and adapted it to fit the KZ brake caliper bracket.
For shocks I used an set of old FOX shocks and welded the Suzuki clevis mounts on the bottom.
If you have any questions or need pics let me know.
kzrider.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=11890

Ok here goes...

You need to use your stock kz swingarm pivot bolt. The rest of the parts needs to be suzuki only. You will need the GS axle and all the spacers and bolts that go along with it. If you are doing this to the big bikes (900/1000) the bearings will be the same 20mm ID. If you are doing this to the little bikes (650/750) you will need a bearing swap and if you have a rear disk either drill it out or get a kz900 caliper. You will also need some washers from the hardware store anywhere from a 1/16 to 1/8 (each frame is slightly different. You will need the gs shocks as well since suzuki in their infinite wisdom decided to use clevis type shocks. Oh and by the way early honda used Clevis type as well so if you cannot find suzuki ones look for honda ones. If you need help or have questions just ask.












and a really really old pics of what i was doing.
i should really post the latest ones.






Post edited by: galaxian, at: 2006/02/09 08:58

Post edited by: galaxian, at: 2006/02/09 08:59

Post edited by: galaxian, at: 2006/02/09 09:00

Post edited by: galaxian, at: 2006/02/09 09:04

you will need the gs shocks or will need to make new shock mountsB)

my KZ1000 axle was to short. axle,adjusters,shocks should do it,I dont know about the brake arm.

if you do a search for "gs 1100 swingarm" in the archive you will find the stuff you need. this topic is covered extensively. Galaxian has a really good how to on the subject and baldy101 has alot of pictures of his kz650 conversion.

either axle will work on the gs arm. i think your brake line is ok too. your brake arm should also work.

you will need a longer chain and shocks from a suzuki or other clevis end model. baldy101 said that honda shocks don't work because the clevis is too narrow. you may be able to modify the clevis end or mount to work for honda shocks? the shocks should be 13-14+ inches to retain the same ride height.

i am also doing this conversion but i have a 650c. i am trying to make a cafe bike out of it. what are your plans for your 1000?

I'm getting mt gs swingarm next month and I have a few questions for the guys that have done the swap. I'm taking the arm offf of a complete bike and need to know what to grab while I'm at it. Do I use the kz axle and pivot bolts? Or the kz axle and gs pivot bolt or what? I know I'll need to make some spacers. Do I need them for the mounting point for the arm or do I need to make some for both the wheel and mounting point? Also, will I need a longer brake line? I beleive the gs arm is longer than the kz arm. Will I need the rear caliper brake rod or will the kz one work?

hello to everyone still here at Kzr. i have been away fro a while. love the new site by the way.

well i have been talking about it for some time now and i finlay decided to get off my lazy A$$ and do it. i went and picked up a complete front end off a 04 ZZR1200 kawasaki.

i got to aquire a few more things to get my kz make over going. for starters i got to find a machine shop around were i live that has a reputation for doing good work because i am pretty sure i am going to have to swap out the steering stem and i need to get a set of axel adjusters made for the 7" over swingarm that is going to hold the 17x5.5 wheel i got off of ebay at a steal. i also got make a brake arm, a gauge bracket, head light mounts and a new brake leaver. then i need to push my fender back still,buy a new tail light, a new pro pipe instead of the upswept on on my kz now to take care of the clearance issues, a ss brake line for the rear brake set up, a 5/8 off set sprocket, a pair of shocks that are slimer than the ones i got now and only about 12-12 1/2 inches long.if i have time befor derby i am going to polish my wheels and tripples out and paint the front fended to match my bike.

i know i am forgeting a few things but that is pretty much the run down of what i got to get done to my kz in the next eight to ten weeks. if anyone has any tips or parts to help the project along let me know.

as soon as i get my other ps back from being rebuilt i will post progress pictures and a few of my friends recently tricked out kz;s