Thanks for your fast replies. I am going to have to do some measuring tomorrow and see whats up. There definitely is one long spacer in there and it must have come that way as I got it from the original owner. SSOOO I will see what tomorrow brings and update you when I have some answers. Thanks again, jon

Hello fellow bikers,
I am old and new to this bike rebuild stuff so bear with me. I did a search on here but am still not sure what is correct. bike is a 1981 KZ1000J1 model. Complete tear down and attacked the swing arm today. I removed the outer seals with no problem and destroyed the needle bearings while removing. While looking up parts I see there is supposed to be a short spacer behind the bearing. I do have the long one between the bearings but every picture I see when looking for new bearings is showing me another short spacer behind the needle bearings. What are the correct parts I need for this ? I'm have mechanical abilities but am a bit baffled. I'm on a budget and rebuilding this for a buddies son whose dad was my good friend. Any help would be appreciated. Have a great day and THANK YOU in advance. Jon

Thanks Eric.Its amazing how quick it goes once you get to the last bits. I dont know what plugs I have.The tuner fitted them.Ill have a look next week.
Today,I farted around with the clutch.I ended up making a couple of alu spacers to move the MC out a bit.

Everything is fitted and bled now but I cant know how itll work until Ive got the bike moving. So thats it for now as far as the clutch goes.
I also got the chain fitted and tensioned as best I could.still planning to do something with the swingarm at a later point.
Stickers stuck!



Some other bits and bobs done as well and Im pretty much there.I gave it a clean and took some pictures.






So,thats that. Theres still work to do.The clutch and the swingarm but the main thing is to tune the carbs and get it running. Thatll be happening....eventually. For now,Im done. Ive started clearing out the workshop and bringing my tools home. Now Ive got to find somewhere to store the bike until springtime.

Ill post updates as they happen and I thought to maybe do a list of resources that Ive used during the build.Maybe itll be helpful to others.

You're going to need either a 1/2" or 5/8" offset front sprocket. The Gsxr most likely runs a 530 chain so you can convert to 530 with the correct front sprocket.

I ran a 18/40 combo with a 160/60-17 (4.5") rear rim and plan on using the same 18T front with a 42T rear on a 180/55-17 (5.5") wheel I'm currently swapping into my 1000.

Hope that somewhat helps.

Later, Doug

Eakin wrote: ................. The bushings are different, but that's because the disc models had needle bearings vs. mine with bushings. ......

Not necessarily true. The 1977 KZ650-C1 used bushings. Later models used bearings. Ed

My KZ650-C1 swingarm bushing parts.

I forgot to say that I using the gsxr wheel

I have installed a 92 gsxr1100 swingarm on my 81 kz1000. Leon did the bushing work and shock mounts. What front and rear sprocket do I need to run?

Thanks for the tip. I looked up the swingarm bolts and it's the same for both. The bushings are different, but that's because the disc models had needle bearings vs. mine with bushings. As far as I know, those are interchangeable. The swingarms on the C and D models seem to be different as well. Didn't think about that until you mentioned that fatter tire. The diagram shows a different torque link and it looks like the chain guard mounts are different.

78 650-B1
www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Kawasaki/...ABSORBERS/parts.html

78 650-C2
www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Kawasaki/...ABSORBERS/parts.html

78 650-D1 (SR)
www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Kawasaki/...ABSORBERS/parts.html

I would still like to know if anyone has actually done this swap. I've seen lots of later model single shock setups, ZR arms, etc., but would love to know if this C/SR swap is a pretty well a bolt in.

Probably the closest match is the 650C. then the 650D. The 650D swing arm may be wider, since the SR has a fat rear tire.
What you can do is a part-by-part comparison at Partzilla. From a quick check of the B & C models, the swing arm sleeve & swing arm bolt are the same, as is some other stuff, including the needle bearings. Note: there are two different swing arm sleeves, but they may be interchangeable.

I'm in the middle of building my KZ650B and want to convert the rear to a disc brake. I bought a KZ1000 CSR parts bike in the summer and stripped off both spoked wheels, the swingarm, and all of the rear brake related stuff. I was initially going to trim the pivot to fit the 650 frame and just us all of the 1000's rear end on my bike, but now I'm having second thoughts about extending the wheelbase.

If I were to find a 650SR, or another 650 model with rear disc, would the swingarm be a direct replacement? I've done some research and most of the advice I see being offered in that this swap SHOULD work, but never saw any confirmation to it. I realize that I'd still have to mount my rear MC somewhere on the frame, but was hoping to take the brake lever, MC mount, etc. off of the donor. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Also, for the rear wheel, my plan was to either find bearings that would with the ID of the hub and a 16mm axle, or just use the OEM size bearings from a 650 and have adapter rings built to fill in the extra space between the bearing and the hub.

Does it make sense to go with a 650 or the 1000 swingarm? I'm open to suggestions. I just don't want to get too far into this project and then realize that there was a better way to have approached it.

PS, I realize that a Zephyr arm is also an option, but I never see any available in my area, so I've just skipped over that route.

Thanks in advance!