KZ1000 Police conversion to cafe custom

Lots of good info on kawasaki.com, including parts diagrams, part names, part numbers, models sharing same part, availability, etc. Here's a link for help with navigating the site and finding information.
kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...w&catid=13&id=376734

Good Fortune!

sweetbro wrote: Quick question about my shifter. The actual shift rod that sticks out of the motor and thru the front sprocket cover is sloppy. Like, when I shift there is a lot of back and forth play. and I dont mean twisting play, but the rod actually going backward and forward. Is there supposed to be a bushing in the sprocket cover?

Any ideas?

There is no bushing on the cover but the fit should be tight. There might be a little play but nothing you should notice by the old eyeball calipers. Check and make sure it's not the linkage bushings, bolts, lever that is moving causing an illusion.

Hahahahaha, "eyeball calipers" Well, you can see if for sure. See? I drew the sharpie line on there. It isnt tons of movement, but definitely noticeable. The bike has over 80000 miles, so perhaps the cover is just work from use?

I meant no insult, I use those calipers all the time. hehe
On second look on my 81 there seems to be an oil seal, not a bushing per say but something. Didn't clean it too well just a quick look. You might want to check out a parts list for yours. Shouldn't be too much money.

yep there is an oil seal.... #11

Well there you go. I'm gonna have to grab one of those.

In no particular order ;

Reasons for KZ1000 Police head shake.

Ever wonder why the radio box is on a pivot with a shock absorber ?
A suit brought by the single largest purchaser of the KZ1000 Police model , The Calafornicating Highway Patrol ,an injured Trooper and the insurance underwriter et all against Kawasaki Heavy Industries proclaimed the bike to be inherently unstable . Although settled out of court the result was that since CHP motor officers are instructed to ride straight up in the seat a concession had to be made to stabilize the bike in turns . This gave us the dubious advantage of the pivoting weight of the radio platform .

The GPZ 1100 uses a 10mm id shell bearing in the counter shaft cover but by the time you decide to mod your KZ cover the shift shaft is also worn so order it up too. While you're in the transmission sub cover replacing the shift shaft replace all the springs . It's just good preventative maintenance .

Every one of the 1000 Police models I have seen , owned , serviced has been bent in some way , shape or form .
subtle bends in the fork tubes
multiple bends and tweeks in the steering stem , upper and lower trees and axle .
steering head
back bone
down tubes
swing arm
swing arm pivot points
swing arm through bolt
rear axle
and in at least two cases a parallelogram or lozenged frame that would straighten with motor mount torque but would eventually loosen with vibration and time .

All Balls racing for steering head bearings . Don't be tempted to put a zerk fitting in the steering head .In the long run it gives a false sense of security and ease of maintenance . The bearings need to be removed , cleaned , inspected , repacked and correctly preloaded at least every time the front forks are serviced .
The front forks need to be serviced regularly . Complete disassembly , cleaning and inspection .
local bearing house for wheel bearings paying attention to the front and rear internal wheel spacers to eliminate side loading of the bearings
The shell bearings for the swing arm are dead after as little as 15k miles and are unfortunately a dealer part .
The 630 chain in conjunction with worn swing arm bearings will oscillate and resonate at certain rpm even when new . If the chain has tight and loose spots in it as well I'm sure you can do the elementary geometry.
A steering dampener may not sound like a bad idea on the surface but on this bike all it does is cover up damage and lapses in service , maintenance and repair .
I have in 27 years of owning and riding the 1000 Police found it to be all but unconditionally stable with the exception of the above mentioned faults .

Look these bikes are abused , daily , at the hands of skilled riders no doubt but abused none the less . They are used in training , off road excursions (planned and unplanned) , daily encounters with curbs , bumpers of witless cage drivers and the occasional pedestrian . They take a beating . When they have filtered down into private hands they are released from service with all their bruises , bends , brakes and road wear . They take an exacting if not practiced eye to find all their sins and even then the gremlins can not and will not ever be completely eradicated from them . All you can do is manage the damage .

~kop

Well there ya go! I do agree that these bikes get really beat on. I just didnt know if there was a particular fixable issue. A rod style stearing damper should work as well, yea? Imay get one and just fab up some brackets. Not really a big deal tho, I just hold on

I have a cosmetic question, I have a 79KZ650 D and the forks have rubber covers on top of the lower legs. This bike had the big accordian covers. Can I get covers like on the 79 for this bike?

Also, I got the rear shocks, eBay specials. They are not Ohlins but a HUGE improvement over the OE shocks. The stock stuff had tons of miles and was set for a lot more weight. These feel soooooooo much better. The bike actually goes up and down in the back now! What a novel idea.

Oh, another thing. Here is a pic of the top of my tank. Whenever I fill up, the tank leaks. I dont top off. Is there any way to replace the main seal on the cap without buying a whole new fuel door? Also, there is no longer the little rubber seal on the vent nipple that goes out the back of the cap.

Any suggestions? I really want to paint the tank, but dont want to until this drip is fixed.

www.z1enterprises.com sells a replacement rubber gasket for the fuel door/cap.

awesome!

I always forget to check there. I bought a bunch of little bits I needed for both bikes.

Thanks again Mike!