1980 Kz750E

Need some help. I admit to being a “big dummy” as Fred Sanford would say. I thought I’d be slick and remove the fork lower axle studs before I sent the lowers out to be blasted. Well that was a bad mistake. I completely gooned up the first one so I decided to leave the rest alone. After vapor blasting I’m sure the studs will rust. Correct? I can’t find a listing for them separate from the fork lower. The one I pulled is 8mm x 48. I checked Partzilla and the lower axle holder is the same as used on several years of a 1000p. Unfortunately those fiche don’t show the stud separate. I checked the 1977 Ke250-B1 that is listed as using the same axle holder, it’s fishe does list the stud separately but calls it out as 8mm x 30, agin mine is 8mm x 48. If the size listed is not overall but the exposed installed length then I think it will work. Partzilla shows it next to a ruler and it appears to be about 1 7/8” maybe overthinking a $2.08 part but I’d like to get them replaced. 

 

So I broke open the piggy bank and ordered the axle clamp studs. Along with a few other small item, I figured I might as well shipping was cheap. It turns out axle studs listed as 8 x 30 is actually the protruding (visible) length the new one match up the the old in overall length. 

 

Should work. Stopped at the local hardware on the way home. 

 

 

Cheap installing tool worked great



Forks rebuilt and in the yokes. Might be all I get done for a little bit. Can’t paint parts in 40deg temps.

Looks like only about one inch of front suspension travel. I hope the roads are really smooth where you live. 

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Looks like only about one inch of front suspension travel. I hope the roads are really smooth where you live. 

No springs inside yet. These get fork oil levels set without the springs. Forks are completely compressed. After I torqued the clamping bolts  I realized I might have to rotate the upper stantions to get the schrader valve where I want them after the upper caps are tighten. One of the OEM rear shocks has the rebound mechanism broken, so if I’m gonna buy new rear shocks I’m thinking of new front springs and eliminating the air ride, as Nessism always recommends. Winter has set in we got about 3” yesterday and throughout the night so I have time to build up the budget and upgrade a few things. And no she hasn’t fixed the damn roads here yet, I’ll need all the suspension I can get.

 

Sonic springs are awesome.  Much better than stock, and no air to fuss with.

wrote:

Sonic springs are awesome.  Much better than stock, and no air to fuss with.

Do you reuse the factory top caps or did you find an alternate cap

wrote:

wrote:

Sonic springs are awesome.  Much better than stock, and no air to fuss with.

Do you reuse the factory top caps or did you find an alternate cap

I used the stockers.  The air valves are just decorations now.

wrote:

wrote:

Looks like only about one inch of front suspension travel. I hope the roads are really smooth where you live. 

And no she hasn’t fixed the damn roads here yet, I’ll need all the suspension I can get.

 

Perhaps a conversion to kLR 650 suspension would be a better bet 

Tex, we could use that upgrade here. Our roads are some of the worst around, despite several tax increases to fund the repairs. Come early spring it’s not uncommon to see 4-6 cars pulled off the road with two blown tires and busted rims each, after hitting a pot hole. Our current governor run her campaign three years ago on the slogan to fix the damn roads!  Just like all the shovel ready projects that never happened.

I installed Progressive Suspension springs and shocks on my 750 LTD. They were a significant improvement over the stock pieces. So good in fact, that I really started to notice how wobbly the forks and frame were