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shaft drive forks
- School Teacher
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here goes
i noticed looking at pics on the net that the shaft drive bikes have the front axle infront of the forks where the chain drive bikes have them on the end of the fork. the question is why? and will they work on the chain drive bikes? are they unquie to the shaft or were they offered on LTD's or other models? any disadvantages to them? are the z-1's through the j-models have the same forks(interchangable?). thanks in advance
ps. i realize it changes the rake/angle some(iknow there is a more technical word but it escapes me now)
1976 kz900 in parts but will be going some day soon
1980 kz1000G1
1976 kz900 parts bike
1979 kz1000 shaftie parts bike
1978 kz1000 33mm smoothies 1075 kit
Troutdale Oregon USA
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- donthekawguy
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1965 Suzuki Hillbilly
1964 Yamaha 125
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- FloridaBiker
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I will take a look at them Saturday and report on interchangeability.
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- mariozappa
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ps. i realize it changes the rake/angle some(iknow there is a more technical word but it escapes me now)
That's pretty much it.
The leading axle forks were used on some LTD models (not all).
I beleive it helped front end stability at speed, since the LTD's had a greater rake.
Post edited by: mariozappa, at: 2007/11/01 08:51
1977 KZ650C1
and the KZ650/KZ750 Conversion
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- KZ_Rage
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Well, I can't answer that with any real authority except to say it would allow a bit more travel without changing the rake dramatically.i noticed looking at pics on the net that the shaft drive bikes have the front axle infront of the forks where the chain drive bikes have them on the end of the fork. the question is why?
No, not interchangeable. They are unique in their tube diameter to the LTD's & standards and possibly are a tad bit longer but I haven't laid them next to any other 1000's forks....will they work on the chain drive bikes? are they unquie to the shaft or were they offered on LTD's or other models?
None that I can see except that they are rare in comparison to the others out there as they were only made for two years.any disadvantages to them?
.are the z-1's through the j-models have the same forks(interchangable?)
I believe you can interchange all of them but someone else that has personally had several model years can better answer this one.
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- wiredgeorge
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wiredgeorge Motorcycle Carburetors
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- RonKZ650
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321,000 miles on KZ's that I can remember. Not going to see any more.
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- KZ_Rage
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What bike are you looking to use these on or is this just curiosity?
1979 KZ1000E1 SOLD!
1984 KZ550F2 SOLD!
2006 ZG1000A6F (Totaled)
2001 ZRX1200R (Sold)
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- School Teacher
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1976 kz900 in parts but will be going some day soon
1980 kz1000G1
1976 kz900 parts bike
1979 kz1000 shaftie parts bike
1978 kz1000 33mm smoothies 1075 kit
Troutdale Oregon USA
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1976 kz900 in parts but will be going some day soon
1980 kz1000G1
1976 kz900 parts bike
1979 kz1000 shaftie parts bike
1978 kz1000 33mm smoothies 1075 kit
Troutdale Oregon USA
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- KZQ
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The use of leading axle forks was started in order to allow more front end travel without making the bike taller. Instead of the axle being on the end Yada, Yada, Yada. You get that I'm sure.
This was first started on dirt bikes and how or why it came to street bikes I'm not sure. It's true that, other considerations being equal, as you increase rake you increase trail. One way to add rake and minimize it's effect on trail is to move the front wheel toward the theoretical point where the steering head axis hits the ground. You can achieve this by moving the axle mount to the front of the fork instead of mounting it on it's end.
If you're considering swapping parts you need to look at more than tube diameter. When the designers chose an offset axle design they also designed the triple clamps to work into the equation. Look at a set of triple clamps that are designed to work with an offset axle, they are a bunch flatter. In other words the centers of the forks are not so far separated from the steering stem as they are on a set of forks where the axle is mounted on the end of the forks. Mix and match at your peril! I've uploaded a file to the filebase, it's in the "not model specific" section, it's called Moto Geo. It's a motorcycle geometry calculator. You'll need to change the file extension from txt to exe. Not to worry it's no threat. Once you rename it just double click and learn something. I did.
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- School Teacher
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1976 kz900 in parts but will be going some day soon
1980 kz1000G1
1976 kz900 parts bike
1979 kz1000 shaftie parts bike
1978 kz1000 33mm smoothies 1075 kit
Troutdale Oregon USA
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