gs swingarm questions

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?

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?

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

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

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 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

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.