650 swingarm bushings to bearings?

Ok so my project bike ia about ready to get the ass end tore off (again). This time i want to install new swingarm bushings; unless it is possiable to toss in some needle bearings.

So my questions are as flooows
1 can i use my 1977 c1 swingarm with bearings; or would i need to find a swingarm that came with them factory?

2 What would i need for the swap (if its possiable). Bearings, new pivot bolt? some kind of spacer? what?

3 would it be cheaper/easier/possiable to just buy a swingarm off another 650 with bearings and just drop in(errr well pound with a BFH im sure) some new bearings?

THanks any information would be great! I searched here; but it just occured to me i did not surch the archive...so im off to do that! Thanks again

You should be able to get away with installing the sleeve (it's straight instead of steeped like the sleeve in your bike) and bearings from a '78 KZ650C2 or '78 KZ650B2 into the swingarm on your '77.

The swingarm off of the '77 KZ650C1 parts bike I bought a few years back already had it done by it's PO, so I know it's "doable".

its been a while,but i seem to remember having to hone the inside of swingarm out on 900 swingarms to fit needle bearings in place of bushings.id just swap out the swingarm for a goodone with double needle bearings.

i checked earlier and found that the c1 and c2 have different part numbers for the swingarm. So im thinking it might be best to do a full swingarm swap.

Now the question is; are their any real differances between 650 swingarms? Will a 78 c2 swingarm be just as good a choice as an 80 something?

I just want to know what to look for. Thanks guys!

Are you going to all this trouble just to switch from bushings to needle bearings?

If so, I don't think it is worth it, some people with track bikes spend money to convert from needle bearings to bushings

There is one advantage, as these bikes get older it's easier to find standard bearings than bushings that are only available from Kawasaki.

steell wrote:

Are you going to all this trouble just to switch from bushings to needle bearings?

If so, I don't think it is worth it, some people with track bikes spend money to convert from needle bearings to bushings

There is one advantage, as these bikes get older it's easier to find standard bearings than bushings that are only available from Kawasaki.

The bushings are also available at Z1Enterprises. If the bushings wont come out, take the blade off a hack saw, feed it through the swingarm, then reattach. I sawed 4 deep grooves at all compass points in the old bushings, then whacked them from inside with a long drift. They came right out then.

So there is no notcable differance between bearings and bushings? I was thinking that the bearings would be the better system.

hardr0ck68 wrote:

So there is no notcable differance between bearings and bushings? I was thinking that the bearings would be the better system.

Some people say the bushings are better and some say the bearings are better, personally, as long as they are kept lubed, I don't think there would be a noticable difference