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I love the looks etc but I’m used to much bigger much more powerful bikes.
This seems really happy at 60 mph and, as I’ve just rebuilt the engine, I’m not pushing it but what kinda speed can I expect to comfortably cruise at?
Job well done Mike.
Glad you got your MOT.
If you get it tuned and balanced right you should be able to get a reasonable 75 to 80 although your mirrors may look car headlights looking like the Mysteron’s are chasing you. I was doing regular 85 to 90 steady running from the North (250 each way) to see a girl in Kent which was only restricted by neck strength and fuel stops.
Hi Rich,
nice bike !
Is it a 16″ rear wheel ?You may adjust the rear brake pedal a little bit lower, that should be more comfortable.
My cruising speed is 115 km/h, approx 70 mph.
Everything above that causes the engine to “sweat” oil from it’s gaskets.I did the “ton” yesterday for approx 10 miles and the head gasket is gone now.
Oil is leaking out of it.Will give the engine a good clean and hope it is still tight up to 115 km/h 😉
Cheers, Michael
Yes Michael, the rear is a 16 inch LTD wheel, the forks wheel brakes are gpz550 in “B” yokes.
I’ve positioned the brake pedal to suit, though it looks a little high, it sits where I like it.
I gave the bike a 25 mile ride today. There are lots of vibes around 65mph that disappear at 70, 80 is ok but I was riding country lanes so that was quite fast enough as the chassis was getting a little lively!
The motor had few “weeps” of oil when I got back but was ticking over lovely, not bad for a 40 year old bike I think.
Has anybody changed the sprockets/gearing on the KZ? Just wondering if it is better.
I went out yesterday and did about 45 miles, Although it does go fast enough it always seems to settle back at a happy 55mph.
I bought my KZ to tour Romania this year but I just cant see it happening!
I rode my CB175 to Spain and back but it cruised faster than the KZ !!
I have a CX500 same year, pulls from 15mph in top gear and will cruise at 90 on the Autobahns.Hi Mike,
I regulary swap the front sprockets from 16 to 17 teeth.
That is matching the engine characteristic quite well.
The sprockets for Yamaha SR500 will fit and they are cheap 😉 Chain length can stay as it is.A very comfortable cruising speed with that transmission ratio is 115 km/h (72 mph). Constantly more than 130 km/h (80 mph) causes the engine to sweat.
My uncle loves to have that 17 teeth front sprocket and in addition he uses a 36 teeth sprocket in the rear. He is happy with that (over 100.000km on that Twin!), but you will need a chain guide / swing arm protector to prevent the upper part of the chain to “grind” the top of the swing arm.
We use aluminium rear sprockets, that reduces the bad vibes during hard acceleration in 5th gear at around 50 to 60 mph (90 to 110 km/h) a little bit.
Cheers, Michael
17:36 is almost identical to 18:38, which is what I use if possible. It takes the edge off acceleration, but the engine works so well at low revs that it copes fine, plus it makes an even better sound going through narrow streets at low speed. If you’re merciless on the throttle it can cruise at 90 (indicated!) fairly happily, although you might want to get your fillings checked first.
Hi Lonesome,
I have tried the 18 teeth front sprocket but it only fits when you remove the “half-moon shaped” front metal chain guard. In addition I’ve found that the chain can touch the clutch pushrod and grinds it a little bit. After seeing that I refused to use 18 teeth front sprockets.
Does it work on your bike without any issues ?
No, you need to remove that guard, but otherwise I’ve had no pushrod issues. Thinking back my bike was VERY high geared (80mph / 130kph @ 5000 rpm) so I might have had a 36 tooth rear as well. I have an Excel sheet somewhere which worked it all out. I can be as anal as Kaptain sometimes 😆
Sounds like an 18 might be worth a try, I put a 1 tooth larger front sprocket on my FJ1200 road bike and a one tooth smaller front sprocket on my FJ1200 track, The difference between the two was amazing.
Well, might there be a difference in chain size ?
Ok, I assume we all go with the stock 530 or aka DID50 chains. In the end this specifies the “inner” dimension of the chain and form of sprocket teeth.
I typically use high quality O- or X-ring chains, no standard chains without any rubber rings in between.
No idea, if the link plates are smaller or larger with the different chain types.Maybe that is the reason, if the chain can “touch” the clutch pushrod or not ?
Cheers, Michael
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