Voodoo Vintage Custom KZ1000p Chop

[voodoo]

Okay... So Brian Thompson out of San Antonio, TX approached us with his request for a custom hard tail for his KZ100 Police Special.

Now, granted the fact that we LOVE singles and twins, we're not about to pass up a learning experience. And let me say... After tons of XS650, Suzuki Savage, CB, and Triumph builds... The KZ1000 seems like a freakin' MONSTER sitting in the jig! Damn!

We started with your basic (but very clean - thank you Brian!) KZ100p in the cradle...

Next stop was our HIGH-TECH alignment system...

Let the chopping begin! Here are the locations of the cuts required to remove the rear loop in one piece.

After a lot of though... We didn't bother removing the stock neck gusset. There's a ton of support structure hidden under there and I didn't want to open a can-o-worms if it wasn't necessary. Our thoughts are this: It's going to "blend" in to the lines of the tank regardless if it's replaced with a custom gusset.

A couple well placed cuts and CHAZAM! Just got an ass reduction!

Lower rails were cut 6-1/2" from the rear of the lower control mounts...

After everything was removed, we provided Brian with a computer Mock Up of his intended build for his approval...

And... Just to make Brian crap his pants... I sent this photo showing another weld-on hard tail design of ours!!! The dude almost called my bluff and went with it!

Shortly after, I sent him the photo of his ACTUAL hard tail mocked in place.

Guess what!... It didn't meet his request! Brian specifically wants to mount his rear caliper BETWEEN the upper and lower struts directly forward of the axle. That's what I get for NOT READING MY NOTES!!!

Soooo..... We re-designed the rear axle plates to accommodate enough room so the stock caliper has travel from the rear to the foremost position of the axle slot and threw a couple ideas his way. The only way to provide enough space for the caliper and retain all the entry angles was to lose a couple inches of stretch...

And then it hit me... WTF am I thinking??? Just "span" the axle plate you freakin' retarded bastard!!!

So... After some trial and error... We've cut and cleaned the axle plates and are ready to start bending and notching our tubes...

We'll post some more as we go until we've reached a full roller and hopefully Brian will assume this thread for future reference??

Oh... Anybody want to purchase a nice KZ1000p weld on hard tail for $250? Ha ha ha!!!! Seriously though... Anyone?

 

[voodoo]

Crap... How do you add a TAG after posting?? This thread was supposed to go in the Non-XS Related group!

 

[CDNTX650]

kz1000. That should fly down the highway.

 

[voodoo]

kz1000. That should fly down the highway.

No kidding man!

I have a guy in the shop... Says he test drove a KZ1000 chop out in California when he was twenty five years old. He builds shovel heads and evos and claimed that the KZ1000 was too much! He was afraid he would kill himself! Ha ha ha!

Personally... I'd install the largest rear sprocket I could find and torque it up!

 

[jd750ace]

Screaming Cheeta Wheelies- not just a band, but a way of life!

 

[voodoo]

Screaming Cheeta Wheelies- not just a band, but a way of life!

 

[voodoo]

It's slow going... But finally got a little more work done!

The following shot shows the side profile with the rear fender and seat mocked up...

After removing all that jazz going on up there on the neck gusset...

The all time classic - PAPER TEMPLATE!

Scanned and ready to put through the CADCAM

The new neck gussets cut from 10ga

The new neck gusset cleaned, bent, and welded in place!

Drilling the anchor holes in the neck gusset and lower frame rails

 

[scabber]

The bike will look good but that motor is going to twist that backbone and who knows what will happen after that. Usually crack and break Kawasaki didn't craddle that frame bacause they needed a place to hang the coils. A slug and plugg Metal fatigue ever hear of that. A good name for the bike THE WIDDOW MAKER.

 

[jd750ace]

I guess I don't see the same thing as the post above. While I'm not a hard tail fan myself (herniated disc will do that to ya) Looks solid enough for the business to me. That top tube is significantly bigger than the stock double cradle, and if it's heavy wall, I'd be more concerned with the socket it's going into up front, unless those gusset welds are carried over, in which case, I'd say it's a hell of a lot better than some of the cobbled up turds I've seen people running around on! If that motor is 4-pointed underneath, and catches a torque plate at the back, It should hang right in there. The neck might not be as stiff as the single backbone/double cradle hoop that was there originally, but the thing looks like it's on it's way to loosing about 200 pounds from your standard CHP bike, so I think it'll roll just fine. Nice machining and welds. Getting tired of crap that looks like it was ground down by hanging it out the truck window with a set of vice grips and dragging it down the road. Chop and hack, and dirt dobber welds. I refrain from specific comment, because I can't point to anything I've done better. I do appreciate when someone is taking the time to do a nice job though.

 

[voodoo]

The bike will look good but that motor is going to twist that backbone and who knows what will happen after that. Usually crack and break Kawasaki didn't craddle that frame bacause they needed a place to hang the coils. A slug and plugg Metal fatigue ever hear of that. A good name for the bike THE WIDDOW MAKER.

Took your advise and researched any information I could find on twisting a single tube back bone running a KZ1000 power plant. Couldn't find anything... Do you have a link providing some technical information on non linear torsion applied to a monolithic backbone/seat post configuration? I'd be happy to forward the warning to these guys:

And let them know that they (or their clients) may be in danger of structural failure...

Actually... You can't see it, but inside the length of the backbone, there is a titanium I-beam with hydraulic compensators and it's all tied in with a 7/8" Kryptonite Lovejoy coupling at the neck. According to NASA- it should have a side-force run out of no more than .012" at 1200 lbs linear torque.

 

[choppedliving]

Looks good, can't wait to see more.

 

[voodoo]

I'd be more concerned with the socket it's going into up front, unless those gusset welds are carried over, in which case, I'd say it's a hell of a lot better than some of the cobbled up turds I've seen people running around on!

JD, You're right on the money man! The neck gussets extend 1.25" past the butt weld on the new backbone tube. It's not going to provide a hell of a lot support for any side force, but it will definitely keep the slug coupling tied in! Thanks for the encouraging comments!

 

[Yamaha_chop]

Actually... You can't see it, but inside the length of the backbone, there is a titanium I-beam with hydraulic compensators and it's all tied in with a 7/8" Kryptonite Lovejoy coupling at the neck. According to NASA- it should have a side-force run out of no more than .012" at 1200 lbs linear torque.

Now it's too stiff, it's going to tear itself to pieces the first puppy you hit.

 

[jd750ace]

If you want the ultimate in torsional rigidity, use depleted unobtainium silicate in a 2" X cross setion with a .190" thick web with the Nitrogen enriched poly-chrome multi-leaf shebongalator outer coating and make sure to torque the engine mounts!

Looking good to me.

 

[3Deuces]

Looks great, David. Love your work!

 

[voodoo]

Now it's too stiff, it's going to tear itself to pieces the first puppy you hit.

You must have missed where I pointed out the "lovejoy coupling"!

 

[voodoo]

If you want the ultimate in torsional rigidity, use depleted unobtainium silicate in a 2" X cross setion with a .190" thick web with the Nitrogen enriched poly-chrome multi-leaf shebongalator outer coating and make sure to torque the engine mounts!

Looking good to me.

Ha ha ha.... Let me see 'em get THAT from Custom Chrome!

 

[voodoo]

Looks great, David. Love your work!

Thank you Deuce! It's been a learning experience stepping up from the the 650 and 750 cc's!

Hell... This thing is just a tad bit smaller than my Toyota Tacoma engine! Damn!

 

[scabber]

I guess I don't see the same thing as the post above. While I'm not a hard tail fan myself (herniated disc will do that to ya) Looks solid enough for the business to me. That top tube is significantly bigger than the stock double cradle, and if it's heavy wall, I'd be more concerned with the socket it's going into up front, unless those gusset welds are carried over, in which case, I'd say it's a hell of a lot better than some of the cobbled up turds I've seen people running around on! If that motor is 4-pointed underneath, and catches a torque plate at the back, It should hang right in there. The neck might not be as stiff as the single backbone/double cradle hoop that was there originally, but the thing looks like it's on it's way to loosing about 200 pounds from your standard CHP bike, so I think it'll roll just fine. Nice machining and welds. Getting tired of crap that looks like it was ground down by hanging it out the truck window with a set of vice grips and dragging it down the road. Chop and hack, and dirt dobber welds. I refrain from specific comment, because I can't point to anything I've done better. I do appreciate when someone is taking the time to do a nice job though.

The replacement tube is not bigger than the original tube a blind man can see that. Sorry to hear about your bad back. I have no qualms about david being a top notch fabricator. Since this his first KX 1000 chopper build. I questioned the wisdom of the choice of the small tube backbone and joining it with with the plug and slug method. He coud have made it in one piece. The hardtail frame will flex and that backbone it Has to handle the load put on it. The kz 1000 motor is not a 40 horsepower and is a monster in size and weight. I had a friend that drag raced a turbo charged kz and the brute force of the motor would do a number on the craddle frame when the motor tried to rip itself from the frame when he launched it. So if it would crack the frame. So can your design. you can laugh about it if you want. I don't find it funny. The examples of those choppers the first one looks pro built with the bigger back bone the other two I doubt it. By the way if you weld a plate to bottom of the tube where it joins that rectangular tube it will make the joint stronger. I will let you figure out why. Good luck on your build hope Brian can keep it on the road.

 

[jd750ace]

I'll cofess to a dose of dumbass on the tube statement(I'm not a blind man, so maybe that's why I missed it), but I stand by my assessment that it should be strong enough for the intended usage. Yes, the KZ1000P is a big lump of a motor, but it ain't no overdog in power. I'm sure a drag raced turbo equipped KZ was probably hard on a lot of stuff, but lets be realistic. A hard tailed KZ1000 air cooled custom in San Antonio Texas is not going to get fired off the light at 8000 RPM every time it leaves the line and ramrodded thru the gears in the next 6 seconds, with gearing shorter than a piss-ant's knees. I've seen some shit myself, but the simple fact is, a hardtail chop in San Antonio is most likely to take the straight line stability and parking lot manners of the frame to task, not the all-out geometric strength. In my opinion, going all the way forward with the backbone tube to the steering neck with a grafted in piece has the potential to cause more trouble than it's worth. As to the single backbone, the massive weight loss (trunk, bags, lights, front fairing adds up to near 200 pounds) is going to lessen the necessity for all that upper frame geometry, as the static bending and compression loads are going to drop quite a bit. Will it flex at the backbone, Yes. How much? Bet the guy will never rail a 90 MPH sweeper with the peg hogging into the ground and find out. As far as slug and plug, I've owned several bikes factory built with removable frame sections that are tied in to the rest of the structure in just that way on the non-removable sections. Would I do it that way, maybe not, but as I aluded to before, when I build my own, (I have not) I can do it any way I want.
It's easy to armchair someone else's stuff while they are trying to make a living and pay the bills. And people like us (I don't work in the industry) can just sashay in and tell ya how it's done? I'm not saying your thinking on it is necessarily wrong, just a bit out of context for what's going on, in my opinion. I often tell folks in my own profession that if they want to do things different, then they can get thier dicks off the table, put up some cash and sweat, get corporate insurance, Federal Certificates, and try to keep home, hearth, and business all flying on your daily decisions. Then they will be contemporaries, versus spectators, and the value of thier opinions will soar as the success of thier business does.