Cast wheel size

[RALPHARAMA]

I've just bought a brand new 'genuine Kawasaki' back wheel for my Zed, I hope.

The old gurl came shod with cast wheels, but they're not original and not a nice colour - gold wearing off black. Got a price to strip and repaint and it gave me a cardiac of the wallet, so when I saw a genuine brand new wheel on ebay which I managed to buy for not very much I though all my Christmas's had come at once. It arrived quickly but it looks much narrower than the one on it.

It is stamped up J18 x MT2.15 DOT . As far as I can work out the MT2.15 is the inside width of the bit the bead beds into and the J18 is the diameter, both dimensions in inches. The wheel on the old gurl is stamped up as MT2.75, which to me would suggest that the new wheel is 0.6" narrower.

Also seems to have three holes drilled in it, I am guessing one is for the valve. I have seen bolts coming out of cast wheels before but never really known why.

Does anyone know if this is the correct size for a zed thou?

[Steve R]

Morning,
You were up early! With regards to the three holes one is for the valve, the other two are for tyre clamps they are like rubber pads that go inside the tyre and bolt out through those holes. the idea is they clamp the tyre to the rim and stop it creaping round under hard acceleration. The zed was so powerfull for the time this was thought to be neccesary!

With regards to the rim size I have a Z1A so it will be different to yours but I have just bought some after market period lester alloys and was surprized that the rimm size on the rear was only 2.25 the same as the original steel rim. Someone sent me a copy of a period listing and at that time Lester listed a 2.25 for the z1a and an optional 2.75. So I wonder if its possible that there were two different sizes listed as standard for a z1000, someone on here will know.

[steve f]

you might of bought a z650 wheel ??????????

[Iain marshall]

Standard Kawasaki alloys like fitted to MK2 Z1000 are front 19x 1.85 and rear 18x 2.15, abit narrow by todays standard.Kawasaki offered the same wheels accessories for z1000 A1/A2 in the late seventies