Project Kawasaki Z1325 part 18 The Chain Gang

I’m getting closer to the end of the build of this lavish beast of a Kawasaki.

The final build is a great time as all the shiny components are carefully assembled. It’s also a nerve-wracking time as one false move or slip can desecrate vulnerable paint. At this stage of a project I have towels laid out on the deck of my bike bench and parts sit in comfort rather than rolling around on the metal deck where they can get scratched. (Don’t tell She Who Must Be Obeyed!)

A major curse of the custom Zed builder, when using larger than standard wheels, is the final drive chain run. In this example the customer had elected to use a wheel that was massively wider than the hoop declared as appropriate by Kawasaki back in the 1970s when 150-width tyres were the fare of fantasies. One of the issues with sticking in a wheel of such girth is that due to the position of the final drive gearbox sprocket the chain will not clear the