1982 KZ1300 rescue and rebuild

We seem to have 2 choices Bucko - or hunting on fleeBay.

Stan, ive attached below some pics of a new genuine Kawa part for your comparison. To my untrained eye I dont think yours looks excessively worn.



Hope it helps - Cheers Tim

If a Steel gear is out of your budget I wouldn't hesitate to use the plastic gear, shown in photo. Yours has lots of life left. Mine - 1980 - 80,000Kilomemters is worn down significantly more then the one in the photo - still adjusts with a manual tensioner, is quiet and will stay in until it HAS to be replaced. The grooves would be from the chain-links.

Good news, great! Thank you for the photos and confirmation. I've seen before this gear looking like a bunch of sharp triangles so I thought mine looks still fine. The wear from the chain bothered me a bit but hearing your opinions I am confident putting this sprocket back in the engine,

I think I'd be staying away from the steel replacement and looking for a plastic one when it comes to this in the future. There must be a reason why Kawasaki didn't use steel, beyond the plastic one being perhaps quieter.

scotch wrote: If a Steel gear is out of your budget I wouldn't hesitate to use the plastic gear, shown in photo. Yours has lots of life left. Mine - 1980 - 80,000Kilomemters is worn down significantly more then the one in the photo - still adjusts with a manual tensioner, is quiet and will stay in until it HAS to be replaced. The grooves would be from the chain-links.

Is there a downside to using the steel gear?

Other than noise factor, my thought on this would be prevention of greater damage in case of a catastrophic failure. Having both metal made at the end would create a domino effect while having one nylon would ideally strip it and prevent further damage requiring more extensive repairs.