85 GS700 to 96 GSXR750 swap questions

[Billy Ricks]

Get the rotor, caliper, and hanger from the wheel you intend to use. The 4.5" GSX-R wheels were 5 bolt. You can check JT Sprockets for diagrams of the sprockets from different bikes and years to see what will adapt. They have drawings and dimensions. That will help verify which carrier will work.

[kingofvenus]

My 4.5 rear is from an '89 1100 gsxr, the 1100 wheels had the six bolt sprockets. 4.5 750's are five. 600 bandits have the same sprocket carrier as the gsx-f Katanas. The early '89 to '97 600 and 750 kats will work too.

[5t341th]

I just got my 2001 600 katana sprocket carrier. It fits into the wheel but it's too wide. I don't have any room left for the caliper hanger. Also, the bolts from the sprocket are rubbing against the swingarm. I guess I need a wider sprocket side spacer.
Kingofvenus, I want to keep my caliper hanging up on top like yours. Which caliper stay arm are u using? Am I assume u are using the 89 1100 caliper as well?

[Billy Ricks]

You're going to need to spread the swingarm to get the new wheel in and out without prying it apart every time. You can use a bottle jack between the spars to spread it. I needed about 1/4" for my wheel and hardware to slip in. When you release pressure on the jack the swingarm will want to relax back to it's original dimension. I had to go about an inch so when the jack was pulled out it would retain the spread I needed. Watch the welds and the dimples that are at the front of the swingarm where the spars first angle out.

It does sound like you have the wrong sprocket side spacer.

[5t341th]

heres my conundrum right now. The sprocket bolts hit the swingarm on each stud. Also, the tire is rubbing on the right side of the swingarm.

heres the sprocket carrier. is it pretty wide?


heres the sprocket side





and the brake side



NOTE: there is no caliper hanger there because i dont know which caliper to use yet....can anyone confirm? my axle is 17mm and I'd like to keep the caliper on top because i can't weld the new bracket onto the aluminum

[Billy Ricks]

If it's just the end of the bolts hitting either grind them off or use some washers on the inside of the carrier to pull the bolts back enough to clear. You can take meat off of the outside of the hanger and still keep the caliper aligned on the rotor.

Edit: Just looked again at your pictures. The wheel is pushed way to the right. I can get you a measurement off of my '89 carrier.

[salty_monk]

Is that a 5 cush rubber wheel or a 6?

If it's a 5 use a GS500 (90's twin) sprocket drive. If it's 6 use the stock GS one, not the one that came with the wheel.

[5t341th]

Thanks i will try grinding the studs a little bit.
i have a 5 cush. 1990s GS500? doesnt seem much thinner than my katana one. let me measure the depth of it

[salty_monk]

That was the solution last time this happened with a 5 Cush wheel.... You're not breaking new ground here. Hope it works for you.

You can also have 1/4" or so turned off the front (sprocket face) of the hub if necessary (make your own judgement about how much spare material your hub has, maybe more or less) plus it's also possible to cut down the cush rubbers & file some relief into the wheel hub to allow the sprocket drive to sink in towards the wheel 1/8" or so (you also have to grind down the sprocket drive spacer).

Grinding the studs is not going to give you enough movement to get it central in the swingarm by the looks of it.... you are way over on the right. (Unless that wheel is completely wonky in the swingarm).

[kingofvenus]

I just got my 2001 600 katana sprocket carrier. It fits into the wheel but it's too wide. I don't have any room left for the caliper hanger. Also, the bolts from the sprocket are rubbing against the swingarm. I guess I need a wider sprocket side spacer.
Kingofvenus, I want to keep my caliper hanging up on top like yours. Which caliper stay arm are u using? Am I assume u are using the 89 1100 caliper as well?

I took the stock stay arm and cut the ends off of it and welded them to a piece of 1/2 inch round tube stock i purchased from my employer. (i run plasma tables in a steel supplier warehouse) I still had to put a slight bend in it right at the tire edge. Caliper was early 600/750 katana, mount for it was from an '89 1100 gsxr. I had to machine some off the outside side of it (too wide) at the axle end, and had a new piece made for it where the axle goes' thru it due to the smaller dia. stock axle, and needing it narrower so it would fit in the swingarm. They are a two piece setup because the first gen gsxr's had a floating rear caliper mount. Other end of caliper stay arm was bolted to the frame on them.

[salty_monk]

I had a flat mount machined out of 10mm stock and used washers to space it on the wheel axle.

I used a stock gs1000/1100/850 caliper (stock 750 one is a side exit banjo, the one i used was rear exit) and relieved the casting on the back of the casting where the inside piston goes.

This is because I used the small gsxr rotor but there is a bigger one you could use where relieving caliper casting would not be necessary I think.

I had a stay made but you could easily Adapt one as Dee did.

I have CAD drawings for the caliper mount and stay if you want to go this route.

[salty_monk]

[5t341th]

Thanks for all the help guys. I know you guys are repeating yourselves over the years so I really appreciate it

I ended up buying a gsx600f rear caliper and mount because it looks like it hangs upwards in the stock fashion. I also ended up buying a 1990 gs500 carrier to try out. I don't have custom fab skills or equipment for bigger jobs. I just have a welder

[5t341th]

thanks for the clarification on which year GS500 carrier to use.
i received mine today and its about 1/2" thinner overall. i test fitted the wheel again today and it fits better; maybe too well. now there's a gap on the brake side of the wheel. i guess i can always use washers as spacers to make this center out.
BTW, it seems i wont need a offset front sprocket? it looks like it lines up perfectly with my front right now

heres a pic to show my progress!

[salty_monk]

Be very surprised if you can get a chain to clear without some offset at the front. (I.e. I don't think it lines up... Probably a trick of the eye). If you mount a 130 in stock wheel there just isn't 15-20mm of clearance between the tyre and chain which is what you'd need to clear a 160 (30mm /2 =15mm plus 5mm for clearance)

I ran a 6mm spacer from Z1 enterprises behind a 520 "conversion" sprocket (has a 2mm lump on one side) which I ran to the inside giving 8mm offset overall.

That provided about 4-5mm of clearance to the 170 if I remember correctly.

If you do what I did you have to grind down the back of the stock nut and use loctite (i used the red stuff) as you can no longer use a lock washer. (you can decide if this is a safe method or not).