ZN1300 to KZ1300 Clutch Conversion

		ZN1300 Clutch Conversion

Last Update 8/22/08

The pictures shows what happens when you replace the clutch plates on a 1300 Voyager and don't get the bolts re-torqued properly. In this case the clutch basket exploded and busted a hole through the clutch cover. Pictures and conversion info provided by Nick Hoffman.

When the clutch basket was replaced, Nick chose to go with the larger clutch from a KZ1300 instead. As I understand, the Z1300, KZ1300 and ZG1300 all have the large clutch and only the ZN1300 Voyager has a small clutch. There's a few differences between the 2 bikes you need to be aware of if you want to make this swap.

In general, basically all they did was make a smaller clutch basket for the Voyager and took out I think 2 clutch plates. History now tells us that it was a mistake to put a smaller clutch on a heavier bike as all the Voyager clutches I've seen tend to slip, though there were some heavy duty springs available that helped with this problem. However, going to a smaller clutch did allow them to put a (thinner) clutch cover on and gave more foot-room on the right side. Then, they were able to add floorboards that were better positioned that they would of been.

The KZ cover has the same mounting holes, the only real difference is that it's a little wider and would interfere if you have floorboards installed. The other thing is that it has a sight-glass to check the oil level where the Voyager moved theirs to the left side cover. So now you'd have a sight-glass on both sides but I don't know if the levels will read the same. Be sure and get the mounting bolts along with the larger cover as they are longer than the Voyager bolts and you'll need them.

Swapping a KZ1300 clutch onto a ZN1300 Voyager might be a good conversion, but the first thing I'd do with a clutch problem on this bike is to inspect the plates. If the clutch plates look OK, I'd put them back in and simply add a heavy duty spring kit. The type of oil you use could be an issue with clutch slippage, as I suspect most car engine oils are not made to accommodate a wet clutch on a motorcycle and will make your clutch more prone to slippage. Apparently, the Vulcan 1500 uses the same clutch as the 1300 though not the exact same number of plates, but the clutch plates are available if needed. I have some heavy duty spring kits on my parts page, but they pop up on ebay from time to time also. Possibly the Vulcan springs would work.

The first one I'm aware of that made this swap is Nick Hoffman from Melbourne, Australia. Here's what he said about it:

"Well, the conversion worked. The cover panel is a touch larger and just rubs on my heel. I will have to learn a new foot position. I don't see any real issues with width or lean angle - there's so much crankcase and alternator overhang that the clutch width is irrelevant.

It wasn't a simple replacement, the bolts have to come with the replacement cover and the pushrod needs to be a different length. Pulling the clutch basket and refitting it was not simple, either - my mechanic had to make a couple of special tools to do the job right. The central nut from the Voyager unit was too fat for the recess on the KZ basket - it would fit, but with nil clearance for a socket or or even box spanner. My mechanic had to find a nut with the same thread but slimmer. Fortunately, he's fairly inventive.

I'll get some more feedback from him on the difficulties and post them to you. For now, I can report that the clutch is a bit heavier (stronger springs, maybe?) and seems to be less progressive and more "bitey". I guess I'll learn the finer points of control in a while, but for now I'm getting caught out on hill starts."

Here's a few links to pictures on Nick's trike -

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/Half/IMG_1729

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/To_AGM/IMG_0553s

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/Collecting/Voyager2

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/Collecting/IMG_0944s

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/To_AGM/IMG_0554s

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/To_AGM/IMG_0555s

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/Collecting/Trike_rear_viewJPG

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/Collecting/Voyager

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/Collecting/Trike_Voyager

http://nhoffman.gallery.netspace.net.au/To_AGM/IMG_0549s_002

NOTE: On these newer browsers I've noticed that they don't always display my large images in full size when you open an image from the thumbnails. Once you click the thumbnail and open the larger image, if you 'mouse over' the image you should see a " + " symbol or some other indicator like a box with arrows usually on the bottom right edge of the image. If you click on the indicator, then the image will expand to it's full size which displays full screen on computers that use a 800 x 600 resolution setting for the monitor. If you click the indicator again it will go back to the smaller image. Some people use a resolution setting of 1024 x 768 or higher on their monitors and for those users the images will appear smaller than full screen in size. You can change your monitor settings easily enough if you desire. Also, the indicator I've noticed is slow to appear even after the image appears to of completely loaded. The indicator in Netscape seems to be a lot faster to display than the one in Internet Explorer.

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