Knock-on effect

The joys of modding bikes... some things go smoothly, some not so much.

The smooth... the rear woodcraft peg for the brake side.  Once a flat had been filed in the threaded end, it sat nicely in the stock rearset, with the rear brake pedal pivoting as is should on the shaft.  Of course, you might also notice the stock header and yoshi muffler have been replaced with a Vance and Hines complete system.  Much lighter than stock, and the end can was also lighter than the yosh system.

The rear hugger went on with minimal drama as well.  One of the holes didn't line up perfectly (the front one, out of view somewhat) so I sleeved the fibreglass tab with alloy and drilled a new mounting hole.  Should keep the rear shock (the WP shock has been sent to Racetech already) nice and clean.







Now the not so easy part.  The zx7r brakes are not ideal, so along with the nissin calipers being cleaned and rebuilt, I thought I would use a spare zx10r radial master I had left over from my racebike.  However, the brake lines fouled on the throttle cables, and the throttle had an integral switch, so to use the radial m/c, I would need to come up with a switch solution and a throttle solution.  The clear tyvec hose can be seen, along with new venhill stainless lines.

I must say I am kinda proud of the electrickery I have done here.  The rocker switch is a tiny one from a triumph 675, and a bit of rewiring saw it work perfectly.  It is tiny and light, and a nice alternative to a fancy HRC item.  The throttle tube is obviously domino... the same company that provides throttles for motogp bikes.  The housing is a nice aluminum body.  However, I need to get a venhill throttle cable kit shipped to me, as custom throttle cables are required to make this all work.  I've made loads of custom throttle and clutch cables before, so it shouldn't be too difficult.  Will leave things open so I can access the carbs to change jetting to suit the pipe.  Will get rid of some of the emissions crap as well.

A bit of work...

New 520 chain, with renthal rear sprocket, and a new 520 front steel sprocket to match.  Also cleaned the rear wheel.  Bearings seem to be in good shape.  Installing and removing the wheel is a pain, but may get easier with practice.  Note swingarm spools installed as well.

The nissin 4-pots, taken apart and in the second soak.  First Simple Green overnight, then varsol, and the final step will be good ol' soap and water.  Re-tasked toothbrush comes in handy... as does old baking sheets/cake pans!

Left rearset installed with new solid mount woodcraft peg.  It requires a bit of grinding to create a "flat" to work with the stock rearset plates, but that was quick and easy to do.

More work scheduled for this weekend!

Let the improvements begin!

Step one, get some weight off the bike.  Like all my motorcycles, carrying a passenger is not a requirement, so pillion pegs, along with other items, can be removed.

HRC rear brake hose setup.  I had this lying around the shop for a number of years.  The original plan was to put in on the racebike, but the switch to a thumb brake on that bike meant this wasn't required.  Glad I held on to it.

Lightweight battery.  A Ballistic model that I had as a spare.  Charged it up, and it turns the big beast over quite easily.  Note the foam required to keep it in place.  Smaller and a fraction of the weight of the OEM spec lead acid anchor.

The shock -- found on Toronto kijiji.  Seller was obviously a knowledgeable guy, and it was taken from a bike that was ridden, not sat around.  It has been rebuilt once by LE suspension (back in 2005!), and has since had 20,000 km put on the bike.  It was also set up for a 165lb rider, so it will need a respring and a revalve, but long-time sponsors Race-Tech will do it for me.  After drooling over it for awhile, it will be back in the box and off to California for the service.



Nice!  You can tell KTM own this company, or maybe that's why they bought WP, 'cause of the orange adjusters...

High and low speed compression damping (and labeled for a muppet like me!)

The new project...

The sale of the EX650 and sundry racing parts has allowed me to purchase a 1999 ZX7R.  My goal is for this to be my one and only "do it all" bike.

As you can see it looks very green and very mean.  Like my old RC51, it is built in that traditional 90s style of slightly overbuilt, to compensate for serious HP being thrown at these things in race trim.  It was pretty clean, with a few cosmetic scratches, and a nice Yosh slip on exhaust.  Otherwise it was quite stock.  Got it for a bit of a steal (which is OK), and the good news is, MPI only charges a small fortune to insure these things...

Analogue!  Nothing digital here... even the temp gauge is old school.  Cable driven speedo... simple, if not a bit heavy.  31,000 km in about 15 years... around 2K a year?  Pretty low mileage.

My critical eye and racer-level of expectations means that it will need some work to meet my degree of mechanical readiness.  New tires, new fluids, chain and sprockets (still stock!) are step one.  The main failings of these bikes are the brakes and rear shock, while front end stability is still considered exceptional by modern standards.  Of course, if I am going to take it to the track, I need some spare bodywork as unmolested stock green fairings are exceedingly rare.  The only thing is, I've been spoiled a bit by radial brakes (even retrofitted to a commuter bike), and power commanders handling the fuelling.  Hard to believe I've been trolling ebay looking for a "jet kit"... remember those?
The ultimate goal is to get it up to snuff mechanically, and take it out to the track first to suss out the riding experience.  Come August, put a plate on it and see how far into fall I can commute on it.  I might try to go away on it as well, but that is unlikely this summer.  We'll see if this truly is a "Practical Sportsbike".  Stay tuned... lots of pics and info to come.