TOPIC:

much nicer.
it never ceases to amaze me how wiring can get butchered up !!

leon

Hot glue and silicone is a new one on me! The GPz has definitely found the right person to get back on the road. I'm hot glued to this thread

I haven't did anything to the GPz as far as fab work due to really cold temps but it seems like I spent too much on parts the last couple days while being held up inside. Right now I'm waiting on what's suppose to be a '94 VFR 17" front rim, steering stem bearings, front brake hoses with splitter, front M/C, clutch perch and lever, another windscreen (because I broke a huge chunk out the existing one :doh:), inner fairing panel (never came on a '83 but did on the '84/85), Katana indicator light unit (since the stock GPz ones won't play nice with the Zx upper triple), and a Turbo model cam cover that doesn't have the emission crap on it.

I also did a quick budget analysis and I have about another $250-300 in parts to buy IF I don't have to replace the tires I'm using for mock-up. But at least my list of things to buy and parts to fab is growing shorter.

Later, Doug

I started a little side project for the bike yesterday while I was waiting for parts. I picked up a swingarm stand and modded it for SSSA usage. All I needed was the stand, a 2x6" black steel pipe nipple, 1"x1/16" square tubing, a pair of old 20x42x12 wheel bearings, a bent Vfr750 front axle, and an old R6 axle.

Some cutting, grinding, turning, and some welding and BAM!




I did get some goodies today.



And yesterday, I got the Katana indicator light pod. I think I'm going to mount the gauges on the fairing mount. This will allow me to put the lights at the bottom of the cluster. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to mount it. Perhaps an aluminum or plastic plate?



Later, Doug

nice job on the stand .
i believe these old bikes like to be kept sitting level as much as possible.
an aluminum plate cut out like your template looks like it would work nice.paint it flat black so it isn't distracting and your in !

i think

sweet parts score,can't wait to see them installed .

leon

Thanks for the comments Leon. I could have bought a stand for a little more $$ but then I wouldn't have the experience of making my own.

I have a 3/16" thick black plastic sheet that's textured on one side and smooth on the other. It'd be easier to shape than aluminum but not as nice looking. I'll have to see what else I have in stock in my garage.

I'm excited about my goodies. I still have about 7 packages coming with other odds and ends. Hopefully all the goodies will keep my busy until the bank account grows again.

Later, Doug

shoot use the plastic.

you can always do something different if you don't like it.

leon

Here's where I got the idea from.


I kinda like the dull aluminum but know it's gonna be a pain to fab. I'll have to see how much of each material I have. If I do go with aluminum and have to order some, what's a good thickness to use? Something like 0.09-0.1" should be fine, right?

Later, Doug

for me the thickness would depend on how i was mounting it as far as the amount of mounting points.

you don't want it thin enough to have vibration/buzzing problems.

leon

In the pic of your packages in front of the TV, that is a MASSIVE DVD porn collection! On a serious note, the gauge panel template you made looks cool. If you use the grained plastic, it would look like an OEM part. If you did aluminum, you could use a red scotchbrite and wipe one direction to get a cool brushed aluminum look. This would also help keep the glare down. I love the stock gauges. They are the same on my 1984 550. I'm planning on getting a set for my 78 KZ1000. Keep up the killer fab work man

The dash surround would only be thick enough for mounting the indicator lights (which are relatively light). I will make a bracket that fits to the rear of the gauges for actual mounting of the cluster.

Hafrod, on the 750's the tach is electronic and the Kz1000 is mechanical, in case you didn't know. There are ways to overcome that, though.

Later, Doug.

The '83 GPz's never came with an inner fairing but the '84-85s did, but used a different fairing stay. So in order for the inner fairing to work, I had to do some trimming and drill 2 holes per side to attach it. I did get the fairing trimmed but I'm going to have to make the cuts more symmetrical and clean them up. Drilling the holes was actually the easiest part. I bought some JDM fender washers or whatever they're called and will use them on the outside to dress up the screw holes a bit. I'll just have to get some 5mm countersunk screws instead of the normal socket heads I used for mock-up.







I next moved onto the gauge mount. I didn't take a lot of pics of the fabbing of it as I got on a roll. It seems sturdy but I'm afraid that over time it's going to fatigue.





The stock mirrors just seemed too large and bulky so I dug through my box of extra goodies and found some smaller Euro mirrors. Only problem is that they use a 10mm screw-on stem but the stock GPz uses a plate. Not a problem. Took some steel plate and shaped , drilled a few holes and welded the stem to the plate. While I was at it I installed the lower replacement windshield I picked up. The bike has a lower and more streamlined look now, IMO.




Later, Doug