ELR "clone" front end

And so it begins!

Between Solumnrus and Fossil and the rest of you guys making me feel "left out" I finally got off my back-side and enlisted my buddy Brial Lewis (owner/operator of Extreme Cycle in Topeka, Kansas) and told him to bust out the welder and start a ticket 'cause we got some parts to order.

Patient: It's my old KZ1000J that's been ELR cloned. Years of foolin' folks turned it into a trailer queen and it finally got to buggin' me that I was now "that guy"

I yanked all the offending suspension parts and went to eBay for some 'project funds'...the parts were gone in a heartbeat and the money started changing hands. I had a set of ZX7R forks/triples/wheel waiting for the 'right project'. Brian took, the stock triple and pressed the stem out and pressed it into the ZX7R lower stem. He had to insert a bushing in the ZX stem as it's a little bigger. We ordered new steering stem bearings and he pressed them onto the stem. Note: use stock factory Kawasaki steering head bearings as there is some funky dust-seal thing on the aftermarket items that fouled the neck on the frame...we had to 'exacto' it off...very irritating. Lower steering stem and forks/wheel installed.

So far, so good. BIG thanks to Brian and crew at Extreme Cycle!!! (785-234-5007 <-- free plug! )

Post edited by: Bad Kaw, at: 2007/08/02 11:59

But now there's this little problem I like to call "doh!" or the stock steering lock thingy.

It must die!!! :evil:

...yum...

The ProTaper 1" bar clamps look like they were just a drill the holes and stick 'em in thing, but they weren't. The newer top triples are a lot thinner that the old stuff and it needed some sleeves welded to the bottom of the mounting holes for strength. Enter my boy Brian Lewis once again, welder in hand (after he custom machined the sleeve extensions) he welded them on from underneath. (I had pictures...they were consumed by the computer gremlins...bastards!). Still, with Brian's skill with a welder I'm ready to spin wrenches.

Note: the triples are coated with clear, welding them causes the clear to "yellow" and "brown" up. Access to a media blaster is crucial for a decent look during mock-up...otherwise the top triple would look like it came out of the fireplace.

That front end will be real nice......

Thanks!
And here's one with the bars:

And after installing the switches, levers, grips, and tank:

And from the front:

3/4 view:

And from the side: (can you tell I don't know how to post more than one pic at a time?:whistle: )

The Honda rear wheel has to go, though. I just put it on there to roll it around the garage. It's destiny is a different project. Still to do: ZX7R rear wheel, old school ZX10 swing arm (I hope), rear brake plumbing, 530 conversion with Kosman outboard bearing support plate, fairing/headlight mounting, and settle on what-to-do about the gages, a battery, carb clean (well refreshed as I cleaned them a year or so ago), and send the pipe off to get HPC coated black (it's got some surface rust that needs addressed).

Comments and suggestions are not just welcomed, they're requested from the population on this site.

-KR

Very nice done !!!
Is it the original ZX7R fork ? Do you have enough space between your exhaust and the road ?

What kind of rear shocks do you have ?

Very nice project !