ELR "clone" front end

Very nice! That front end looks like it was meant to be there. You're not going to believe how different the bikes going to feel. It's going to feel lighter with a much lower centre of gravity, nimbler and the quality of the suspension, choice of tires and braking is like night and day compared to the 80's parts. There was a discussion here a while ago about welding triple clamps. Apparently you can!
Have you figured out what you're going to do about fork stops? I would suggest putting your headlight brackets on before setting up the fork stops - I didn't and one bracket touches the tank enough to take the paint off. If that wheel has a speedo drive you'ld be best to use a stock ZX speedometer and your stock tach. I have an Acewell speedo/tach and it seems to be quite accurate and stable as a speedometer, but the tachometer isn't the best, fluctuating quite a bit and mine is plugged into the harness in place of the original, not wrapped around a plug wire. It's also a bit hard to see at first but I've gotten used to it. Didn't help that the colour codes for the stock wiring harness were wrong in the Clymer manual. Hit and miss with a box of fuses.
I picked up a ZZR1200 swingarm off ebay from the ZZR1200 store in Quebec. New bike takeoff, complete for $100 plus postage. Very similar to the ZX9 and was a breeze to fit.
cgi.ebay.ca/BRAND-NEW-KAWA-ZZR1200-SWING...eZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
Thanks for posting, hope to see more.

Post edited by: Fossil, at: 2007/08/02 16:05

great job!that is going to look sweet when your done.do you know which bend(cr,kx,yz,rm)that your handlebars were?just curious been thinkin about changin bars on my z1r.

Joozz wrote:

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 !

Thanks!!!
Uh, "yes" and "no"...:silly: ...Yes, they're the original 7R forks, and no there is not enough room between the ground and the header unless I plan on driving on glass. The solution will be ZX9R forks...which evidently everybody wants as the last 4 or 5 sets that I've seen go on flea-bay have brought unreasonable prices...so, I'll wait for a decent set for fair money. The 9R forks will bolt right in.

Heh, heh, heh...good eye you have there; those are my Ohlins remote res shocks. They're a little taller than the stockers and they're made for a different bike, but I had my machinist weld on new top tabs on the frame and there they are.

Thanks for the complements!
-KR

531blackbanshee wrote:

great job!that is going to look sweet when your done.do you know which bend(cr,kx,yz,rm)that your handlebars were?just curious been thinkin about changin bars on my z1r.

I think I got KX, but my recommendation is to get as much pull back as possible as they're still a bit of a reach for most people. It's just that I don't mind the reach as I like a little more lean when it comes time to get with it.

Fossil:
Yeah, yeah, man! Thanks for the complements! This is the second bike that I've done a front end swap to...if you look close in the background you can see the first bike...currently going thru the next phase in it's life; but it's got the 9R forks and that bike is the way that I found out about 7R and 9R forks as I had sourced 3 sets of forks and went with a 7R set as it "looked" the best, but then we discovered the clearence issues and the 9R forks solved all that mess. You are right on the money with all your statements about going to the inverted forks and the 17s! Sticky buns, and handling on a whole different level! The goal for this bike is to be as good as it can be...yet still keep the wifey happy on the back when she decides to go with.

I made a little mistake on the fork stops by wacking off the original when I had (erroneously considered) a conventional gsxr front end. I'll keep your mount the fairing first advice in my head when I do the stops: THANKS!

Welding the factory triples: it's a sensitive issue. The key is a quality machinist and welder and fortunately for me, Brian Lewis isn't just my friend, he's both a great machinist and a super qualified welder. (Hear that buddy?! Another free plug!!! ) The next thing is to heat the entire component, in this case the top triple. If you don't heat it all up, it'll almost for sure warp on you.

"Clymer" manual, eh?:dry: ...I'm not sayin' nuthin':whistle: ...okay, I can't resist!:sick: I'm a factory only boy when it comes to manuals, but sorry that happened to ya!

Yeah man, my back end is still up in the air, so plans there could change, but I like the eccentric adjusters and the old ZX10 arm setting there would look real nice braced and blacked out.

Thanks again man!!!
-KR

531blackbanshee wrote:

great job!that is going to look sweet when your done.do you know which bend(cr,kx,yz,rm)that your handlebars were?just curious been thinkin about changin bars on my z1r.

Hey, one more thing while I'm thinkin' about it: if your Z1R has the stock handlebars the wiring for the controls goes thru the handle bars. Your top triple is cast for a 7/8" bar (tons of options available), but the ProTaper is a 1" bar at the clamp and it tapers to 7/8" at the controls and grips. Anyway, you will have to pull your switch-gear wires thru the handle bars if you're going to change bars. Not a big problem. If you ever want to go back to that stock bar, then you gotta re-fish those wires thru the stock bars.
Pardon my language, but that's a whore...been there, done that, not doin' it again. Had to use lots of soapy water and fishing wire and bad language to get it done and it wasn't fun.

Just an FYI.
-KR