conversion help...baby ape hangers to superbike

My bars came today and I have them installed. As you can see I have to buy a shorter brake hose. I also have to mount the signal lights on the headlight brackets.

All in all a very easy upgrade. 1 hour so far and another for the lights and brake hose

Front view

That looks real nice Darryl. The black bars look good.

Sadly I wont have time to get to ny project...i have no garage and they say it's going to be raining when I have time available sunday...sigh. I drained the MC in order to turn the banjo around...it was tough, I don't think that reservoir cap had ever been off and I am certain the the fluid in there was original...it was a ll funky and chunky. I still need to flush out the crud and probably should rebuild the calipers as well...old motorcycles are so much fun!

I see that your clutch line looks good going between the gauges, does it work smoothly there? and did you stay on the left frame rail with lower part of the cable or did you fish it through another way...i have tried several routes and so far it seems like I am going to rout the clutch cable behind the first three exhausts and then up the right frame tube to take up the slack.

You are quik to do all that in an hour!

I'll post more when i get something done...but I am slowwww.

thanx for the pics...they help.

peace

pm me with the cable length u need and i will measure mine.i had it on low bars so it should be fine. i can email u a pic of the mc i have.

I have not changed the clutch cable yet as I have a Barnett Clutch Kit in the mail, should be here next week. As for the throttle cable well the carbs are at wiredgeorges getting rebuilt. The bike is in my kitchen so I have not been able to fire it up till spring when it goes out side.

My signals were on the bars before not the headlight. I have to mount them still.

I've got superbike bars on my LTD too. The brake reservoir hasn't ever spilled a drop. I just had to lean the bike a little when I changed my brakes and fluid.

I've got a clutch cable from Motion Pro that fits perfectly. I forget what bike it's for, but I kept the tab in case I need another one down the road (which is invariably where I lose them). I'll see if I can get you the part #.

The wiring is definitely a PITA. I pulled the harness most of the way out, cut the shielding and electrical tape off and re-wrapped it up real tight. I was able to take most of the slack out by folding it over itself under the frame. The real ugly part is the rest is crammed into the headlight bucket. I swear that thing is gonna pop like a jack-in-the-box the next time I open it. :blink:

Hey Logic...That's brilliant! See....these are the reasons to come to KZR and ask...even if it's a dumb question...then we find there really are no dumb questions. I like the idea of taking up the slack in the wires by simply folding them over and re-wrapping them...awesome. I don't think i would have thought of that. There is a lot of crap crammed in the headlight already tho...this is true...even the factory stuff that is in there is difficult to place. Mine seems like it's gonna pop just with what is supposed to be in there. Some of those dang connectors are huge!

What I have not heard from here however, is how any feels about the superbike bars as far as comfort and handling goes. This Bike I have is my first one in over 30 years...yeah, I am old. So...I feel that those baby ape hangers are goofy looking and uncomfortable to ride with...they really don't belong on a rice burner in my opinion...but please...do tell about the difference in the riding...is it worth the hassle and effort?

I still have another issue with this bike...i will post another thread when I ready to deal with it...but as long as all you kind fold=ks are offering so much great and helpful stuff...the deal is that there are a bunch of girthy headbolts on the motor...and there are two smaller head bolts near the #1 and #4 spark plugs. The small bolts on my bike have been broken by a previous owner...they spin around and I assume that they are snapped off inside. Something tells me that Mine are not the first ones to ever break on these bikes...so...what to do about those broken bolts is my next mission. Oil leaks from the seal there and at the cam ends on my '84 KZ1000 LTD. I'll post appropriately but if there is advice I will gladly take it now. send a PM if you have experience with this problem please. thanks.

And another thing...I would like a small faring for this bike...there is one available online for a reasonable price...I have only found one manufacturer but can't remember right now. Does anyone have input on a good li'l faring to complete the handlebar swap program?

please keep the posts coming...this stuff will help others I am sure.

peace

I like gnfreaks' T/S stems. clean lines, no hobbing and compact. also the shoulders on stems follow era lines. Tucker/Rocky offer stems in various lengths for @ $7.00 a throw, but aren't as attractive. Would rec. M/C swap as per others, not only because of leaking/possible air ingestion, But clean visuals and lever ergo's. Like what your' doing. G

Ok Gane...your post seems to support that there are two basic ideas for a swap like this.

1. If a guy has no money and really doesn't care what it all looks like in the end, then the stock parts can be made to work with few problems.

2. If a guy has a few bucks and wants things to work better and look clean, then replacing the brake control assembly, the clutch and brake cables & hose...and perhaps reworking the wire harness a bit, is the preferable thing to do (I really hate to cut up the original harness tho)

I will be looking into item number two. I want it clean and functional...safe.

thanx Gane

This may be a dumb question, but why will you need to cut into the harness?

When I moved the turn signals from the bars to the bucket on my KZ650-CSR, I simply ran the wires thru the stems. The only thing I had to cut was the teeny tiny grounding ring - I replaced it w a 10mm ring so that it fits over the signal stem inside the bucket. The stock wires are a little long & looped inside the bucket.

Shadetree, to clairify. the angle your' master sits is a safety item. it's ability to retain fluid at acceptible levels is paramount.excess cables and hoses can usually be routed to maintain function if not cosmetics. big looping bends wherever affordable are better than possible kinks. positioning levers to fit the hand rather than what works, is the difference between a "ride" and transportation. I frequently come across bikes which are "awquard to ride" simply because the bike has had a tip-over, resulting in bent levers, et:all. Make it safe. make it fit. if you can afford it, make it pretty. above all, enjoy. G

As for the small bolts on the outside of the motor, they are likely stripped,not broke.This is common and u can drill tap and Helicoil them.
I realy think using the stock master cyl is an acident waiting to happen. if u get air in there from too much lean angle or some strange tip over, your lever can pull to the bars with no stopping power.
I have a spare zx9 master as well as braided lines, but the lines are lt blue.