been a while between drinks for this thread as well
and quite a bit has been done to this bike in the meantime......
Having a look at the build photos above - well since then, I have sorted out a rolling chassis. With the GPz1100A1 now getting some ZRX forks - this meant I had a complete spare GPz front end complete with brand-new Tarozzi fork brace. Rather than just park this somewhere, I thought it would be better used on this bike.
All that is needed to change, to bolt in a complete 83 front end into a 77 frame - is a change of top steering head bearing
One with a larger diameter inner race. The outer diameter and width of the top bearing does not change, nor does the installed height.
So the complete ZX1100A1 front end was bolted in. At the moment I am still using a 19" chrome front guard (the ZX front wheel is 18") - so will have to source another front guard. But for the time being - the old guard looks fine.
Fitting the rear wheel was a tad more difficult
- the ZX1100 swingarm is a chunky rectangular section aluminium number, with a pretty wide spacing between the chain adjusters..........whereas the 77 swingarm is your standard skinny steel-tube shitter common to all early Zeds. The only good thing about the swingarm on Cherry, is that it was braced - quite well - many years ago.
So in order to squeeze in the ZX rear wheel - many things had to be made a bit thinner than they used to be. I had to shave off about a mm off the inside of the chain adjusters, use thinner-width axles spacers - that sort of thing. Went to a 520 conversion as well (using off-the-shelf standard Kawasaki sprockets - ZX7RR 520 conversion sprockets bolt straight up to the countershaft and the ZX sprocket carrier
)
But even with a 520 conversion - the chain run was not quite straight and the chain also fouled the lower inside of the ZRX shock.....I needed to shave 6mm off the sprocket carrier, to move the chain run in enough to run straight, and also clear the shock.
So managed to do that without too much trouble
and heh presto, the chain run is dead straight and everything works just fine.
I will get some pics - the bike has been a complete rolling chassis for over 12 months now, can't believe I didn't update this thread when I got the front and rear ends sorted ??
Anyway - fitted the motor as well - this is the OEM motor, but it had been fitted to Shadowfax when I did the demo laps with Croz a few years ago. It had a bit of clutch slip, so some new friction plates and updated clutch springs have been fitted. The rest of the motor is pretty much stock. When I have sorted out rego etc and got some miles aboard - the carbie conversion will be completed (using 36mm semi-flat slide CVK's from a GPZ1000RX that have been modded to suit the Z carbie spacings).
Did a lot of smaller finishing-off jobs today. Cleaned and fitted the original carbies, wired up a later ignition, sorted out some other minor wiring issues - and just before dinner fired the old girl up
Sounds great, especially with no muffler
but I just wanted to make sure all was good.
Dave#3 I hope you read this post - this is the bike slated for the CDT next year !!! Yes, the Bubba Zanetti Replica. I won't be fitting up any of the fairings yet, not until rego is done and dusted.
Stand by for pics - it looks quite good with the later wheels/brakes.