Planned mods for my ZX-7R

[ZX7RJoe]

Originally Posted by Turbo329

125/80 and 200/55

I liked the Bridgestone R10s however I was not blown away by rear grip. Since I have the ZX-7Rs rear end jacked up a bit I need better feedback and traction from the rear tire.

Both Marvic Rim and tires should arrive this week.

Going to do some more filing of the bodywork to get it nicer and then will begin priming and spraying the Blue.

I love the idea of a 200 series rear tire on the 7r, that would look sweet... If this works well for you I may go for a 200 next time I need a set.

Could you explain the thinking behind fitting a 200 rear and the 125/80 front?... I've never heard of anyone using anything other than a 120/70.

[Turbo329]

Originally Posted by ZX7RJoe

Well that kinda sucks, but it looks like the overall result is pretty good.

The windscreen thing and having to cut the belly pan would bug me. Could you have notched out the kickstand side to allow for it, sort of like the stock bodywork?

Once filed and painted I'm sure she'll look fuggin sweet. Is there a race tail install in your future?

I was talking to someone on Speedzilla and he was telling me that the same thing happened with his R1 when he bought the Superbike kit. The dimensions are different from the stock bodywork because it's narrower and lower profile. I measured the distance from the top of the front fender to the bottom of the upper fairing and it was 3 inches. Stock is 4 inches. So if I dive hard on the brakes they might (or might not) make contact. The streaks on my forks were exactly 3 inches deep so I'm only using about 3 inches of travel so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out on my first track day with the new kit. I forgot to measure the fender though. The top of the fender could be higher to accomodate a race slick. The Dunlop I bought is 125/80 so it's a lot taller for a larger contact patch while leaned over.

I'm not too bothered about the belly pan. I could have probably modified it to accomodate the kickstand but the exhaust also made contact which would have been just too much. In any case I would imagine that if I made this a race only bike I would just mold the sawed-off part back on to make it complete again. It's not too much work really.

[ZX7RJoe]

What about the 200 rear tire. Wouldn't that adversely affect turn-in and such?

[Turbo329]

Originally Posted by ZX7RJoe

I love the idea of a 200 series rear tire on the 7r, that would look sweet... If this works well for you I may go for a 200 next time I need a set.

Could you explain the thinking behind fitting a 200 rear and the 125/80 front?... I've never heard of anyone using anything other than a 120/70.

According to Dunlops site, the 190/55 and 190/60 are best fit to a 5.5in rim which are usually found on a 600. Under normal circumstances, 190s are suited to 6.0in rims but Dunlop rates them differently. Maybe it has something to do with their construction or edge profile. Who knows? The 200/55 according to Dunlop is ideal for the 6in rim.

Lots of guys running DMG Superbike need lots of rubber to make the bike stick under power. The same is true with the 600 class where those bikes make 130+ horsepower. Some make 140+hp. So technically those bikes, even though they are 600s, need the extra rubber of a 190. Just think about all the street based liter bikes that made 130-150hp and we were using 190s all those years. So Dunlop I think made a 190 that was specifically designed for a 5.5in rim. Again I'm just guessing here but it's the only way I can make sense of it.

As far as the 120/80 goes, Dunlop does this to maximize edge grip while at full lean and while trailbraking hard. The taller the tire, the more grip you'll have when leaned over. The flatter the tire, the more grip you'll have while accelerating. The trade off of a taller tire is straight line stability but you'll be more than happy once you tip it in.

[Turbo329]

Originally Posted by ZX7RJoe

What about the 200 rear tire. Wouldn't that adversely affect turn-in and such?

It's very possible but the effect will only be slight. When I rode at Jennings I think I was one of the fastest guys in the left-right-left chicane. Even guys that were faster than me, I made time on them in there so I'm sure I can spare a little bit of flickability for the sake of more drive grip which I actually struggled with in turn 11 at Jennings. On the 2nd day the back started to kick out pretty good.

Also keep in mind that I have both the stock ride height adjuster as well as the Penske Ride height adjuster so I can easily get another 5mm or so if I need it.

I'll be doing a 4 day weekend in May (also possibly 7 days straight) so I'm sure I'll be able to get it dialed in nicely and will report back with the settings/measurements.

[Turbo329]

Originally Posted by ZX7RJoe

Once filed and painted I'm sure she'll look fuggin sweet. Is there a race tail install in your future?

Justin actually offered me a race tail. I'm not really sure if I want to go down that route. I like having it as a back-up street bike and my wife likes to ride.

I need the carbs cleaned on my '02 and I've just been so wrapped up with the '98 trying to get it ready so I think I'm going to leave the '98 a 2-seater for now.

However, a cowl might be in order and I bought a Fiberglass repair kit so I may just go ahead and fill those grab-bar holes.

[ZXgreen7r]

I love how you really do get into your racing... I will never be that involved but I love to read about this stuff and learn so when I bench race I know whats going on exactly!!! hahahaha



In a side note my rims came back from paint... they look fuckin mint!!

Tires will be installed either late today or tomorrow.

Once the frame is done and I have the rolling chasis assembled I will take pics and make a thread!!



Keep your thread going!! Like I keep saying between you and Joe your thread keeps my build alive... (too much other stuff on the go right now)

[ZXgreen7r]

Originally Posted by Turbo329

Justin actually offered me a race tail. I'm not really sure if I want to go down that route. I like having it as a back-up street bike and my wife likes to ride.

with the race tail I can swap out to a stock tail in about 15min... I just keep all the parts in one box and all the spare hardware too...

the trick is to have a spare front/rear seat grab.

i removed the rear seat front catch to make it easier... and all i have to do is swap the whole assembly and the tail comes off and on easier.


the tail is still hanging in the garage...












The tail doesnt fit perfect to the tank like the stock fairing (it doesnt come to as close a point like the stock)

[ZXgreen7r]

It will need a good sanding and I put a bolt through butt pad on there using some foam and vinyl from a sotck rear seat.

[ZX7RJoe]

Originally Posted by ZXgreen7r

In a side note my rims came back from paint... they look fuckin mint!!

Tires will be installed either late today or tomorrow.

Once the frame is done and I have the rolling chasis assembled I will take pics and make a thread!!



Keep your thread going!! Like I keep saying between you and Joe your thread keeps my build alive... (too much other stuff on the go right now)

Hey man, when are we gonna see a build thread for this thing? If you've got paint to show off, it's time!

[Turbo329]

Originally Posted by ZXgreen7r

It will need a good sanding and I put a bolt through butt pad on there using some foam and vinyl from a sotck rear seat.

You know, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have one. If you still have it when I'm ready to pull the trigger I'll pick it up.

I actually just blew my wad. I bought two sets of slicks, that's $800 right there and I still need 2 more. Then I bought some MV Agusta parts for about $300 because my valve cover sprung a leak and I needed some spares for in case of the occasional finicky Italian mishap.

I'm about to pick up a Kendon 3 bike trailer ($2K); a new exhaust clamp ($65) and I'm seriously mulling over a rear hugger because my bike sprayed chain grease everywhere at jennings since I pulled off the stock one. And the soft Bridgestone sprayed rubber everywhere.

Then the Track days in May are about $1,400 (7 days - not including Memorial day weekend which would be another $400)

After that I might do a couple more days in July and then I'll devote the remainder of the season to street riding because I'll be broke as you-know-what.

[ZXgreen7r]

Originally Posted by ZX7RJoe

Hey man, when are we gonna see a build thread for this thing? If you've got paint to show off, it's time!

I think I will just talk about it for another 2 months then disapear!!!

If i pick up the tires tonight and get my new die grinder then I might get some pictures up this week.

[ZX7RJoe]

Originally Posted by ZXgreen7r

I think I will just talk about it for another 2 months then disapear!!!

When in Rome...

[RUGGEDMASCULINITY]

Originally Posted by ZXgreen7r

I think I will just talk about it for another 2 months then disapear!!! .

Cant wait to see them wheels,frame and body paint.Visuals are my fav part of builds!

[Turbo329]

Got my wheel back. Tires get here tomorrow. I'll try to get some pics up over the weekend but it's supposed to rain so we'll see.

[Turbo329]

Fore ease of access I put my winter work on my site:

http://www.threetwentynine.com/2012-Winter-Project.html

I should have more photos soon with the Dunlop Slicks etc.

[Turbo329]

[Turbo329]

Some good news and bad news.

The bad:

The rear rim still had some small deflection in it. So I've sent it back out to a different wheel shop. It was actually not too bad and would probably be fine on the street but since I'll be knee down at a buck thirty I need to feel good about it. So, that kinda sucks as the bike will have to sit on the stands a little while longer.


The Good:

The front slick is mounted on the rim and I fitted it on the bike to see if the taller profile slick (125/80) would cause any clearance issues and it was fine with room to spare. Not only does the Airtech fender leave room, there's also enough room for the tire warmers.


The Tires:

When I mounted the Bridgestones for Jennings I didn't need any wheel weights on the front wheel. With the Dunlops I needed 6. The rear needed 2 when I ran the Bridgestones but now with the Dunlop needed 15 which seems excessive but I believe that may have been somewhat affected by the slight deflection in the rim. So we'll see when I get it back.

[Bullitt]

Did you try remounting the tire 180 degrees from where it needed so much weight?

The factory likes to put the dot where it "should" line up with the valve stem, but it isn't always that accurate and remounting the tire in different configurations improves things.

Josh

[Turbo329]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

Did you try remounting the tire 180 degrees from where it needed so much weight?

The factory likes to put the dot where it "should" line up with the valve stem, but it isn't always that accurate and remounting the tire in different configurations improves things.

Josh

yeah we actually tried it. When we lined it up with the valve stem the wheel wanted 2.25. Then when we rotated it, it went up to 2.75 so we just put it back.

When I took the tire off and put the wheel on the balancer you could see the deflection in the rim with the naked eye. With the tire on, you could see the up and down motion of the wheel at that particular point in the rotation.