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zr-7s converted to zr-7

19K views 45 replies 21 participants last post by  MagicMexican 
#1 ·
Well, I gave my ZR an S-ectomy....

The wind noise that's been bothering me forever is significantly improved as well as buffeting. I can now ride down the interstate without earplugs...not that I will.

The gauges need a 'back cover', but I might replace them with an aftermarket gauge...not sure yet...I hardly ever ride the the rain...never intentionally. Also thinking about bar-end mirrors, but they are pretty expensive.

Anyway, here's a pic.
 
#34 ·
THAT'S A GREAT LOOK. IN THAT I RECENTLY CRASHED (2 MARCH) MY '00 ZR-7, I WAS LOOKING TO DO A SIMILAR MOD. DO YOU HAVE PART NUMBERS FOR ALL COMPONENTS OF THIS MOD? ALSO LOOKING FOR A REPLACEMENT TANK, AND GAUGES.
 
#8 ·
Well, that's one way to get rid of the fairing buzz forever!

To protect your gauges, have you looked at those really tiny flyscreens, or that little optional thingamabob on the front of Triumph's Speed Triple and Street Triple? Of course, you could get some gauges from a wrecked ZR7.

BTW, in the one pic your speedo cable isn't routed thru the keeper on the fender.
 
#9 ·
Thanks Doug...I noticed that myself after I took the pic...I guess I was in too big a hurry to give 'er a test ride. I fixed it.

I think what I am going to do (to keep it as naked as possible) is just purchase an aftermarket gauge. Acewell makes one I think will work (ACE-2852). I think they are only about $130. I called electrosport to order one and they are currently out of them.

http://www.electrosport.com/electrosport_speedo_2700.html
 
#11 ·
crg - bar end

So I got the crg bar end mirrors. awesome visibility and much less distracting than the 'mickey mouse ears'...but not cheap.

Anyway, I ordered a set of flush mount LP bar ends to allow room to mount the mirrors between my bar end and the grip ... since the stock bar ends overlap the lip a little. The LP bar ends fit perfect, but I soon discovered that they are much much lighter than the stockers and my hands were numb very quickly. So, I got some washers and a longer bolt to use the stockers. The stockers are not only heavier, but a lot longer too...which I quickly discovered (see pic).

Now what the crap can I do? They "work" as is, but the "folding" feature of the mirrors are now useless. I can position the mirrors in front of the bar end, but then the mirror mount "squeezes" my hand...which I don't like either.

1 - I can get the stock bar ends milled down to 7/8" and mount the mirrors directly on the bar ends (several Z owners have done this)

2 - I can get shorter bar ends that are as heavy as stock....anyone know where to get such a thing?
 
#12 ·
Is there enough meat on the bar ends to have a groove machined to allow the mirror bracket to be mounted to them?

Or maybe go with a "bar snake" or fill the bars full of sand or silicone or lead shot?


*Warning* Silicone can get messy
 
#13 ·
...it would be close, but I think there is enough...but there definately woudn't be a lot left


Will the stock Z1000 bar ends fit the ZR-7S? I think they are slightly shorter than the stock ZR-7S bar ends (see thread).

http://www.riderforums.com/showthread.php?t=6185&page=5

In this thread you might also notice that the non-folding version of the crg mirror is angled upward more, so I don't think I'd have this problem if I had that model of mirror...plus the folding mirrors cost more... :thud:
 
#14 ·
You need the heavy bar ends to damp the vibration. If you take them away, you need to fill the bar with lead shot or steel ball bearings. There are shorter, lighter bar ends available on eBay, I bought a set last year, or you can get the local machine shop to make you up something cheap from scraps.
 
#17 ·
I have been thinking about doing something similar to my bike. I want to be able to add a large plexi fairing during the winter and still keep the qualities I enjoy. I was wondering how much trouble it is to convert to zr7 gauges. Also, how complicated is the wiring to attach the double headlights pictured. This is the type of lights I visualized on my bike.

btw, great looking mods.
 
#18 ·
I *think* if you were able to get your hands on a set of zr7 gauges, then they just bolt right up....but the problem is finding a set at a reasonable price.

I just cut 2 pieces of flat aluminum that I got at Lowes and mounted my zr7s gauges....there are obvious disadvantages to this (i.e. all the exposed wiring on the back and kinda ugly)...but it works. I'm planning on installing an aftermarket digital gauge by acewell. Not sure how hard that's going to be, but I'll let you know when I get my hands on one.

The wiring isn't hard...just a little work...(disclaimer: I do have a BS in Electrical Engineering). There is no wiring diagram included with the lights, so you have to either have a manual or use a voltmeter to figure out which wire does what. If you get into it and get lost, you can always just post the Q on here and we'll help you figure it out.

I'm sure you can find a flyscreen that will follow the contours of a single or double light...I've seen them around, but don't know how hard they are to install.

hope that helps.
 
#19 ·
Nice job on your conversion 88bomber. I have a few questions about the conversion as I think I might be doing it also. Ok, how did you mount the two flat pieces of aluminum to the ZR7S gauges and to the bike, and do you have some close-ups of this? When you cut your windshield down to nothing how much better was it than your stock shield? How much better is the naked version than the cut windshield? Lastly, how much did all this cost except for the mirrors?

Thanks for any info.
 
#20 ·
Eric,

The aluminum pieces are mounted using the same bolts that hold the cable guides. See pic. Really simple actually, just grab a piece of aluminum from Lowes, cut to length, drill holes, and presto. However, The 1/8" aluminum I used is actually a little weak...they aren't falling off or anything, but the gauge cluster does shake a bit when you go over rough ground. I'd use something stiffer if possible. 1/4" is probably too thick...unless you get longer bolts...maybe 1/8" steel is the way to go...but obviously a little more $.

Cutting down the windscreen didn't make much difference at all...maybe a little a certain lower speeds (30-40), but over that and the noise was still unbearable. Personally, I wouldn't recommend cutting down the screen...unless you are just doing it for appearance...other than that it's a waste of time and screen. With my current setup, the wind noise is much better....there is more wind on my chest obviously, but it doesn't bother me no where near as much as the wind that the windscreen threw in my face. Buffeting is better too....as has it's been described before, "the air is cleaner" (less turbulent). If you want to experience the difference in wind noise, just stand up on your bike at speed...that is almost exactly what it's like after the conversion....that's one thing that convinced me to do the conversion in the first place.

For turn signals, I reused the stock ones, but had to remove the rubber part and use a piece of rubber hose to shim the stem (bolt). You'll see why as soon as you take them apart. See pic.

I built my own headlight relay kit using parts I got from www.partsexpress.com. THIS ISN'T REQUIRED, but since I went from 1 55w bulb to 2 55w bulbs, I thought it was a good idea. It works well too!

relay holder: $1.90 http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=330-078

relays (x2): $5.00 (2.50 each)
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=330-079

fuse holder: $1.25
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=070-675

You'll need some 12 or 14 gauge wire and your favorite connectors, but you can get those anywhere...I had enough lying around to do the job.


headlights with brackets: $218
reuse turn signals: $0 (there is some slight modification needed..see pic)
aluminum: $5-10
headlight relay kit: ~$15 (OPTIONAL)

I think that's it...beyond that, just a little time.

hope that helps...let me know if you need more info.
 
#21 ·
88bomber, thanks alot for that information and the time you spent taking the photos. Now I see how to mount the gauges.

Today I took of my ZG Touring screen off and then duct taped over the hole between the gauges and the headlight (about 3-4") and it was as quiet as when riding standing on the pegs. Just about no wind noise at all. I rode about 25 miles between 65-75 mph and it was great except it was very tiring compared with the windshield. This isn’t very good because I ride usually between 125 and 250 miles when I ride. Don’t know your height but I’m 6’1” wear a Scorpion EXO-400 helmet and have an inseam of 33”s for comparison. So did you try riding without the windshield and have the same results?
 
#24 · (Edited)
Erik,

We are exactly the same size and I wear a Scorpion EXO-700...small world. I really don't get that tired. I think the noise and buffeting fatigues me more than the pressure on my chest. However, I usually don't take long interstate rides, so take my comments for what they are worth. This setup is certainly a compromise...ultimately, you just have to choose between the lesser of two evils...or get another bike.

Stan,

I bought 2 of the relays (one for high beam and one for low), a dual relay holder, and a fuse holder (see parts above). Just plug the relays into the relay holder and then the project becomes purely a wiring exercise. Your experience/knowledge will determine how easy/hard this is.

Here is some good information about the pin layout of the relays.
http://www.partsexpress.com/resources/relays.html

I just attached the relay holder and relays under the voltage regulator (under the tank) with zip ties...but you can put it just about anywhere that is out of the weather a little bit. I did use some electrical tape around where the relays plug into the holder...just to help keep moisture out of the connections. Also, the relay holder comes with some of the pins pre-jumped, but not the ones I wanted, so I had to move the wires around...no big deal...you'll see when you get them. Stick to the diagram and it'll work.

See pic for wiring diagram...I did this really fast, so don't laugh!!!

!!!UPDATE!!!
I updated the diagram and added the blue stuff. Basically, I added 2 diodes to act as "quenching diodes". When a relay disengages, the inductor in the relay still has a magnetic charge and it tries to release that energy by producing a voltage in the opposite direction...very large voltage (up to 200v sometimes), but very small current. That voltage spike can damage transistors, LEDs, and other semiconductors on the same circuit. In stock trim, I don't think the ZR7(s) has any circuitry that would be affected, BUT if you use aftermarket gauges (acewell, koso, etc), then you might blow an LED without these diodes. Some relays have this protection circuit built in and others don't...you can tell if it is built in if the control circuit leads (86 & 85) have a positive and negative designation...the ones I used do not have the diodes built in. You can use the 1N4148 diodes, but other rectifier diodes will work as well. The 1N4148 you can get at radio shack in a small pack of 12 or so for about $2. Again, you don't HAVE to do this, but if you have any modern electronics on the bike's system, beware.
 
#26 ·
If you wired up your standard headlights using the wiring diagram above would it brighten up the headlights? I've had cars where I've done that and it has improved the brightness because obvouisly for cost cutting reason manufactoreres use the thinest and cheapest wire they can get away with. Was just wondering if it was the same with the bike or is the cable run that short it wouldn't make a difference?
 
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