Rebuilding the Mutant

After the hassles at PI last year I really need to get my Mutant rebuilt into the new frame before November so I decided to skip next Saturday's OP trackday and start the rebuild. It has to be ready for EC on October 10th so I don't have time to fart-arse around either, but while it's a part I'm making a few tasteful modifications too. At this stage it's stripped down to the bare frame with an engine in it and a pile of parts.

The plan for mods is:
zxr750r (M1) frame with the swingarm pivot located 2.5mm up and 2mm forward
zxr750 J swingarm with zx7r P alloy swingarm sleeve and alloy spacers
zx7r P forks and lower triple clamp. Forks to be re-valved and re-sprung by Terry Hay
zx7r P 6 pot callipers. Bendix race pads
520 chain and sprocket - gearing to be determined
Brembo radial master cylinder
LED warning lights
Push-button starter

Over the last few weeks I've also done:
Quick action throttle
Dynatec coils, 8.8mm HT leads and iridium plugs

I'll post more pics as the Mutant comes together

cool
If you need a hand (like you don't have enough pit-bitches ) let me know and I'll see if I can get a pass out.

I still need to grab the extra kawonda stickers off you too sometime - left them behind and keep forgetting to mention it.

very nice work dave, cant wait to see the beast

I cant eblieve KLEEN go back to the 7's ! farkin tree huggers !

Rapist !!!

Never noticed the sticker on the frame before - quite ironic with the recent dramas with Victoria's finest.

that sticker was its welcome home present....

I cant eblieve KLEEN go back to the 7's ! farkin tree huggers !

Mate, the yanks had it on their z650's, so it's been around since the 70's at least

Shit Dave you don't muck around. It'll be good to see her all back together

Well the Mutant is now back together and looking pretty damned good.

First of all some big thanks - a huge thanks to Robracer for the stickers. Mate, you're a deadset legend and worth your weight in gold. Your RT stickers now have pride of place on the tank as a token of my appreciation.

A big thanks also to greenman43 - you've supplied quite a few of the parts, much of the inspiration and that crucial banjo bolt on a Saturday morning in the middle of a long weekend to get me out of trouble. Cheers.

I also owe a big thanks to Richo for spending most of Monday in the garage with me trying to suss out the suspension - I think we both learned a heap along the way.

Thanks to Greenblood for the loan of some stock swingarm pivots - I think the TKA ones I've got will be OK, but appreciate the loan in case I need them.

Thanks to Sam (formerly of MAW) for all your help with bits and pieces too.

Finally, a huge thanks to Cath for tolerating my endless hours in the garage and surviving as a 'garage widow'.

Oh, and sorry to anybody I've forgotten

The rebuild started out pretty quickly - by the end of day one the engine was sitting on the floor waiting for re-assembly, and that's pretty much where the easy bits finished. The 900 engine is a *very* tight fit into the braced M1 frame, and for a while I thought I was going to have to take an angle grinder to the gusseting that's welded into the frame. In the end I got the engine in, but it's so tight that I can't take the rocker box off without dropping the engine out completely - makes those pesky 12's seem pretty low maintenance now.

With the engine in I fitted the J model swingarm up using the alloy P model pivot sleeve with the TKA developed swingarm pivots - up 2.5mm and forward 2mm and discovered that at some point in the stroke the swingarm touches the block. As it turns out I think it only touches outside of the regular stroke with the shock fitted so it should be OK.

Once the swingarm was in I could start fitting everything else back up - I took the opportunity to tidy up the wiring even further, removed the ignition switch and replaced it with a regular switch, wired up a neutral light, re-connected the temp gauge. I also added a right-hand switch block from a later 600 as the stock one was integrated with the throttle housing and the throttle was replaced with a quick action jobbie.

Added a BMC air filter (stock only, they don't do a race filter for the old 900s), fabricated up a bracket to mount the dynatech coils behind the headstock (because there just wasn't room to relocate them to the middle of the bike.

On Friday I picked my P model forks up from Terry Hay - they'd been off to be re-hard chromed as the chrome above the dust deal but below the oil seal was damaged (couldn't see it in the pics when I bought them). Terry also modified the forks using caps off a late 90s R1 (or FZ1). With the different caps the fork rods were machined down 20mm and I now have "proper" preload. Along with the new forks I bought the later model 6 pot callipers too, and a set of Bendix race pads (thanks Sam). I've also had a Brembo master cylinder sitting in the garage for a while and decided I'd fit it up along with the rebuild. I've also replaced the bulky rear brake reservoir with a piece of clear tube and fitted a keyless fuel cap. Finally, after a rapid dash around the city on Friday afternoon I got my new gearing sorted too and it's now running a 520 chain with 15/45 gearing.

To top everything off I've glued up the little cracks in the double bubble screen (cause I can't find a non-drilled replacement anywhere), cleaned everything up and finally re-numbered the bike to #3.

I can't wait for Saturday at EC to test it all out, then bring on PI in November.

A few pics












Brembo bling


6 pot callipers


Blingy ride height adjuster


It looks like a preload adjuster .... and actually works like one

Looks horn Dave, nothing like a new old mutant & its got numbers too

nice going dave!
great effort in the rebuild can wait to see it in the raw

very sweet Dave!
You're going to have to ask people how much time they've got when they ask what mods you've made:D
awesome stuff - bet you're happy it's done

Looks horn Dave, nothing like a new old mutant & its got numbers too

Actually, it doesn't! It's a factory supplied M1 frame with no numbers .... but importantly, there's nothing that appears to be tampered with and old mate copper assures me that's OK.

make sure you take some kind of ownership papers to PI

i know i am!

well done, mate! look like it did before only betterer