ZX7R MINI MAKEOVER BEGINS!

[dutchy]

That top terrible looks mint. You really need to stop though. Your making the rest of us 7 owners look bad.

#triple# not terrible

[robracer]

Looking Good!

[paulsj]

Wow bike looks so clean well done! How did you clean up the triple clamp? Any coating on top to prevent corrosion?

[Jimmy82]

Was not really sure how to do it at first so I just started and was prepared to buy a new one if I stuffed it up. Gave it a very light rub with some 2000 and then some fine scotchy pad , looks amazing wet so to seal it I am got to finish it with some 2k clear coat . Next is to remove lower clamp and paint the bottom of the shocks as there is a few little stone chips and put it back together with my genuine front discs when they arrive.

[19andrew59]

This mob have been excellent for original parts:
http://www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-1997-p2-z ... partslist/

[Jimmy82]

New front brake discs arrived yesterday, they look so damn good...

What to do next???

[Jimmy82]

Hi guys,

Its been a while so I thought I would do a update on my beloved 7R .

Latest is;

Resprayed the frame
Cleaned and painted support brackets for front cowl and headlight to tidy it up like new
Cleaned all wiring , re-taped and replaced conduit in wiring harness
Resprayed forks legs
Fitted new genuine discs in the front
Also fitted a full akrapovic carbon system.... this is the only real aftermarket accessory on the bike, still in
two minds if I should refit the practically new stock system or just leave this on it.

Hope you guys like it, there is already the next load of parts coming from Japan ... so more to follow!

Wow I never expected this bike to cost me so much money, it just seems never ending.

[ZX9R Man]

I love your style.
Mini make over using genuine OEM parts. I was especially surprised about the availability and relevant low cost of the screen. These are usually unobtanium with a poisonous price tag.
Personally I'd store the original exhaust.
Beautiful work !

[ZX9R Man]

Removed the top triple clamp today and cleaned it up, looks amazing now... wish I had a before shot.
Also ordered new front brake discs last week, cant wait for them to arrive bugger they are x japan, will be
worth the wait.

Just wondering, did you have to sand this ? I assume the previous owner had a bunch of keys on on his ring and scratched the heck out of it.
Man that really bugs me. I only use the single key.
Is it possible to sand, then have it re powder coated in clear ? Can you have these alloy parts re sealed in powder ?

[ZX9R Man]

[quote="Jimmy82"]Hi guys,

Its been a while so I thought I would do a update on my beloved 7R .

Latest is;

Resprayed the frame
Cleaned and painted support brackets for front cowl and headlight to tidy it up like new
Cleaned all wiring , re-taped and replaced conduit in wiring harness
Resprayed forks legs
Fitted new genuine discs in the front
Also fitted a full akrapovic carbon system....

IMG_3407.JPG

I'm suspecting your a spray painter, would I be right ? I'm an old painter from years ago and restored a few bikes then, nothing lately..
Also, how did you manage to snare an Akrapovic system for that model. ? I'm struggling to find one for my 2001 E2 ZX9R. I think I may have found one though, still mulling over it.

[Jimmy82]

Removed the top triple clamp today and cleaned it up, looks amazing now... wish I had a before shot.
Also ordered new front brake discs last week, cant wait for them to arrive bugger they are x japan, will be
worth the wait.

Just wondering, did you have to sand this ? I assume the previous owner had a bunch of keys on on his ring and scratched the heck out of it.
Man that really bugs me. I only use the single key.
Is it possible to sand, then have it re powder coated in clear ? Can you have these alloy parts re sealed in powder ?

I gave it a very light rub with some fine wet & dry , then actually used a grey scotch pad to give it the finish.
I am going to clear coat it eventually, was not really sure how well it would look after time and to be honest
it seems to have done good over the last year or so. I may still eventually buy a new one as they are still available
for about $250 from memory.

[Jimmy82]

Hi guys,

Its been a while so I thought I would do a update on my beloved 7R .

Latest is;

Resprayed the frame
Cleaned and painted support brackets for front cowl and headlight to tidy it up like new
Cleaned all wiring , re-taped and replaced conduit in wiring harness
Resprayed forks legs
Fitted new genuine discs in the front
Also fitted a full akrapovic carbon system....

IMG_3407.JPG

I'm suspecting your a spray painter, would I be right ? I'm an old painter from years ago and restored a few bikes then, nothing lately..
Also, how did you manage to snare an Akrapovic system for that model. ? I'm struggling to find one for my 2001 E2 ZX9R. I think I may have found one though, still mulling over it.

I am a Panel beater by trade and have done my fair share of painting, the Akrapovic well there is a story behind that !
I was looking for ages with no luck at all, I did manage to find a place in the states that had 2 left but they were about $1500 plus freight
which added another $250 to the price.. as I always wanted this to be an original piece I could not justify spending $2k on something that
I really wanted to keep original. The stock muffler and headers are new, I found muffler out of Russia of all places ! ( they are wrapped up
and in a safe place as Id hate to think what its worth in new condition ) anyways after non stop searching I found a guy who was wrecking a
7 that in the pictures looked hacked to pieces already and had no exhaust in the picture.. so I thought to message him the first time and
just assumed there would be no way he would have the akrapovic carbon system that I wanted, anyways my curiosity got the better of me
eventually so a few days later I messaged him and asked if he happen to have a exhaust system and what it was... he replied I have a akra
full system in carbon ( I could not believe it ) anyways he sent me some pics and it looked old as I expected and had a few marks on it but
being the tinkerer that I am I offered him $350 and he took it to my disbelief. A couple of days later it arrived and sure enough it was not
in good enough condition to fit to the bike so I started my work on getting it to look to a near new condition. It was a painful process as you
could imagine trying to refinish it with years of solvents and exhaust deposits making its way through the porous carbon fiber which led to
several fry ups etc... at one point it looked so bad and I thought I had just destroyed it but I kept going and eventually got it to where it
is now and it looks unreal I think. Take a look at the before and after pics! ( I managed to buy out of the UK from a akrapovic dealer one of
3 remaining original akrapovic original heat proof decals that was originally used on the muffler as the sticker that was on the muffler
was not original and obviously not reusable )

[Jimmy82]

And after !

[Kwakked Up]

Great work

[ZX9R Man]

Hey Jimmy,

I had an inkling you had some kind of automotive re finishing experience judging from the depth of your attention to detail.
You seriously remind me of myself.
I was a painter by trade and did my fair share of panel beating... hahaha !
I tend to go nuts when I do things too and tend to shell out loads of cash, bit at a time, to restore something. Sometimes a cleaned up second hand item doesn't have that look as a fresh OEM item would and so I would just bite the bullet and purchase those parts that would really make an impact. I really don't like tacky Ebay made in China rubbish on my bikes. It's either a proper race derived product or OEM. Hence Akrapovic for exhaust. I wouldn't put anything else on.

So what did you end up doing to the carbon fibre to bring it back like that ? Did you coat it in some kind of heat proof clear ? Pardon my ignorance here, I've been out of the painting game for over 15 years and am not up to date on the modern age products.
Beautiful job again mate ! Love your style..