Earliest pictures of the project. Will post more over time.

Disassembly almost complete -

ZX-10 carbon fiber front fender -

Stainless steel front brake lines, complete. This is the mounting bracket I made to hold the block -

yes, the dark line is stainless steel, I just wrapped it to protect it from rubbing against the front subframe.

The LSL Conversion Kit and Superbike handlebar, all mounted -

* Last updated by: privateer on 4/15/2010 @ 6:31 PM *

So what is the intention of your project. To modify a ZX14 into a Concours like machine, or rebuild a damaged bike and enhance it to offer more comfort for long runs?

Spyglass

Of course, I have to say, lurk some, read up, before asking. Because it has been discussed by various who have preceeded me and such for a long time in many threads.

But yes, turning it into a super-Concours 14, minus the shaft drive and weight. Have about a month to go, the extremely cold winter and so much snow kept me out of the garage this winter, after 8 mild winters.

1) dual radiator fans and cox radiator guard
2) Fiam dual horns
3) LSL Handlebar conversion kit
4) Stainless steel brake lines
5) Full japansese carbon fiber cowling (rear sides ("wings"), front top, front sides and bottom, foremans, front fender (ZX10), hugger, ram tube covers, tank cover etc.
6)ThrottleMeister bar ends (for weight only)
7) Concours 14 seat
8) SW-MOTECH luggage frame
9) Givi bags (not the PLX small ones)
10) Givi top case
11) HID headlights, LED marker lights
12) Progressive flash stop light module
13) Kanji decals and full OEM cowling liner pads

Pretty much it for 2010. Maybe next year I'll do the exhaust and a (Hub-ese incoming) piggy

Could I have traded it in for a real Concours 14? Naw, the above was expensive, but not motorcycle expensive.
And I would have done the carbon fiber, anyway, even on the Concours.

That's gonna be one fun ride.

I agree. Had to do it, bad disc in neck and back both, and not getting younger, so the LSL handlebar conversion is a savior. And, I want to do some seriously long trips, so why not have a 200 mph touring bike?

I followed the video directions for setting up the front suspension, and it is seriously stout now, will not dive quickly, and should make it steer pretty good and handle good. Will adjust the rear suspension before I get the hard bags on it.

Forgot to add, putting a laminar lip windscreen extension on, and a few other things. To put the top box on without cutting my rear top piece of plastic (between back of seat and the top of stop light), I purchased a European piece in the same color, which has the notch molded into it because they all come with the passenger grab rail installed. So the rack for the top box will go right in where the grab rail would be.

And before I go to far, I have to decide about tires. Anyone got any feedback on good tires for a ZX14 which is going to be basically like its two up all the time, weight-wise ? I'm not going to run highways a lot on purpose, but there may be times when I have to. Whats good these days in tires, and why?

I've been very happy with Pilot Road 2's, wearing well and excellent wet & dry grip. My Givis stay overloaded.

Word on the Street is: 1) Michelin Pilot Road 2 or 2) Dunlop Road Smart. On the Sport Touring Website some guys mix and match several different brands. I am going with the matching set. I have the Road Smart and have only put about 400 miles on them.

Privateer, have you actually tried riding with the LSL bars? I'm thinking of fitting these but I'm not 100% sure. Just want something a little more up-right with more leverage. I'd be interetsed in your feedback.

Re tyres, I use PR2's and find them really good - great grip and good (relatively speaking) mileage.

I have already fitted the SW-motech and top-case, works really well.

GSIG, with your setup, I would recommend the center stand as well. It makes loading your gear a little easier and no ground clearance issues.

Is that an MRA Sport Touring Windshield?

* Last updated by: slidderhd on 4/26/2010 @ 12:35 AM *

PRIVATEER....How about some pics Bro?

Slidderhd, "GSIG, with your setup, I would recommend the center stand as well. It makes loading your gear a little easier and no ground clearance issues.

Is that an MRA Sport Touring Windshield?"

Centre stand already fitted (justt seeit if you look carefully at pics)

The screen is Kawasaki's touring screen which I think is made for them by MRA. Cuts down turberlence tremendously but is still noisy.

Hello GSIG,

What center stand did you purchase? The fact that you can't really see your center stand is very appealing.
I have just purchased the same luggage and bracket system that you have (less the top case). For chain maintenance /spray, loading luggage, parked stability, and ferry rides, I really want to get a center stand.

Thank you,

Spyglass

spyglass said - Hello GSIG,

What center stand did you purchase? The fact that you can't really see your center stand is very appealing.
I have just purchased the same luggage and bracket system that you have (less the top case). For chain maintenance /spray, loading luggage, parked stability, and ferry rides, I really want to get a center stand.

It's the kawasaki stand. It was fitted by the dealer when i purchased the bike. From what i gather it's straight forward to retro-fit. You do have to lose the small rear under fairing though.

Pictures will be along soon. I just finished the fabrication necessary on the top cowl to make the headlight assembly fit.

A warning to all, if you are not a real fabricator (I am, and a machinist to boot) then making an MDI top cowl work for the street is something you may not want to try.

MDI makes beautiful carbon fiber. It is thin, well layed and vacuum pressure sealed, but they can't engineer mounting points for shit.

I had to cut down the bottom right and left mounting pillars, and also lay fiber and epoxy on the extensions which hold the pillars.

On the tail pieces, I had to cut out the pillars and re-fit them with fiber and epoxy because they were all wrong, and the tailsignals didn't come close to fitting.

Now that its done, it looks good, but I put more shop time in engineering and fabricating, in money terms, than the pieces cost me.

Sorry its taking so long. The winter was hellish cold for the first time in a decade, and I'm partially disabled and until the VA gives me new knees, I can't stand and work for more than about an hour a day. Even with full braces on. So everything is taking much longer than planned.

More horror story.... I believe Slow pointed this part out a year ago too.

The holes which line up with the mirror mounts don't line up, they are off about 1/2" to 1/4" (not all off the same amount).

I have the top cowl mounted now, just to mark the inside of the carbon fiber top cowl at the mirror mounts so I know how much cutting I have to do. Hopefully a rat file will be enough.

The wires and starters for the 4 HID units are hanging free, I wanted to see where there is room when the cowl is in place before I tie wrapped them all in. The ballasts are attached to the cowl with silicon adhesive already.

So the top cowl looks like its going to end up taking about 4 hours of shop time to make it fit, not counting drying time for the epoxy and fiber fabrication I had to do.

Update. Due to Blue07 comments, I added the Heli spacer to the GenMar and it is awesome. FYI. The bolts needed to use both risers are 8mm x 1.25 x 90mm. The only place I could find local and for $0.90 per bolt is Fastenal. No one else carries anything over 50mm in length.

Yes, Fastenal seems to have everything. I got my bolts for the TM bar ends and acerbis inserts there. Quite long, not what you'd find in any Ace Hardware. Heh.

GSIG wrote :

Privateer, have you actually tried riding with the LSL bars? I'm thinking of fitting these but I'm not 100% sure. Just want something a little more up-right with more leverage. I'd be interetsed in your feedback.

I've got them on, and have sat on the bike, but it is still on stands so no riding yet. Next picture will be of the inside of the top cowl to show all the HID components and then with the cowl and cf side panels installed.

At that point, I'll be able to ride it again and will post actual riding impressions on the LSL. All I can say now is I am sitting much more upright and it will be easier on my knees too.

Your bike looks really nice, GSIG, I want to do pretty much the same thing with the SW-MOTECH frame and case/bags, just haven't been able to afford them yet with everything else being done.

I'm so tired of fabricating carbon fiber to fix the engineering / mold mistakes, if I ever have to replace the cowling its going back to aftermarket plastic. But it looks nice. :)

Privateer,I'm getting ready to install the LSL set up on my bike,whats the bast way to dissconnet
the ignition switch?Do you remove the triple tree and unplug the wires or unplug the wires first.
Also there seems to be a plastic cover how does that come off.
Thank's
perrier52

When I took mine off, I started to remove the top clamp, and before it would come off too far, I reached down and disconnected the connector which left about 6-8" of connector dangling from the bottom of the top camp.

Not sure what "plastic cover" you are talking about. Mine was just plain straightforward. Easy common sense removal.

Thanks for the quick reply.I thought that it plugged in the back of the switch and the plastic thing on the back was a cover over the plug.Thanks again.
perrier52

Ok, I sat on it for the first time in 7 months last night. Photos will be forthcoming.

The upper cowl is on. The laminar lip is on. The HIDs all work. The led running lights work. The Back-Off brake light works (though I initially picked the wrong wires to splice - lol - electricians tape fixes much). The dual fans work great, I let her idle in the garage until the fans came on and they didn't have to stay on long.

Maybe the Engine Ice is working as advertised, too?

Before I button it up, I want to warm it up again, and drain the oil and drop the oil filter, and switch over to Amsoil synthetic. I assume 10W30 motorcycle is good?

So far I can't make the tank cover fit up, so its going back to MDI for replacement. But she should be fit for a road test pretty soon. Going to take it easy, since I had the triple tree apart and all, see if I got the torgues right etc.

Still cannot afford the Givi and SW-MOTECH pieces. Eventually.

Thanks for the update privateer. I'm eventually going to the SW-MOTECH myself. Currently, I just have the nylon saddlebags and tailbag. I bought the Zero Gravity ST windscreen and not too thrilled about the look and functionality. I may end up selling it. Too much buffeting at speed - mostly 80+. Head gets tossed about, but I do have a pretty large grill. Still trying to come up with a way to mount the Stebel air horn I bought as there just doesn't seem like much room for it. I may end up selling it and going with the mini Stebel. A guy with a ZX-10 posted info on how he split the one piece up into two, then ran a hose the length of the bike to where he mounted the metal piece under the seat.

I'm thinking the laminar lip is the way to go as well. I sure wish I could find a viable solution for the iPhone mount/power outlet. A guy on a Ducati Monster posted an article about this using a Biologic iPhone case, but I have the Otterbox Defender (more robust and better protection) and would really rather not take it out because mine seems to be more waterproof.

My next major upgrade will be the Akrapovic full titanium exhaust (4-2-1), Power Commander and HID conversion when money allows which might be awhile with the way things are going. Wife wants a pool in the backyard - still in the negotiation stages as I think they're too much work. I'm doing good to mow the bastage, let alone treat a pool.

Hmmm.. hard choice. Pool..... exhaust.... pool.....exhaust.....wife.....bike...... I won't go there!

I might get the givis and sw-motech parts on in the fall, we'll see. Maybe sooner if I find a good sale.

Next winter we'll see, maybe I'll finally do the exhaust. Ceramic coating is a must.

Several have posted on this forum, and the one before it, about the laminar lip. Which led me to purchase one. I'll find out how good it works in about 2 weeks.

A couple of us have used the Fiamm Hi-Lo motorcycle horns. Two horns, dual tone, electric, mount where the stocker is. I think it was blue that posted pictures of the best mounting position. I changed mine to mount the same way after I saw it. They are plenty loud.

Besides, based on accident statistics compiled by MSF and AMA and others, horns and loud pipes have near zero impact on the chances of being involved in a fatal or serious injury accident. Because such a high percentage of serious injury / fatality accidents for motorcyclists are from being rear ended at a stop light / sign, and from having someome pull out in front of you.

In both cases, you can't effectively use the horn and loud pipes don't alert the cage driver causing the accident because of the rate of closure. In other words, they might hear you, about the time they run over you.

That's good info. Thanks!