kolby's FZ-07 S/R post-build thread

[kolby]

I finally wanted to introduce my FZ to the forum. I've been lurking here for quite some time, and after crashing my custom built KTM 690 last year, finally decided to build up an FZ as a replacement.

The goal was to have fun in the hills of the SF Bay Area, as well as being able to ride the bike on the racetracks around here (well, except Laguna Seca because of the noise restrictions).

So I bought a bone stock used 2016 in black with about 8k miles on it and started building it up while recovering from 8 rib fractures. Since all of this happened last year, and I don't have many pictures, I'll just stick to the list of mods:

Woodcraft Frame Sliders
Chinesium clip-on adapter for top mount (Woodcraft copy)
Arashi Rearsets (ebay)
Matris fork cartridges (Forks by Matt)
K-Tech Razor-R shock (Hordpower)
Yoshimura exhaust (Hordpower)
Hordpower Airbox
Hordpower ECU flash
Spiegler custom brake lines in front
Magura HC-1 brake master
 

I swapped the tank plastics for white color (all my bikes have a B&W theme), and took her to the track last October. 
While riding on the track I was working with Dave Moss to get the suspension dialed in. He made a video of the bike and the process of trying to get it dialed in. Someone recently posted that video here in a suspension thread, but here it is again:

 

After trying for two days, I still didn't like how the bike felt. I couldn't get any feel for the front end on the track. So I came back disappointed, and let myself be talked into buying a GSXR-1000R, which I built up over winter, but that is a separate thread for a different forum.

After riding for half a year on the street and on the track, I still wasn't having fun on the GSXR. It is an awesome bike, but it is just too scary. I just prefer riding fast on a smaller bike than riding slow on a superbike.

So in June, I decided to revisit the FZ07 and try again at making her work for me.

 

[kolby]

Phase 2:

The goal was to build an FZ07R, without the full fairings (FZ07 S/R for Street/Track). So I ordered up the tank cover and tail from Sharkskinz, and started 3d printing brackets to relocate the ECU and the regulator/rectifier. I kept the stock headlight at first, and 3d printed a mount for the license plate with LED strips for taillight/turn signals.

I gave the plastics a $30 paint job (in B&W of course), and started mounting everything up. 

[kolby]

The tank cover looks huge, so it needed a little decal to break up the vast empty space. 
I removed the super heavy Yoshi license plate holder that came with the bike and designed a lightweight bracket to moutn the license plate and two led strips to work as tail lights/turn signals.. The key to making the 3d printing work is that the license plate and the led strips weigh next to nothing, so the bracket doesn't have to hold much.

[kolby]

I had plans to make a little fairing/headlight combo using some LEDs from an R6, but ultimately decided to print a mount for a 7in round LED headlight. It mounts to the bottom of the triple tree. After I mounted it up I wasn't so sure about the size anymore, so I ordered a 5.75in light to compare.

I think I like the smaller headlight better. It is also a good chunk lighter than the 7in.
The speedometer is mounted to the fork via two printed brackets, right under the clipons.

[kolby]

I took the bike to the track at Sonoma Raceway (pictures in the trackday pictures thread), and had a blast. I had changed the gearing by going -2 in the rear and a 520 conversion, and the bike still pulls great, but has a better speed range in the lower gears. I had also installed a quickshifter, but it was cutting out while running mid-session, so it got removed. The only remaining problem was the stamping of the rear tire when coming into turn 11 at Sonoma (very slow 270 or more degrees turn for me in second gear). 

I have now installed a Yoyodyne slipper clutch, and so far, this issue seems to be gone.

I'll be taking the bike to the track at Thunderhill for 3 days starting Sunday and we'll see how the bike holds up. 

[howworkclutch]

17 hours ago, kolby said:

I just prefer riding fast on a smaller bike than riding slow on a superbike.

This.
 

Cool build. I can't wait to read about your experience at thunderhill.

I'm curious about a few things.
Which diameter brake master are you using and what are your thoughts on it?
What led to the geometric change to the front?

[kolby]

The HC-1 brake master is great. Awesome feel at the lever; I used Magura's application chart and it recommended the 15mm size. Of course a radial master is much better than the oem master., The only down side I can think of is that you can't easily find replacement parts like levers, in case you don't like the one it comes with or in case of a crash. I have the HC-3 on my GSXR, and it is amazing, if expensive. Same problem with the spare parts though.

Geometry: 

I kept running wide coming out of corners, with the added length of the k-tech shock and tightening its compression damping, and lowering the front, I get more weight forward, the bike squats less on corner exit. Now it holds the  line perfectly coming out of turns. Rake is around 23.5 degrees now.

Thunderhill will be interesting, because that's where I didn't like the bike last year. Now that several things have been addressed, it will be fun to see if it makes a difference. First day is the 5 mile course, which will give the smaller bike a chance to catch up with the superbikes on the west side.

[kolby]

Here is the bike in its natural habitat in the Bay Area hills. This is my daily lunch time run. Ignore the wobbly instrument mount, that was an older design.

 

[JMPFZ07]

On 10/9/2019 at 10:43 AM, kolby said:

Here is the bike in its natural habitat in the Bay Area hills. This is my daily lunch time run. Ignore the wobbly instrument mount, that was an older design.

 

She sounds nice!