ZX10 USD conversion
 

Well into the front end swap thanks to the help and advice gleaned from this forum..

Various contributors ( They know who they are ) have contributed to this mod.
That's the great thing about this site, whatever you are or have thought about most times it's already been done and all the info for this mod was found on here.

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Still lots to do, I have to fit these white faces , I have the speedo as well !

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Pain in the A but I will have to disconnect the Oil Pressure gauge to remove the cluster and change the faces.

More pics to follow !

Goodonya mate, looking great, can't wait to hear your input on the ride with this front end, for me it made huge difference and heaps of fun to ride.

I know where you got some of the other stuff (lol), but what about the white gauge face?

One other thing, I recommend you run the forks flush in the triples...

Thanks guys,

Forks are as close to flush as possible.

These forks are way shorter !

Do you guys still or did you still run the shock spacer with a standard rear shock ?

Gauge faces came from Poland , they are on EBay !

Cheers

What brand of bars are those on the ZX forks?

They are Apex, don't know much about them.

I bought them from Mikstr and he very kindly provided the spacers for the front wheel as well as some pads for the Triumph calipers.

The bars are good quality and fit very securely and are easy to adjust to give me the same ergonomics as the original set up.

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I am currently wrapping my exhaust headers in preparation of getting the old girl down of the stand and back onto two feet to finish this mod off.

Getting anxious now !

I am not running a shim of the shock at the moment and all is ok. I have run into some front end instability at high speed in the past due to an overly tall tail, but that is not the case with these forks set flush. As far as a length comparison with the OEM units, remember that the OEM forks protrude above the triples (allowing the clip-ons to fit onto them) so this additional length which skews the comparison (to this set-up with the clip-ons mounted underneath).

As for the risers, they are Apex adjustables with the 4" riser option.

That looks really awesome Ken.

Maybe you need to fit the bars under the triple as you have in the last photo of the bare forks? That would allow you to slide them down in the triples another 25mm or so. Looks like the bars have plenty of vertical adjustment to get them back to a decent ergonomic height. With shorter forks you will be losing ground clearance in addition to have a more nervous front end, and you might have tyre/engine contact at full compression. That can be fun until you hit a decent bump at speed and get into a tank slapper.

Just my opinion mind, you're the boy with the spanners!

So what all did you do? What triples? Stock wheel? Machined triple?

I would figure a nervous front end would only happen with the geometry if the rear is too high in relation. Removing the spacer would stabilize it.

What are the details of the build?

Hey all,

Thanks for the information.

I didn't think about the original mounting of the clip ons above the tripple, I have mine below the tripple and the forks are mounted flush.

I will leave the back shock shim in place for now but may remove it after testing.

The details are almost identical to Mikstrs thread on the same, some parts came from him.

Tomorrow sees some Cave Time to finish this off, will post pics and a full description then.

Cheers

It's done and I have ridden the bike over a familiar mountain road !

What a revelation, the forks combined with the brakes and QAT make it a totally different bike and the biggest surprise is that the back end still cuts it!

Here is how it looks now!

Before

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After,

Attachment 21316

Only fitted the white tachometer face as I liked the contrast!

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Also did the exhaust heat wrap,needs tidying up as I did it off the bike,

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I like things to be symmetrical.

Well, now all I have to do is adjust a few things, get some more steering lock and ride and enjoy.

A satisfying adventure that returned great results that I'm sure will only improve with some fettling!

Thanks to all on the site that have contributed knowledge and parts to this worthy project.

Cheers !

what of the brakes? Have you bedded the pads in? What MC are you using?

Mikstr,

Had to use the stock master as I am waiting for a lever for the Triumph master.

Surprisingly it seems O.K, plenty of feel and a big leap forward over the F4i set up I had.

Pads are bedded in after a run over the mountain.

Now to go over everything, need to adjust the left bar and get a bit more steering lock on the left side otherwise it's great.

Also need to play with the settings on the forks but they are also a big leap forward and transform the bike wich is already much better in the rough than before.

I am really happy with this mod.

Now wondering what to do next ?

Maybe a new back shock just for the heck of it !

glad to see it's all working out :)

Is that a stock frame I see?

that's the spirit!

Must be a godawful embarrassment for the young man.

the trick is to hang around at joints where Hardley-ists hang out, you just know they'll never notice anyhow...

Smokin,

The build went on advice from Mikstr and the forum.

He da man that helped me out with the top tripple ,some wheel spacers and advised me on what parts to get.

I did use a 2009 600 rr lower tripple, all balls tapered bearings and 2009 Triumph 675 Daytona calipers with some ZCOO pads that he kindly donated.

A stock 10 front fender that I painted and some Apex riser bars that I bought from Mikstr as well.

I had to use the stock 05 brake master as I am waiting on a new brake lever for the matched master cylinder from Triumph. I got the Triumph master and some braided lines with the calipers that I bought. I am surprised that the stock master works well with the calipers, just had to get a longer braided line .

Everything bolted up just as described by Mikstr and the information that I got from the forum was invaluable as well.

Now I am going to file the steering stops a bit more and the set the sag and play with the suspension adjustments as well. I will probably have to do this to get the sag that I want anyway. I weigh 200 with all my gear on.

My first impressions are that this is a worthy mod that definitely takes the bike to another level compared to the front end that I had before, not just in handling but brakes as well.

The brakes remind me of what I had on my Tuono RSV4 ! and I noticed a huge improvement in the front end over rougher roads that I sometimes ride.

I will have a better idea next weekend as I am going for a decent ride and will make further adjustments as I go.

I know that you did a 10 swap as I read your posts as well.

Cheers.

Actually, I did a 1000rr on my B bike but haven't done my A bike yet. I have the zx10 forks and bottom triples in my garage.

I also have a 600rr complete front end. The 600 tubes are slightly shorter so I was nervous it would upset handling. (plus gold tubes are so trick looking).

So you just machined the triples to fit the tubes (1mm)?

If I don't use the 10R forks on the hawk they may go on a racebike.

Mikstr had the top tripple done by Jamie D, I think it was 2mm and the bottom 09 CBR600RR fitted straight in with no mods.

Hey All,

I have been looking at the VTR with the conversion and have come to the conclusion that the 10 front fender is butt ugly.

It's too chunky for the rest of the bike !

Opinions please !!

Which Triumph MC did you use ? Model ? Year ?

The Triumph mc is from the same bike the calipers came off. A 2009 Datona 675 .

I am waiting on a new brake lever for it so am currently using the 05 original master that surprisingly works well.

Went for a shall we say rapid ride today.

What a revelation, the corner speed and stability of the bike has increased dramatically.

The brakes, man these are killers compared to the f4i set up that I had. At first I was over braking like there was no tomorrow, then towards the end of the ride it all clicked, one great set up that I intend to fully explore as time goes on.

The pads are definitely bedded and are absolutely fabulous. I am so happy , it's like having a new bike that you instantly feel at home on.

After pushing the bike today I now realise that the back end whilst acceptable could do with a new shock, it's not bad, just not as good as the front so now it's time to research my options on that front.

I rate this mod as up there with the lightened flywheel insofar as the amount of influence it's had on the bike is major, just like the change in the bike after the engine work.

On to the next mod, funny thing is that I thought that the USD swap would probably be the last in a long list of mods, however I now realise that as this bike responds to changes that there are bound to be more.

YAHOO !

Looks okay to me, Ken.... maybe if it was painted red to match the other bodywork it'll blend in better?

Yeah looks fine. I would paint it red on the top and leave the bottom black. Or maybe the whole thing red.

Like this but red.

The front fender is growing on me.

I will get my son to photoshop all of the suggestions regarding it.

Thanks for the ideas.

My Triumph brake lever turned up today so now it's time to fit the radial master cylinder.

If I don't like it I can always go back to the original as it works great.

Cheers!

I want to hear the difference. On my cbr1000 brakes its like a 1 finger stop from any speed.

I have tried a few 1 finger stops and it does work however I feel I have more control at this stage with 2.

As this setup is so far advanced compared to the previous F4i units it will take a few more rides to become familiar with the capabilities of this new system.

I will keep the forum posted as I go.

Cheers

Pads are a huge factor. When I went with vesrah rjl pads it was overwhelming. Not a big deal on the street but had several high speed front end tucks on the track since my brain used the old amount of brakes and the front washed.

Those pads are not even available for the stock hawk calipers TMK.

I am happy someone else can now confirm what I have been saying for some time now about Zcoo pads. Best pads I have tried, and I have tried quite a few of the highly rated ones (Vesrah RJL and SRJL, HRC hard bite, Carbone Lorraine CL60), in addition to some others and Zcoo are tops (I would still be using them if I wasn't running Braketech CMC rotors - considering how expensive and rare these rotors are, I am using the mfr's recommended pads, Ferodo XRACs). Maybe others supposedly looking for top pads will now pay attention.

Same thing, with my CBR1000RR setup stopping from any speed and I can endow the bike with one finger, I got so used to using one finger that I'm getting in trouble on my other bikes after the VTR

I am already looking to buy a spare set of ZCOO pads for the Triumph calipers to have on the shelf.

I have read a lot about them and most of it very positive.

They are not the cheapest however, for the performance that I have experienced with them already, I am too scared to think of using anything else.

The feel and feedback from them is unreal !

I thought that the Tuono brakes were good, this setup shits all over it for power and feel !

Thanks Mikstr , once again your advice has paid off .

Cheers

It's been a while since I posted but I am still kicking. Some may remember I picked up last July a new 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 I've been busy modifying and riding (10,000 miles last year) but I still managed about 5,000 on the VTR despite it being down due to defective EBC front brake pads that ruined one set of newish OEM rotors and messed up a second set of rotors before I figured out it was the pads (doh!). The VTR is not complaining about being a treated like a forgotten child because with 106,000 miles it's happy for reserve duty for now (two spare engines waiting under wraps keeps the original 3/97 motor hanging in there with less than 5% leakage!).

Anyway, as I'm old and thus stuck in the 70's and 80's, I have maintained the OEM forks albeit revalved and resprung (mated with a Penske 2-way remote with adjustable length on the rear) with F4i calipers and EBC V-lite rotors front and rear. I have the EBC HH+ pads but have not been happy with them but think I'm having an issue with the RVT Sp2 MC unless even after a complete seal swap, the calipers are actually the issue (I may go back to the Sp1 MC just as a test). I get a slight initial softness or delay with IMO excessive lever travel. It seems to clear up for a couple hundred miles if I clean the rotors with Scotchbrite pads and 91% isopropyl alcohol but maybe I'm dreaming about that last bit as I have no short term memory. I've been looking for a well matched radial MC for quite a while that won't interfere with the fairing (without trimming it) as I'm currently running modified Danmoto 3D bars (after many years first with the Helibars then Tommaselli 3-axis bars).

My question is should I try the Vesrah RJL or ZCOO (which pad model type?) and where from and for about how much?

I'm behind schedule due to maintenance required on my FJ-09 on my VTR winter projects (install the Factory Pro EVO shift star, roller arm & spring which took 14 months to be made and shipped, Erik's 1# lightened flywheel, weld the right case guard that cracked due to vibration, and rebuild the petcock), so new front pads are just one more (relatively minor if costly) task.

BTW, what pads to you run on the rear? I really liked the SBS Low Friction (sub GG rated) pads but they are no longer available and I have not found an equivalent.

Vesrah RJL are an excellent pad (as are the SRJL), but not quite to the standard of the Zcoos. You can pick up the latter on eBay by doing a search and cross-referencing the calipers used. Not only do they work well in the dry, they are also effective in the wet and are said to be easy on rotors (didn`t have them on long enough to fully verify the latter, however). They are expensive but worth every penny IMO.

as for an MC, a stock Brembo unit from a later model Ducati (NOT a Panigale, however or other bike with M50 calipers) works very well with F4i c alipers

Thanks. As I need pads that perform well in the rain, as I am no sissy motorcyclist (a Shootist not a poser Gunslinger) who only rides when the sun is out, winds are calm and the temps are above 65. Now I'm not insane like Joe, no insult intended...

It says for cbr1000rr but looks right/

HONDA CBR 1000 RR 2004 2007 PLAQUETTES DE FREIN ZCOO RACING AVANT | eBay

or these?

HONDA CBR 1000 RR SP 2014 PLAQUETTES DE FREIN ZCOO RACING AVANT | eBay

Or these, $174 for 2 pair?!

ZCOO : Brake Pads Type C [ZRM-N004C]

or

ZCOO : Brake Pads Ceramic Sintered [ZRM-N004]

What about Dunlopad, I used to like them?

The OEM Honda banjo bolts are 10mm x 1.25mm but Brembo banjo bolts are usually 10mm x 1.0mm correct?

which calipers are you running?

Non sissy is good.

Like "crazy Joe" Andrea Iannone in moto gp

per post #35, F4i calipers and EBC V-lite rotors

same same pads as sp1/2, etc..