Z750S Projects

[Becca_007]

Before:

http://mei.net/%7Ebecca/Pics/Z750.JPG

Since that picture I've done a few small mods but the list keeps getting bigger!

DONE
Chatterbox Mount:
I've had an FRS-Multisport for a couple of years and at the end of last season I ripped the darn thing off my helmet. I never really liked it on the side of my head anyway so I decided to look into other mounting options and came across RAM mounts. The mount attaches to your handlebars so volume/on/off is easily accessible with either hand. The system has many degrees of variation so you can adjust to your liking. This placement also allows my MP3 player to ride in my tank bag and hook into the unit on the handlebars. Now the only cord that can get tangled is the one from the unit to my helmet and that hasn't been an issue. This is also the ideal solution for someone with multiple helmets. You do have to purchase a headset for each helmet, but everything else remains the same.

DONE
Rear shock:
Not a real big deal, but I decided to make the tail a bit softer in hopes of not jarring so much when going over bumps. I also hoped this would bring the seat height down a bit. All it took was digging the wrench out of the little tool kit (stored under the seat). Maybe it is only in my head, but it seemed to ride a lot smoother (bumps and railroad tracks) and possibly shift smoother.

DONE
Lowering Links:
I finally located a pair of fully adjustable dogbones. A guy in Holland machines them to whatever specifications you need.
Removing the first stock link was pretty easy; The second took some extra manuevering! When you remove that last part of the suspension the bike tends to move and bind making complete removal impossible without support in the proper areas. Already had it on a rear stand, but placing a jack under the midsection was the trick that solved the alignment issues. I can now almost flat foot the ground!

NEED
Kickstand:
Above I said I can 'almost' flat foot the ground because I'm not quite able to dial it down as much as I'd like. I have run into kickstand problems. In fact, I already raised it back up a few turns because the lean had me too uncomfortable. I should probably raise it back to full height until I get a new kick since it is still standing too upright. It's okay sitting in the garage, but only if the bars are cranked to the left. Turn them center and it's unsteady; Turn them right and it falls over. So, I've been in contact with a place that makes adjustable kicks. Like everything else, my bike takes a lot of measurement and research to figure out which part wil fit.

WANT
Power filter:
I love my chatterbox and to avoid having to change/charge the battery all the time I'd like to hardwire it into the bike's electrical system.

WANT
Fender Eliminator:
Damn it Mike! You sent me that link and it looks more and more appealing. My back end is pretty bulky and with the lowering rubbing is a concern. Well I don't think it's much of a concern, but it still would look better cleaned up some :). If the kit ($55) was all I'd have to buy I'd be all over it. However, I think the LED license plate frame is also requred to make it legal and that is an extra $65. I'm going to have to make an inquiry at the police station sometime soon.

WANT
Cruise control:
I think the Throttlemeister is the one I would look at the closest. I haven't reasearched the products much yet, but I have looked down plenty of times to be surprised at how fast I was going. I figure the cost of one of these would be easily paid for in the speeding ticket I don't receive (at least that's what I tell myself). I know that older cruise control systems were dangerous but everyoen I've talked to says they haven't had any throttle lock issues with the bar end types.

WANT
Luggage:
The more comfortable I make the bike to ride the farther I want to go. It would be nice to have some extra storage space that I don't have to carry on my back and I have found a toprack as well as sideracks. I always knew the toprack existed (Givi) but SW Motech makes both and they work with Givi. The hard luggage is expnsive though so I'm seriously considering this upgrade at this time. The racks alone would be $345 and then the cases are a good $130+ each :(.

I'll try to snap a few after pics tomorrow but only if it isn't too windy (don't want it falling over in the dang driveway).

[Timberwolf]

there are MUCH cheaper ways of illuminating the plate then a $65 frame...

[Becca_007]

Here is the mount I chose:
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/RamMount.JPG
U-bolt goes around the handlebars and the dual ball pivot system allows you to easily move it to the desired position.
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/Chatterbox.JPG
With the chatterbox in this position I can see every part of my gauges clearly.

There is the shock that I adjusted, and you can see what I mean by fully adjustable links:
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/Links.JPG
Just loosen the lock nuts, give 'em a few turns, tighten the lock nuts. and go. Almost...

Almost because this is how upright she now stands:
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/NoLean.JPG
There is so little pressure being applied to the kickstand I can barely even have it on the slightly slanted driveway (rolls backwards). This also shows the fender that I'd like to eliminate :).

[Razmiblackz28]

The kickstand fix is pretty easy. Cut it and weld the foot back on.

[Becca_007]

I know that can be done but I'd rather not do it that way. What happens if you go to the track and want it dropped even lower? Or, what happens if you want to sell it and the buyer wants stock or maybe even higher? I think the best bet is to find an adjustable one. The problem is getting the damn guy in North Carolina to call back and give me an answer instead of asking another question. If that falls through then I might have to consider the cut and weld option though :(.

[AL SS590 M6]

Good job girl. If you decide that you want it just shortened then get with me and we'll get it done.

[Becca_007]

The place I was calling for looking for the adjustable kickstand at seems to be a bust :(. Damn. Time to do some hard core searching and perhaps another custom fabricator.

[Razmiblackz28]

The place I was calling for looking for the adjustable kickstand at seems to be a bust :(. Damn. Time to do some hard core searching and perhaps another custom fabricator.

His name is Al and its called cut and weld. :heyhey:
If you want, buy a new kickstand and have it on the shelf for when you sell it.

[Razmiblackz28]

Fender eliminator kit...
http://hotmotorcycleparts.com/pro951016.html

[Becca_007]

I just really wanted one that I could continually adjust until I found the sweet spot. I'm not throwing in the towel quite yet on the kickstand. I can't believe that none of the other Kawasaki ones match up (not much confidence in the guy I talked to for 4 days, who wouldn't call back, email me, and asked another question every time I called to see if he found something).

Nice find on the fender kit though. I will have to see if it will mount up on a 2005 Z750S. Europe and Canada had the Z750 versions and a few years before the US finally got the Z750S (which they only made in 2005 and 2006). Does this mean I have a collector?!

[rod442]

I wouild say you have a collector. I wasn't aware they already dropped the smaller version of the z1000. I checked the kawi website, and sure enough; only the big bike remains.

[Razmiblackz28]

Check out Canada for parts. As its a more common model you may have better luck.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/03-05-KAWASAKI-Z750-1000-6R-ZX6R-LED-TAIL-LIGHT-SIGNAL_W0QQitemZ150122537458QQihZ005QQcategoryZ355 98QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/KAWASAKI-Z750-Z-750-Z-750-2003-2004-FENDER-ELIMINATOR_W0QQitemZ130114127940QQihZ003QQcategory Z35583QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/KAWASAKI-ZX636-Z750-Z1000-RR-03-06-UNDERTAIL-UNDERTRAY_W0QQitemZ160117909526QQihZ006QQcategoryZ 35583QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Kawasaki-Z750S-Z750-Z-750-S-04-Rear-Hugger-Black_W0QQitemZ110128274280QQihZ001QQcategoryZ3558 4QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Razmiblackz28]

Its still available in canada... http://www.kawasaki.ca/flx/model.php?s=3&l=en&m=1053

[NovaMan]

Get a new kickstand and modify one of them. If it's made of tubing, you could cut it, tap it, and use some threaded rod and nuts to make it adjustable. That what guys did with pushrods in the old days before there were aftermarket length checking pushrods.

[Becca_007]

Think I found a tail kit that includes short signals and license plate light for $58 shipped. Emailed the place and they said it should work on my bike (designed for a Z1000).

As for the kickstand: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I can buy a stock one from the dealer for $73. The place selling the adjustable ones for $110 say it won't fit but I still can't imagine that being true. Think I might head to the dealer with my measuring tape in a last ditch effort before I pull mine off and have it cut.

[Becca_007]

Bored with this thread yet?!

Updates:
Mike and I had a nice ride yesterday and it reminded me how much I enjoy just riding. On the way back to Kazoo I stopped by my stepdad's. We put my bike up on a read stand, removed the kick, and he took it to work with him. I still think a ZX12 or ZX14 would fit, but I don't want to take the chance on being stuck with an un-returnable internet item (instore credit only).

I keep finding other tail kits that I like a bit better or that I like different parts of better so I guess I still haven't settled on one. Also, I want to make sure that whatever I get is legal. My top choice is actually Canadian and specifically says it's not DOT approved but to call your local police to see if it's legal where you are.

I no longer want a power filter for my chatterbox. I did some investigating into the compatibility of different components and power for the unit I have wouldn't be compatible with the unit I want. So, I just need to keep my two batteries charged.

I think that's it for now!

[Q]

If it were me, I would buy the adjustable one and make it fit. Kinda like the headers on the Pinks car. Not made for it, but they will fit after reworking them. You just want the adjustable portion anyway.

[NovaMan]

What about just bending the stocker?

[Becca_007]

The damn thing was hollow after all. Made it nice and easy to drill and tap. Yay! So now I have a genuine John Deere plow screw in the bottom of my original stand. I am leaving the house now to trade the Vulcan back for mine and go out for some ride time to get the links and stand adjusted. Pics to come :).

[Becca_007]

I am wondering if the stand is low enough yet or if I will need to cut off that little wing (part your heel catches). But, here it is:
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/Kickstand.JPG
Definitely not done monkeying with it yet, but for now it is functional.

[Timberwolf]

Definitely need a foot on that. how about heating it, bending the head of the bolt on an angle to match the floor, then welding the foot back on? You may not get half-degree precision in lean angle, but I bet it wouldn't be noticeable and would be a lot better on asphalt.

[Becca_007]

That's where the monkeying comes in. I have my plastic foot to use underneath for now and there is a different bolt with a wider head that was on it earlier. I just haven't decided whether it needs to be cut more yet. I think I do want to cut more (that bolt is plenty long and will extend quite a ways while still being stable) so I need to see how cutting off that wing will go. After that cut I will be able to put the foot back onto the end of a bolt, or use one with a flatter head.

[AL SS590 M6]

You don't need to cut the wing off. Just cut it where it bends at 90¬? and weld it to the stop rather than to the tube. That'll give you another 1/2 to 3/4 inches of travel still keeping the heel wing.
As for the bolt, I would grind the head at the angle of the ground then weld on a small pad. Granted that you'd have to adjust it in whole turns but that way you'd not lose any height while adding the pad.

[Becca_007]

I added a new mod that was isn't my original list. After reading several different threads about the buzzy stock mirrors and finding that there was an easy bolt-on solution I put in a call to the local Harley dealer. Picked up a set on Friday and finally got 'em on today. What a difference. The Buell mirrors I got are much heavier than the stockers I pulled off. I don't have them adjusted quite right yet, but just the short jaunt back home has me pretty glad of the purchase. Cruising down the highway in 4th gear I could actually see what was behind me. I can't wait to get the aligned and go for a real test ride with 'em.

On the negative side: I didn't fully reassemble my front end and the annoying buzz I started noticing last year was magnified. Since it's partially torn down I think it's time to try and trace down the source. I hadn't noticed it as much lately but I always had my music playing :). Today I left the electronics home in anticipation of getting caught in the rain. Course on the plus side my goretex boots, ballistic over pants, and textile jacket kept me nice and dry!

[Timberwolf]

good to hear you stayed dry. I got caught int he rain yesterday on the way back from Portland. Got caught in traffic on I=96 because they had a bridge completely torn out. While sitting there I saw nasty looking clouds over my shoulder. Sure as shit, when I headed south on 69 it was all right in front of me. I was hoping to outrun it, but soon knew there was no chance. I got to Potterville and was still dry, so I almost turned off to wait it out. But I though of Al & Chris just another 6 miles down the road and figured maybe if I could make it to their house I could take cover, and worse case leave the bike there and call for a ride home if it didn't let up.
Well, 1 mile before the charlotte exit, it hit. And it hit bad. At the bottom of the exit ramp there was 3" of water. It was so dark I could barely see (I had sunglasses on AND a tinted shield). I pulled into the Quality Dairy gas station and right up onto their sidewalk under the awning. I was saturated at this point. Luckily the ipod and my phone that I had in my pockets survived.
45 minutes later the rain let up and I rode home with teeth chattering.

[AL SS590 M6]

good to hear you stayed dry. I got caught int he rain yesterday on the way back from Portland. Got caught in traffic on I=96 because they had a bridge completely torn out. While sitting there I saw nasty looking clouds over my shoulder. Sure as shit, when I headed south on 69 it was all right in front of me. I was hoping to outrun it, but soon knew there was no chance. I got to Potterville and was still dry, so I almost turned off to wait it out. But I though of Al & Chris just another 6 miles down the road and figured maybe if I could make it to their house I could take cover, and worse case leave the bike there and call for a ride home if it didn't let up.
Well, 1 mile before the charlotte exit, it hit. And it hit bad. At the bottom of the exit ramp there was 3" of water. It was so dark I could barely see (I had sunglasses on AND a tinted shield). I pulled into the Quality Dairy gas station and right up onto their sidewalk under the awning. I was saturated at this point. Luckily the ipod and my phone that I had in my pockets survived.
45 minutes later the rain let up and I rode home with teeth chattering.

At that point you still could have come over and dried off or called for a ride. Heck I wasn't doing anything I probably could have been convinced to take you home in the truck.

[Timberwolf]

I had ridden wet before, so once the rain had stopped and since I was already soaked, I just made a run for it. I was dryer by the time I got home then when I left charlotte. Just had to take a nice hot shower! :)

[Becca_007]

Wrenched on the bike yesterday and I have the scraped up knuckles to prove it :). There is something to be said for having the right tools. I actually do have the right tools (allen wrenches in this case) but I left them at my stepdad's... grrr.

So I started off by giving her a nice bath. I had a couple of rainy rides and she was pretty dirty. Took a few new pics in the front yard and then waited for UPS to show up with my fender eliminator. I took the stock fender off, snapped a few more pics, then killed time washing my moutnain bike. Lol. With nothing else to do I headed back into the air conditioned goodness of the house. UPS delivered about 3:30p and back out to the garage I went.

The directions wanted my to take the entire tail section off the bike which I thought was a little overkill. But, after finding my kit didn't include the wiring adapters (I guess I can't complain at the price I paid) removal of the tail was indeed necessary. Maybe this winter I'll pull it back apart to secure the wiring with more than the twists and electrical tape I used, but for now it works just fine. Anyway... I love the end result :). As soon as I take my lazy a$$ back upstairs I'll pull the pics off my camera.

Now when you start messing with stuff it always seems like something else acts up. Lowering, loosening the shock, mounting my chatterbox, changing out the mirrors, and eliminating my fender have nothing to do with my swingarm, but sure enough I have swingarm issues :(. I went to show the new rear end off to my stepdad only to get to their house and find the backplate for my swingarm missing. It's amazing I didn't see this when washing, taking pics, or working on it all day yesterday :loco: . But when I look back through my camera it appears to be missing even right after the wash. Think I might have lost it on my rainy Tuesday ride up to GR. Good news is the dealer is letting me pull the piece off the bike he has on the floor so I don't have to order and wait. And, better locknuts will now be holding both swingarm plates on. Looks like I'll be riding the Vulcan down to pick the part up and I'll be back on the road again tonight with my baby.

Pics to follow...

[Becca_007]

After adding the chatterbox mount, loosening the rear shock, lowering with dogbones, cutting/tapping the kickstand, mounting the Buell mirrors, a couple trips in the rain and then a bath :):
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/Left.JPG

Time to work on getting rid of the stock fender:
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/Fender.JPG

Went with a Targa but I had to do all the wiring (amazingly enough, it still works ;)):
http://mei.net/~becca/Temp/Bike/TargaTail.JPG

[Timberwolf]

looks much better! :)