Kawasaki Project

gpzTurbo · 05-26-2007, 08:06 PM

I now have three of these that run. I've been told there's something wrong with me. Whatever.
I say they should hang out on WT for a while to see where the REAL crazies are!

I bought this off ebay just to keep as a parts bike. It looked like this:

It turned out to have a clean title and a good turbo, started right up with a good battery. But the
bodywork was trashed. Fairing was broken in too many places and they're impossible to find or outrageously price when you do. I'd been watching some of the guys on 750turbo.com fit newer suspension, mentioned it to a friend who agreed to give a helping hand, then found this on ebay from a 2004 zx636:

Bought the swingarm & wheels too & wound up with this after two days labor:

Eventually I took the tank off to see about having the dent pulled/filled & when I did, I found
that the frame tubes had been bent in a wreck & not quite straightened. Bummer. Explains all the fairing damage though. Forks must've been replaced already because they were fine.
Some guy had a frame & was only a few hours from me. Might as well have it powder coated, right? He was also selling his 810 motor. Ah what the hell.
HPU stage 2 turbo, Dyna 2000 ingnition, turboXS blowoff valve, ceramic coated header & turbo exhaust housing, billet gauge pod w/636 digital gauge, autometer boost & a/f ratio gauges, Duc Monster headlight, fairing, & turn signals, handmade kevlar fuel cel.
I picked it up from the machinist's today, shown still with the steel tank. Bodywork goes to painter next week. Gauge pod & brackets will get either anodised or powder coated. Hopefully, stainless 2 inch exhaust will be done soon. You don't see a keyswitch because it's getting keyless ignition.

It's all the little stuff that takes the most time - little brackets for everything, including the speed sensor on the front sprocket nut for the speedo & a new way to mount the airbox cover since we cut out the back of the airbox for the offset sprocket. That's just the tip of the iceburg.
I still have a bit of wiring to do but at least it's home again so I can plan around it. I'll weigh it when it's done but I'm hoping I've shed quite a bit off the bike's original 550lbs. You'd be amazed at how much the original wheels alone weighed. What a porker!
(btw, I'm not showing off the kids - they're just real stubborn!)

justintyme73 · 05-26-2007, 08:20 PM

Cool project, and nice story. I need to get on the ball and post some of my current project someday. Keep us updated!!

motorwerks919 · 05-26-2007, 09:13 PM

That is sick! The clip-ons especially look sweet.

**HondaJim** · 05-27-2007, 04:28 AM

Looks good. Keep posting!

async · 05-27-2007, 05:28 AM

I've gotta hand it to you, you're good with these things!

Nice work!

**Ken** · 05-27-2007, 06:13 AM

What a transformation! Keep it up!

royalchoppers · 06-03-2007, 10:55 PM

Dang it. Now I want one. Can you feel the turbo hit on those things or is it pretty mild?

BockHawk · 06-04-2007, 12:08 PM

Holy poop is that ever cool! You make my 440 project look very sad and weak.

gpzTurbo · 07-19-2007, 04:54 PM

Metallic blue/silver parts temporarily fitted to parts bike for stripe alignment.
Paint was in stock & priced right which was a determining factor in color choice. It's still going to get an orange pinstripe separating the two colors which will be on the surface of the clear and can be easily removed if it doesn't look right.

HondaStreetfigh · 07-19-2007, 05:33 PM

Good job man. That looks like you have been having a lot of fun and heartache, and soon something to be proud of.

If you don't mind. Approximately how much have you invested into your new custom ride? I wanna do something like that.

**HondaJim** · 07-19-2007, 07:25 PM

Sweet. Keep the post going. That thing is going to be nice.

**Ken** · 07-19-2007, 07:32 PM

Lookin' really good - nice work!

gpzTurbo · 07-19-2007, 08:28 PM

I've honestly lost track but would guess I have about 5000 into it + time spent bartering services for the powder coating, machining, alum. materials, and paint. All the 636 parts were bought through ebay & I paid a guy (former Kaw mechanic) to help with assembly.
It's got a Comp.Werkes fender elim. on it now and I think I'll use the billet led turn signals from oberon perf. Still looking for a cool taillight as the orig one is the size of a toaster!

Unsub · 08-05-2007, 10:12 PM

Could one of those turbos fit on my 919? Great front end and nice work.

gpzTurbo · 08-06-2007, 06:08 AM

Thanks.
That's a Hitachi ht10-b. It would be a good size for the 919 but it's hard to find one and parts are unavailble. The Garrett gt17 may be a better choice.

Good fabricators are impossible to find anymore. If you want to hotrod the 919 look into swapping a 929 engine into it. They can be found on ebay and in the end would be easier and cheaper than turbocharging. My bike is for sale but if it doesn't reach reserve I'll be engine shopping.