hows it going all!? im looking at building a track bike, theres a project that caught my eye and am just looking for some advice. i have the opportunity to purchase a 1996 zx7r, its disassembled but complete, no title, for $500. can probably negotiate price a bit, but am looking into handling qualities more than anything. how to does the chassi and components match up, as a stock core, to other bikes of similar class? i understand that it is 12 years old and that updates will need to be made, but starting with a good core is what im looking for. good deal? good idea? lemme know what you think, thanks -mike-

 

Welcome to KF

Get the title in hand. There are too many stolen zx's out there to even mess with.

The '96 is a durable ride and is not a powerful...110hp but has a good power curve in stock trim. The suspension and handling is fair and feels heavy while railing corners. The ergo's are rider friendly I think if you like to hug the tank and the ride just feels heavy while sitting on it. This does make it a nice street ride however. ....and I like the looks of these rides.

For a track ride, you will still enjoy the zx7 but do not expect to line your wall with too many trophies.

 

alright, cool, thanks for the advice. i feel that, in my experience, although i love kawis, the heavy feeling is pretty typical, and im familiar with it. iv been into dragbike racing, where that can be beneficial, but i find that id rather be going fast AND cornering. i can wrench on bikes quite well, but have never built a track bike yet, so ill be looking into dos and donts before i get ahead of myself. Iv beaten a few around road america but never my own. i particularly liked the feel of the 01 r6 i rode. i feel like on a mild budget, they provide a decent bang for your buck? would something along those lines be a better choice? thanks again -mike-

 

If you are on a budget, hit up the lil' ninja 250, '05 6rr's, zook 750, the zook SV's are also a great choice but are priced too high no matter what yr it seems. Just opinions of course and there are other rides out there to have fun with. Heck, I have been playing with the idea of putting my VFR750 out for a track day and it is also a good street ride. I guess that my point is, is that you can be competent and enjoy the track with almost any ride. If you want trophies? Know your organizations rules and regs if you are heading towards that route before you pick a ride.

 

The ZX7R is an excellent track bike by the virtue of it's stability. I believe the bike would be awesome on Road America.

Lookk here for more info:

Turbo329 2012-2013 Winter Project Thread : Kawasaki ZX Forums: Kawasaki Ninja Forum

 

Agree with 2fat^. If you're a novice (no insult intended; class designation) the ZX7 is a rock solid bike to learn track chops on. In its day, it was designed for that; tons of development (ask Scott Russell, Thomas Stevens, Tripp Nobles, Miguel DuHamel. Plenty good enough for those guys!) However, like Drag said^, by TODAY'S standards, you won't exactly be on the podium. It's a solid, solid bike that is (IMHO) very user-friendly and considerably less electronic-laden than the new stuff. It's one of my all time favorite bikes.

 

Probably why I still own one as well. It launches extremely well for the hole shot, pushes the front mid corner but yet is extremely stable on a wet track once things (suspension) are dialed in and you have good throttle control to help rear wheel steer. Still a heavy ride though and will give you a nice work out.

 

so iv done some figuring. I think ill probably go forward with this over the winter. whats the consensus on this list, any waste or parts that i don't actually need here? Or, what am i missing. heres what iv got. Brembo: radial master, lever, wave rear rotor, full floater front slotted 5mm rotors. Set of 6 Galfer 1370 carbon kevlar pads. Maxxis DOT sport tires front and back. RK X-ring 525 chain and vortex sprockets. a set of frame sliders, i forget the brand, along with some bar end sliders/weights. I mainly want to focus on handling, correct me if im wrong, but more power isnt always a good thing while better handling will always make positive changes. anyways the grand total is around 1400 for the parts and if i can get the bike for 400 id have 1800 + time/labor into the project (+- maybe a 100 in misc parts or fluids). That leaves me with room for extras or other needed items in my budget and probably schooling. iv gather alot of information about applying the compression and rebound dampening of the forks and mono. to the road and how to balance suspension parts ect. ill probably look further into valving and springs for my weight (170lbs, 6' 0") hopefully i can put together a project that suites me for a fair amount of growth as a rider on the track. so, what you guys think?? thanks again - mike-

 

hmm, for the cheap....Front SS brake lines, your choice of brake linings, revalve and respring the front forks (the fork oil wt is generally mentioned on the instructions), replace the rear spring if needed. Your choice of tires, chain and sprockets to fit your track.

I do not think that any frame sliders are needed on the ZX or extra bar weights. Not much else is really needed to get your track weapon ready. Safety wiring and drilling of bolts etc. Good fluids. $1500 is a reasonable start for track. Your gear is generally more than what it takes to get a bike ready for the track.

 

+1 on all this. The ability to turn and stop is way more important than horsepower for any track bike. I'd start with what Dragone outlined here for you. I'd also look at taking all the weight off the bike that you can. That's a cheaper and more efficient alternative to adding horsepower. If you keep the bike for a couple years then I'd worry about adding horsepower later.