Galfer FD156 pads slot into the six-pot calipers and really wake up the Zed's brakes. Galfer steel-braided lines also improve feel and help chop a bit of weight thanks to the elimination of the crossover coupling. GP Suspension went to town on the 7's Kayaba fork.
Buttoned back up, Serpa's Ninja made considerably better power. The last Zed-Seven test bike we had through here punched out 108.6 horsepower and 53.7 foot-pounds of torque. Anthony's mule, before we got our paws on it, made 106.4 hp and 53.6 foot-pounds. As configured, it put out 111.9 peak hp with slightly less peak torque. Compared to the stock bike, the modded Zed has marginally more torque between 3000 and 6000 rpm, and considerably more from 9500 rpm to the 12,500 rpm ignition cutoff. More power is always good, and it certainly helps keep the hefty Ninja on its toes.
Beyond extra thrust, This Old Bike benefits from better suspension and dramatically improved tires. Bridgestone BT012SS buns replaced the OE Dunlop D204s, with the rear going to a 180/55 from the stock 190/50; the front is a 120/70. The 'Stones are nicely rounded and compliant, plus sticky enough for any kind of halfway sane street use. The taller, narrower rear quickened steering without impacting stability. (Hell, this bike has enough inherent stability for three normal sportbikes. Call it the Queen Mary of canyon thrashers.)
The Kayaba inverted fork went to GP Suspension (www.gpsuspension.com, 503/723-7793), whose owner, Dave Hodges, was until recently a partner in the Circuit-1 suspension business. He revalved the innards-including reprofiling the compression and rebound-adjuster needles to spread out the adjustment range-inserted 0.9 kg/mm springs and adapted the stock ride-height adjustment system into a more conventional spring-preload setup. The total cost was $500.
To go with the reworked fork, a Fox Twin Clicker shock ($629; 800/369-7469, www.foxracingshox.com) replaced the dreadful stock Kayaba. This remote-reservoir shock comes with the obligatory rebound- and compression-damping adjustments (eight-way and 36-way, respectively) plus a threaded-collar spring-preload adjustment. This particular shock does not, however, have a length adjustment, and Fox warns that putting it on a post-'96 ZX-7R will result in reduced ride height. To compensate, we placed three washers (five-eighth-inch inner diameter, one-eighth-inch thick) between the shock clevis and the frame, which raised the ride height approximately three-quarter inches over stock.
For this application, the Fox shock is slightly shorter than stock, but nearly unobtainable triple spacers--yes, they're hardware-store washers--make up the difference, and then some. The stack is three-eighth inches thick and helps increase rear ride height by three-quarter inches. Anything to make the Zed turn a bit quicker.
Taken all together, the chassis mods bring the Ninja to life. It steers with alacrity-finally!-yet is still reassuringly stable. It tracks over bumps and can fully use the newfound brake performance thanks to Galfer FD156 front brake pads and steel-braided lines ($27.99 and $79.99, respectively; www.galferusa.com, 805/653-5012). No, the Ninja doesn't magically become a GSX-R750 in terms of agility, but these mods close the gap reasonably well.
You can't have a green Ninja and resist the bling-bling, so Targa Accessories (www.targa-acc.com, 800/521-7945) coughed up a color-matched solo seat cowl ($189.95), undertail ($264.95) and hugger ($249.95). It all went together quickly and easily-the pieces are suitably robust and beautifully finished-though there was a slight mismatch between the seat cowl and the bike's graphics. Bling is good.
How'd we do on weight? According to calculations, the Ninja dropped 13 pounds, with the lion's share coming from the exhaust system (7.7 pounds saved), removal of the emissions junk (3 pounds) and the 520 chain conversion using aluminum sprockets (2.4 pounds). The rest came in dribs and drabs, with the Targa seat cowl being marginally lighter than the seat it replaced, and the Fox shock carrying less flab than the stocker.
In the end, Serpa is delighted. His Zed looks and feels a lot newer, which gives him some rational footing for being so in love with this Jurassic-period sportbike. Like infatuation knows anything about logic, eh?
Light makes right. The RK XW-ring 520 chain ($160) replaces the standard 525 unit, and rolls over new sprockets, a 14-tooth AFAM steel bobbie up front and an RRP anodized-aluminum spool out back (from Sprocket Center). Contact RK at www.ftmbiz.com, (760) 732-3161 and Sprocket Center at www.sprocketcenter.com, (888) 265-2141. | 
Shiny bling is a noisy thing. A D&D exhaust pads the powerband at the top (especially) and will rile your neighbors into lynching mode. Our noise meter pegged the effluvia at 109 dBa. It's loud, but at least it's raspy. |
Pretty in green? Targa Accessories sent us a rear seat cowl, undertail and hugger. These are seriously robust pieces, with a perfect color match. Yes, they put back some weight...but they look so cool. Bridgestone graciously supplied a set of BT012SS super-sport tires (approximately $220), the perfect tonic for tired...er, weary...OE buns. Nicely profiled and plenty sticky, the 12s gave the Ninja something to whale about. | |