My Streetfighter FZ1 build thread

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GSFazer

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So I bought a wrecked 01 FZ1 for $650 with 9k miles on it and a clean title, and it came with $200 worth of parts from the dealership. It went endo at low speed, and not even the radiator is damaged. Most of the bike is perfectly in tact.
This thread will entail the restoration process of this bike to be a streetfighter, risen from the grave.

Here are pics from the day I brought it home.

On the back of the truck:
photo7.jpg


Hanging out with my 07 FZ6 with FZ8 front end, which I have just sold to restore this FZ1 and put a 2.0 STI engine in my 99 Subaru RS coupe:
photo8.jpg


Here are some of the parts I have that came with the bike, or had around:
front wheel and tire
front calipers and master cylinder
handlebar switches
levers
stock 07 FZ6 headlights to make a mean front end with

So far, here are the parts I have coming:
Tank
Front fender
rear plastic
tail light
gauges
R1 forks and triples (yes, I'm doing the conversion)

This should be fun. Here we go!
 
UPDATE! Gauges here.

Been thinking about my headlight situation. I'm gonna put in the R1 pod lights in my FZ6 headlights I'm using with amber LEDs, and they will be my front turns.

http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/fz6-mods/290581-pod-running-lights-how.html

Still working on designing the front end, I have all of the FZ6 plastic, I want to make some kind of meter cover for the gauges out of it....

Here my problem guys, I'm a business student at James Madison University, and it's the worst semester of my undergrad (at least that's what everyone says). So the bike is slowly coming together.

Getting a custom spacers made for my fork conversion, and trying to figure out where to get tools to do my head bearings...That's where we are!
 
Update #2:

Got my bottom triple and steering stem off the FZ1 today. I ran around town for 2 hours to different places looking for a 1-3/8" spindle nut socket or a spanner wrench with no luck (not even a bicycle shop here sells spanner wrenches).

So here's how I got the lock nuts off, a rental tool kit from the Advance Auto Parts store I work at. It's a 2/3 Jaw Gear Puller. I just used the puller arms:
photo12.jpg

photo11.jpg

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The steering stem is off the bike, and I took the tank and tail section off earlier today, since my new tank, front fender, and tail section just came in. Exhaust also came off, since I need to straighten out the pipe. So here's the bike as it sat this afternoon, and now the bottom triple and steering stem are removed. The more I work around this bike the more I fall in love!

photo14.jpg
 
Interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing how this comes out.

I would have thought that a traditional bottom bracket tool would have worked on the steer tube. Good thinking on the rental tool.

Sent from my LG-P925 using Tapatalk
 
GSFazer said:
...
Got my bottom triple and steering stem off the FZ1 today. I ran around town for 2 hours to different places looking for a 1-3/8" spindle nut socket or a spanner wrench with no luck (not even a bicycle shop here sells spanner wrenches).
...
Click to expand...

Glad to see you're making progress. I've used Channel-Lock type pliers in the past to remove those nuts. Not the best method, but it works in a pinch.

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Looking forward to more build updates :)
 
Thanks for the bumps and encouragement fellas.

I just posted in the Gen I tech forum too, but would anyone be willing to ship me head bearing tools to borrow for a few bones or something?

I need a punch to get the old races out without damaging them, and a tool to set the new races.

Thanks so much
 
GSFazer said:
Thanks for the bumps and encouragement fellas.

I just posted in the Gen I tech forum too, but would anyone be willing to ship me head bearing tools to borrow for a few bones or something?

I need a punch to get the old races out without damaging them, and a tool to set the new races.

Thanks so much
Click to expand...

The races on the Gen I are a bit of a pain to remove, but if you take your time and use a long drift you should be fine. The best way that I have found to install the new races is to use the place the old ones over the new ones and strike those as to not damage the new ones.
 
NJFZ1 said:
The races on the Gen I are a bit of a pain to remove, but if you take your time and use a long drift you should be fine. The best way that I have found to install the new races is to use the place the old ones over the new ones and strike those as to not damage the new ones.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've seen that in a few videos. I have a 1" chisel and an 8mm point alignment punch, both of which seem to be too thick and don't get over to the frame cutout at enough of an angle, if that makes sense. This is what I tried to use. I didn't go at it for more than just a few minutes, will this work and I just need to be more patient?

photo15.jpg


I think the only other skinny tool long enough they had was a chisel, and since I don't want to damage the bottom race, it might not work
 
GSFazer said:
Yeah I've seen that in a few videos. I have a 1" chisel and an 8mm point alignment punch, both of which seem to be too thick and don't get over to the frame cutout at enough of an angle, if that makes sense. This is what I tried to use. I didn't go at it for more than just a few minutes, will this work and I just need to be more patient?

photo15.jpg


I think the only other skinny tool long enough they had was a chisel, and since I don't want to damage the bottom race, it might not work
Click to expand...

I remember the bottom race being a real PITA to remove. I doubt you can remove it w/o damaging it. You need a long drift that has a flat tip. I can't really tell, but that alignment tool that you're holding looks like it might have a rounded tip...if so it wont work.
 
NJFZ1 said:
I remember the bottom race being a real PITA to remove. I doubt you can remove it w/o damaging it. You need a long drift that has a flat tip. I can't really tell, but that alignment tool that you're holding looks like it might have a rounded tip...if so it wont work.
Click to expand...

It had a flat end, but it was too fat to get in the stem at an angle that would grip the race. So I bought a 5/8" wide by 12" long chisel. That worked, got the bottom one out fine without any damage to it, but destroyed the corners of the chisel. So now the chisel won't grip the top one since it doesn't have the corners, so I'm going to try to take it back and exchange it, and pray that the new one will last long enough to get the top one out.

Unless you guys have some tips on getting the top one out easier...
 
GSFazer said:
It had a flat end, but it was too fat to get in the stem at an angle that would grip the race. So I bought a 5/8" wide by 12" long chisel. That worked, got the bottom one out fine without any damage to it, but destroyed the corners of the chisel. So now the chisel won't grip the top one since it doesn't have the corners, so I'm going to try to take it back and exchange it, and pray that the new one will last long enough to get the top one out.

Unless you guys have some tips on getting the top one out easier...
Click to expand...

It was hard to tell from the pic about the flat end or not. No real easy way to get the races out other that the method that you're using. The drift I used was only about 3/8" thick and long enough to reach. I think I had gotten it from Sears...
 
UPDATE:

Races are out and in tact to use for seating the new ones. I've got an idea for seating the new bearing on the steering stem too...

Here's my to-do list I just compiled, in no particular order:
  1. drill igntion pegs
  2. drain old gas tank, swap pump and shut off valve
  3. get broken oil cap out (yeah, the tab is broken off)
  4. tailight and tail fairing install
  5. starter switch assembly replacement
  6. get top triple drilled/reinforced
  7. install bars and risers
  8. clean engine and use touch up paint
  9. install new head bearings, triples, and forks
  10. install new rearsets
  11. get exhaust fixed
  12. dremel a fender eliminator
  13. design headlight and gauge brackets, have them made
  14. install pod lights for front turn signals

That list isn't as long as I think it is, right?
 
A couple of tips on installing the new races:

Put them in the freezer overnight. This will slightly reduce the diameter and will make them a little easier to install.

I normally get them started with a brass mallet (soft metal wont harm them), then finish seating them using the old race and a nice steel mallet.
 
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