FZRSupport: the FZROnline Archive

Greetings all,

I just bought a fairly well beat '88 FZR400. Doesn't look like anyone has treated it well until now. I've spent the last couple of days going through the electrical & trying to get the bike to start. I was successful today & the bike finally started. While working on the bike & getting to know it. I discovered that not only was the rear wheel changed to a 17" wheel, the swingarm was exchanged for a steel swingarm. Not a good swap in my opinion. My rear wheel doesn't match the front wheel due to the 3-spokes being angled differently.

What are the chances of locating & buying an original aluminum FZR400 swingarm in the US? How much should I be prepared to pay for one?

What would be the next best swingarm to use in place of an original? I would like to be close to matching the original swingarms dimensions & weight or lighter.

What seems to be the easiest or best set of matching 17" wheels to use? What is involved with the swap & how much should I be prepared to pay for a set of wheels? I would like to use the lightest weight wheels as possible & I'm not interested in trying to stuff the widest tire that I can under the bike.

I would prefer to keep the bike all Yamaha if possible. Unless there is a substantial weight savings or performance improvement to be had using another manufacturers part.

My intensions are to build the bike as light as reasonably possible & to attempt to swap an RD400 engine into it. I selected the FZR400 as an ideal swap candidate due to its overall size & weight. Not to mention its reputation as an excellent handling bike. I don't plan on upgrading to the more modern upside down forks or bigger brakes, etc. The bike should weigh much less with the air cooled RD engine & should be easier for the suspension & brakes to control.

My back up plan in case the RD400 engine swap doesn't work out as well as I would like, is to build a FZR400/600 hybrid.

Thank you
~JM~

If someone has already gone to the trouble to fit a 17" wheel to your FZR400, the wheel and chain line up ok and it looks reasonable - then I'd leave it in! There is alot of machining required to make most other wheels fit - not saying it can't be done at all though. TZR250 rears, SZR660 rears, possibly TRX850 and 1990 on FZR400RR SP rears are a few that might be woth a look. As for non Yam then mid 90's GSXR750's and I'm sure someone mentioned a CBR or Honda hornet wheel. I suppose it depends on how much you really want it and how much time/$$$$ or both you are willing to throw at it. Thinking about it maybe you have a YZF600 swinger/wheel (FZR600 'foxeye' here in the UK)

Like all good projects......


Hope it all goes well

Chris

If you could supply some pics and dimensions, I could possibly trade you. I have a couple of the originals here.

Does anyone have any 05/06 ZX6R wheels kicking around? Rumour has it with slight persuasion they can be made to fit a stock FZR swingarm.

Pity I cut up two and scrapped them.....No interest on Ebay. I do have a good rim with brand new tire mounted..
Best luck! Neil

Freestyle72 wrote:Does anyone have any 05/06 ZX6R wheels kicking around? Rumour has it with slight persuasion they can be made to fit a stock FZR swingarm.

I do..... I may try them out on my project bike (an XR650R motor in an FZR400 chassis) I'll post the results of the wheel swap.

tgold wrote:

Freestyle72 wrote:Does anyone have any 05/06 ZX6R wheels kicking around? Rumour has it with slight persuasion they can be made to fit a stock FZR swingarm.

I do..... I may try them out on my project bike (an XR650R motor in an FZR400 chassis) I'll post the results of the wheel swap.

You should post up a build thread. That way we get pics of how close the wheel/swingarm is and I get to see a supermono fzr like I have been thinking of for my extra frame.