ZR-7 Round Headlight Mod
by bobdalesmith
Info Pilfered from zrx owners club
If you get the Kawasaki (Oval) holes like the stock ZR-7 headlight, you will have to get the grommets and mounting hardware from Kawasaki as well. If you go with the universal, there are already some nuts welded to the inside, so you just have to run bolts from the outside with a lock washer.
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Problems list:
Ok, lets cover this first, as it will help you decide which variations you want to go with as far as the above parts.
1) When I mounted the bucket to the bracket, I needed spacers between the bracket and the bucket. I ended up cutting the grommets that where on the square headlight in half and using them. If you go with the Kawasaki oval holes and get the grommets from Kawasaki , you wont have that problem.
2) When I went to bolt the ring that holds the headlight into the bucket, the two little "shoulder bolt" looking screws didn't fit all the way into the holes. So I had to take a drill bit and just ream the edges of the hole a little and they went right in. I was able to do this while it was still mounted to the bike, so at least I didn't have to pull the whole thing off again.
3)If you go with a stock H4 bulb, this will not be a problem.
4) This was the biggest problem, but can be dealt with in several ways. The new bracket is going to hit the brake line that feeds the splitter because it won't rotate due to a little fork doohickey who's job it is to make sure the brake line does not rotate (See pix attached). At first I had to just go with one bolt and leave it slightly askew until I decided what to do. The first thing I thought of was putting the headlight bracket in front of the splitter (One board member did this and likes it just fine), but when I did that, the blinkers pointed up slightly because of the change in angle. So I decided that the bracket was going to have to be behind the splitter. I had three options, cut one of the little fork tongs off with a drummel so that I could rotate the line slightly, eliminate the splitter altogether, or ad washers behind the bracket. I went ahead and cut the splitter and didn't much like the looks of it (even though you can't see it under the headlight unless you bend over), so I went with plan "B". I put dual brake lines on and eliminated the splitter. This problem can also be fixed by inserting washers behind the bracket, but this too will rotate the blinkers up slightly. And also if you eliminate the splitter, you will need bolts that are 3/4" shorter at the bottom of the bracket. If you have trouble finding these bolts, just e-mail me and I can get some and mail them to you.
Ok, that's the only problems I had, pretty minor really. Once you know about the problems ahead of time, the actual assembly will be a piece of cake.
Unbolt the fairing (4 bolts I think, I cant remember for sure) and remove. I'm pretty sure I had to unscrew the speedo cable from the speedo at the top. Then there are two bolts at the top of the headlight bracket and two at the bottom (At the splitter). The top ones are 10mm (Use a 1/4 drive socket wrench). If I remember correctly, those are the only bolts holding the instrument cluster on the bike. Unplug all the connectors and mark the blinker wires (what color connects to what color). Then pull the nuts at the top and bolts at the bottom out and remove the headlight bracket. Then, take the new bracket set it into place, and try to get the nuts on the top started first, but just barely or the bottom ones will not line up. Then try to line up the holes at the bottom and get the bolts started. If you have not done anything to solve problem #4 by this point, then the left bolt (looking from the front) is not going to line up. Anyway, tighten the bolts on the bottom, then the ones on the top. Then reconnect the speedo cable if you pulled it.
Then its just a matter of assembling the headlight assembly and mounting the bucket. I cant remember if I had to find the bolts or if they came with the bucket. I don't think they came with it, but if you get the Kawasaki holes, you will have to get the special bolts anyway.
As far as assembling the headlight ring, it looks confusing, but you'll figure it out. If I can do it, anybody can. I did have to look at it for about 15 minutes before I figured it out.
And like I said, I needed spacers between the bucket and bracket so I cut the square headlight brackets grommets in half and that worked pretty good. Oh, and the Blinkers and grommets for them fit right into the holes on the ZR-7 bracket. I chose not to shorten my turn signals, but if you are interested in that mod, contact me and I will provide some contacts for information on the topic.
