well to simplify your life (although at slightly higher cost) use the WHOLE front off the 10. fender, wheel / axle, brakes, etc...

don't have to worry about anything but getting the triple (or fork tubes) to fit and maybe some custom length brake lines.

just a thought...

 

Agreed. 12 front wheel uses dished rotors. 10 & 14 flat rotors.
And the rotors don't interchange. Spacing of the rims are different as well.

BPF is a awesome idea Rotty.

The rear wheel will work with a OSR wheel kit. (I think its OSR, Hibs just did a rear zx10 conversion). I'm sure the latest 10s hav same spacing.
Would be a nice project.

cmg

 

According to the Kawasaki website, the steering head bearings are the same but the problem lies in the triple clamps; the top uses a under-the-clamp clip-on and the bottom has the steering stops in a different location. My next thought is to check the diameters of the fork clamping surfaces to see if they are either the same size or slightly larger than the 12 forks. If they are only 1 or 2 mm larger than the 12 forks, I feel pretty comfortable boring the stock clamps to match--there should be enough material to not cause concern of weakened clamps.

Can someone out there who owns or has access to a 2011+ ZX10R put a caliper on the two clamp locations and get the outside tube diameters? I'll try to put a caliper on one at my local shop but as someone else on here mentioned happened to them, I might be asked not to.

My thought is that the fork spacing of the stock clamps will allow me to use the stock caliper spacing. If I have to make a custom top triple clamp so the bars will clear the bodywork, this project will be a non-starter--custom clamps cost more than the forks.

 

My brother owns one , if you don't get the info beforehand I will go to his house with some venires over the weekend .

 

:thumbup:

cmg

 

I hav a 08-09 ZX14 front end on my 00 A1.
I am using Vortex 0 degree clip-ons below the top clamp.
There are many kinds of clip-ons that should suit your riding position. The clamp needed some simple machining in spots. Wasn't a problem.
The 14 steering stops are wider than the 12. So I made a adjustable one by drilling a hole in the frame stop and used threaded rod and lock nuts to make the stops I wanted.
If you are able to install the forks on the 12 triple, caliper position may be a issue.

cmg

 

After a bit more research, it appears that the 04-10 ZX10R forks are 50mm at the top and 54mm at the bottom which means for those years, a 1mm thick shim ring would be required if using the stock 12R clamps.

Still need to determine the 11-13 BP fork diameters.

 

I am sorry Rotty , couldn't make it over there this weekend as found out last night my grandfather past away and went to my mothers to help out.. It will have to be next weekend as my brother lives a fair distance away.

 

No worries maxumis, you have more important things to deal with right now. I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather--my condolences.

 

I haven't been able to obtain the lower clamp diameter for the ZX10 BPF yet but I have been informed that the top clamp diameter is 50mm (seems this is the new standard for 1000cc Japanese bikes). My guess is that the lower clamp diameter remained the same as previous years (54mm--still confirming, have information requests out to several places). I'm not one to feel comfortable with shimming the triple clamp area, so reusing the stock clamps are out if I want to use these forks. I did do several comparisons using the rake and trail figures from the 10, 12, & 14 to see what using the front from the 10 or 14 would do to the trail.

Published stock geometries:
2002 ZX12R:
Rake = 23.5 degrees
Trail = 98mm

2012 ZX14:
Rake = 23 degrees
Trail = 93mm

2013 ZX10R:
Rake = 25 degrees
Trail = 107mm

Using the OD of a 120/70ZR17 Bridgestone BT-016 front tire, I worked backwards to obtain clamp offsets; the offsets are as follows:
2002 ZX12R: 30.1516mm
2013 ZX10R: 30.2332mm
2012 ZX14: 32.0031mm

Using the clamps from a ZX14 on the ZX12 will result in 95.9810mm (probably 96mm) of trail, 2.019mm less than a stock ZX12.
Using the clamps from a ZX10 on the ZX12 will result in 97.9110mm (again, probably 98mm) trail, 0.089mm less than a stock ZX12.
The ZX10 front end changes the geometry essentially none--this IS the better option.

The 2012+ Suzuki GSXR1000 also uses the Showa big piston forks and has a rake of 23.5 degrees and trail of 98mm, so that front end is also a viable option.

I'm also going to look into the Ducati 1198 forks because I think they are 53mm at the top clamp and 56mm at the bottom clamp--this will allow the use of the stock clamps and bars while only needing to bore 1mm out of the top clamps.

More to come as I get it...

 

OK, nevermind the Ducati option. The only ones with 53/56 forks are the S & R models and they use Ohlins. Even used, these are pricey. Also, the fork spacing is 205mm instead of the 215mm that I measured the 12's to be. This will cause a bunch of problems with rotor spacing, wheel collars, etc.

 

Another snag--the ZX10 uses an offset ignition/steering lock position whereas the 12 & 14 both have a centered ignition/steering lock position. A complete front end swap might work but I doubt the lock hole in the frame would line up with the lock shaft mounted to the top clamp.
As of right now, a BPF swap might be a bit too expensive to make it worth while.

 

Still good info for someone who races and wants to up grade for road racing or LSR.
You brought a good idea to the table.

Maxumis wish you and your family well.

cmg

 

+1 ,have you ever thought of trying K10 busa forks , there 50 / 55 its just a thought at the moment ? will find out about the k11 / up
PS thanks guys ,sorry for the family issues on this thread .:thumbup:

 

The Busa forks aren't big piston so I hadn't considered them. If they are 50mm/55mm then they wouldn't work either because the 12R uses 52mm/56mm and the 10R uses 50mm/54mm. The best setup I've found so far is a complete 10R front swap but if I want to keep the ignition lock, that could be a problem. If someone out there wanted to do this swap, and they have access to a CNC mill, this could be done very easily by making their own top and bottom clamps to mimic the sock ones but have smaller fork holes and match the fork spacing to the 10R spacing (the 10R and 12R spacing might be the same--I haven't checked). They could also just use everything from the 10R and machine a new top clamp to match the 10R dimensions but relocate the ignition (and possibly integrate bar risers like the 12R). Unfortunately, I don't have access to a CNC machine. I could create the 3D model but then I'd have to take it to a machine shop.

 

I updated post #12 for those out there looking to do this swap. I had used the published trail figure for the ZX12R from Sport Rider (in inches) and converted to metric. The service manual provided the metric trail number (1mm less at 98mm). All of the following dimensions have been updated to reflect this correction.