MOTO HACK: How to Make GPZ900R Clutch Lighter by Using the ZZR1400’s Clutch Release?

Kawasaki GPZ900R OEM HACK

Introducing the passionate story from ninnin who rides the GPZ900R, from Webike Community "MOTO HACK" campaign.

He will share how to divert the OEM parts of the GPZ900R, which he knows well because he is the owner.

Table of Contents

A brief self-introduction
1. Motorcycle Introduction
2. How I enjoy my motorcycle every day
A brief description of this HACK
Parts, tools, and things needed for this HACK
How to do the HACK, explanation, work instructions, etc.
Summary of HACK

A brief self-introduction

Motorcycle Introduction

Beloved motorcycle: KAWASAKI GPZ900R A12 (1999 expression domestic specification)
How long have you been riding it: bought it used in 2009, and it will be 11 years old in 2020.
Motivation: I used to ride the same GPZ in the past and wanted to ride it again, but after it fell out of the catalog, I decided to buy a new motorcycle because I thought I was going to run out of good quality balls. At the time, I was looking for balls and bought them for about 550,000 yen with about 12,000 km of mileage.

How I enjoy my motorcycle every day

Motorcycle history: I got my license in my first year of college and have been riding for about 30 years.
How I enjoy it: Mainly touring and camp tours. I enjoy riding down the mountain passes and bathing in hot springs. Long touring with camping gear is the best. (I also want to go to Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku!
Annual mileage: About 2,000~3,000km, and I'm still raising my kids, so I don't drive a lot.

A brief description of this HACK

The clutch is a hydraulic clutch for the Ninja, but it is quite heavy, and it is hard for the left hand to hold the clutch in the latter half of the touring. The piston area of the clutch release is about 1.1 times larger than that of the ZZR-1400, so the clutch will be about 10% lighter.

Parts, tools, and things needed for this HACK

ZZR1400
Item: Release Assembly
Part number: 13231-0002

Since the diameter of the release is larger than stock, you can either shave off the sprocket cover that doubles as a holder a bit or replace it with an external sprocket cover that has more room.

How to do the HACK, explanation, work instructions, etc.

Remove the clutch release and remove the front sprocket cover further.
Pull out the pushrod that pushes the clutch, and insert it the other way so that the round end is at the back. (This is important!) This is because the ZZR1400 clutch release pushrod is round and cannot be pushed well together.

The ZZR1400 clutch release is a little large, so you will need to shave off the stock cover or install an external sprocket cover. Then, install the ZZR1400 clutch release and you are done. It's super easy.

Summary of HACK

Advantage

This way, the clutch will be about 10% lighter.

Disadvantage

I don't think there is anything special about it. Shaving the sprocket cover where the clutch release is attached is a bit of a hassle, but other than that it's an easy job.

Review

It is only about 10%, but it feels lighter when you grip it. If you are not satisfied with this, you can change the clutch master to φ1/2 to make it much lighter, and you can say goodbye to the pain in your left hand when touring.

Thank you, ninnin, for posting that valuable stock diversion HACK!

Click here to purchase genuine parts.

*The articles on MOTO HACK are composed and reprinted from user contributions. The effects and methods described are at the discretion of the user, and Webike is not responsible for any problems that may occur.

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See Accessories for KAWASAKI GPZ900R Ninja