2006 Kawasaki ZX-14 Ninja - Black Beauty

Do you remember when the Suzuki Hayabusa first appeared on the scene way back in 1999? We do, and what we remember people talking about the most, besides the fact that the motorcycle was so damn fast, was that its bulbous, aerodynamically effective bodywork was so, um, "aesthetically challenged." Suzuki "Eyeabusa" was just one of many less-than-kind nicknames coined for the then-new model.

Now Kawasaki has released its new ZX-14, the most serious challenger to the `Busa yet, and it's dj vu all over again. Designed for big speed, with a similar aerodynamic imperative as the Hayabusa, the ZX-14 has a profile that can be startling to some eyes. Ever since images of the Big Kaw first hit the Internet this past spring, forum users from all over have been talking smack--pros and cons both--about its looks. Two easy targets are the bike's broad nose with the unique quad-headlight arrangement and, of course, the Ferrari Testarossa-esque side fins. It's definitely different-looking, which, to many in the sportbike world, is just a code word for "ugly."

Leave it to legendary drag racer, sportbike shop owner and all-around stylish guy Rickey Gadson to handle any of the ZX-14's so-called styling "issues." Owing to his long-time association with Kawasaki as a factory-backed drag racer, Gadson was one of the lucky handful of tuners and customizers who received a preproduction ZX-14 to play with. Having come from the streets in Phillie, Gadson's a guy who appreciates a bit of bling just as much as a bit of zing. So, of course, he promptly set to work, tricking his bike out and fashioning many of the same mods that most new ZX-14 owners will likely make to clean up the lines and to make the bike a little more aggressive. And he wasn't about to let a bunch of haters on the Internet get him down or scare him off: "I wanted to show everyone who thinks that Kawasaki missed the target on styling with the new `14 that they're wrong," said Gadson. "It is a great platform to build a custom bike on. Just a few mods and it looks better than any `Busa out there."

Gadson has succeeded without question--his tasteful, tuned ZX-14 was one of the hottest bikes we saw on the street during this year's Daytona Bike Week. Much of the credit here goes to the gorgeous paint, a collaborative effort from Gadson's friend Steve Kehler of Tricked Out Custom Cycles (www.tocc.biz) in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, and Kehler's painting partner Fred Sicoli at Killer Kreations (killerkreations.biz), also located near Phillie. Kehler and Sicoli worked out a graphic scheme to break up the ZX-14 bodywork, which looks so expansive in the stock, solid-color Kawasaki paint schemes. "[Killer Kreations] does crazy paint jobs with airbrushed goblins and other outrageous stuff," Gadson said about the shop, which is located not far from his own (Rickey Gadson's Sportbike Zone in Magnolia, New Jersey). "And that's the first thing I knew I didn't want. I said I just wanted straight, racy lines and some pin-striping."

Sicoli might have left out the goblins, but if you're lucky enough to have an opportunity to straddle this bike, you will find another character of legend blended into the paint scheme. "I knew I wanted a ninja, but I didn't know how to incorporate it," Gadson said about the Japanese warrior that lends his name to Kawasaki sportbikes. A ninja's face--basically a silhouette--is painted into the top of the tank.

"Steve and I came up with the design," Gadson continued. "The bike was already black, and it was a really good paint job, so we used the factory black base. I first picked candy apple red for the stripe, but at the last second, I said `Hey, let me look at that book again.'" Gadson finally settled on candy tangerine orange for the contrast color, which was finished off with silver and charcoal grey accents. "It was Steve's idea to put the striping on the nose," Gadson said about the design, which helps break up the `14's blunt-nosed beak into something with more dimension. "That's the artistry that a good painter brings to a project."

After the paint, the remainder of the mods were undertaken with the goal of making an impact on the street. "I wanted the bike to retain its performance character, but have a custom look, too. Originally, I was gonna do a big-tire conversion, but Steve talked me out of it. He said `Rickey, you're all about speed.'" And Gadson couldn't disagree with him on that.

The pair started out by lowering the bike--standard drag racing procedure to drop the bike's center of gravity to better plant the rear tire for improved traction under power. It also looks cool. First they slid the fork tubes up 1.5 inches in the triple clamp, and then modified a set of ZX12 fully adjustable dog bones to lower the back of the ZX-14. Brock Davidson made a radial brake mount for a front-end tie-down, so the front of the bike can be cinched down even further when desired."The back of the bike was lowered about three inches to match the front," Gadson said, "so that when we strap it down it has the stance of a `69 `Cuda."

The bike sports a four-inch-over extended swingarm that stretches the wheelbase out to 61.5 inches. Another standard drag racing modification, a longer swingarm acts as a lever to help keep the ZX-14's front wheel on the ground under heavy acceleration. Finishing off the "bigger is better" back end is a slightly upsized, 200-series rear tire. The swingarm on Gadson's bike has been powdercoated black to match the frame with his initials engraved on it. His signature is also cut into the Altered Chrome chain guard and axle block adjusters--making this bike something of a signature edition.

Gadson originally went to Roaring Toyz for custom rims and ordered up a set of billet hoops still under development by RC Components. Because these were still being tooled up by RC for the new model, Gadson had TOCC chrome his stock wheels "just in case," so he had something trick on the bike from the go. Good thing, as the new RCs weren't finished in time for the debut at the AMA/Prostar season opener in Valdosta, Georgia, where we photographed this bad boy. It's always good to have a Plan B. In addition to the stock wheels, TOCC also chromed the footpegs, rearsets, triple trees, brake and clutch levers and mirror block-offs on the bike to break up all the black paint.The trick, laser-cut ZX-14 rear brake rotor came from the famous Rotor Woman.

For the most part, the motor and drivetrain on this beast remain stock save for the polished full exhaust system provided by Gadson's long-time sponsor Rob Muzzy, a countershaft sprocket with one less tooth, and a tank full of VP MR9 race gas. Not that it really needs more power--Gadson jumped on his new ride at Valdosta and ripped off a few exhibition passes just for fun--the best of these coming in at 8.96 seconds with a top speed of 157 mph! Not bad for a street ride!

But (lucky for the competition) Gadson won't be racing this black beauty in competition this summer. He'll be using it to cruise the boulevards of suburban Philadelphia, creating a buzz for his shop and his sponsor Kawasaki, and also showing all the haters that the new ZX-14 is every bit as good a platform for tuners and tweakers as that other odd-looking, standard-setting superbike that appeared on the scene seven long years ago.