Kawasaki drag racing fans have been waiting a long time for the day when the company would finally release a motorcycle capable of taking on the Suzuki Hayabusa, a machine that has dominated the straight-line streetbike world since its release in 1999. Kawasaki fans were hopeful in '00 with the release of the Kawasaki ZX-12R, but those hopes were ultimately dashed when that bike's top-heavy chassis and "soft" (always a relative term when you're discussing 160-hp bikes) power output proved no match for the beastly `Busa. Now in '06, it's take two for Team Green, with the release of the all-new, 1352cc ZX-14 hyper-sport machine, a bike that sets out to do what the ZX-12R didn't--to dethrone the king Hayabusa once and for all. The question on everyone's mind: Will the ZX-14 have what it takes, or will '06 see a ZX-12R-type disappointment all over again?
Judging from the initial display of horsepower seen at the ZX-14's U.S. press debut, followed by a dominating debut performance a week later at the AMA/Prostar season opener in Valdosta, Georgia, (where Rickey Gadson rode a ZX-14 to the AMA/Prostar Super Street class win), it looks like the new alpha Ninja has what it takes. While Kawasaki has been suspiciously mum about actual horsepower figures (and no bikes had been delivered to magazines for testing when this issue went to press), the ZX-14's performance speaks for itself. Our first indication that it was a hauler came at the press launch at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway drag strip. It was there that pro drag racer Ryan Schnitz jumped on a slightly modified ZX-14 (Muzzys full exhaust, Dynojet Power Commander and lowered front and rear) and ripped off a blistering best pass of 9.16 seconds at 154 mph (uncorrected), at a track that is 2150 feet above sea level! Pro rider or not, that's fast.
In fact, Schnitz's time was almost a quarter-second faster than what a rider of his caliber might expect to see on a similarly prepared Hayabusa. These quick numbers were supported during additional prerelease testing by fellow pro drag racer Rickey Gadson, who had the opportunity to compare a stock Hayabusa and a stock ZX-14 back-to-back. On the Kawasaki, Gadson was able to get a 0.15-second and 4-mph advantage over the `Busa in quarter-mile passes. (On a completely stock ZX-14, with no lowering or other modifications, Gadson posted a best pass of 9.74 seconds at 146 mph.) After lowering both bikes slightly, the advantage of the big Ninja rose even further, to 0.25 seconds and 5 mph. Gadson says that the ZX-14 motor is the bike's strongest point. "The power of the new Kawasaki is very impressive," Gadson says. "The Kawasaki is roughly the same weight as the Suzuki, so it shows that Kawasaki is getting the job done with engine development. The power is so linear and smooth--the ZX-14 simply pulls hard everywhere. The Suzuki feels slow by comparison--and we all know how fast that bike is."
Fast forward, then, from preseason testing to the Prostar season opener in Valdosta, where we caught up with Schnitz and Gadson to discuss the drag racing abilities of the ZX-14 and also to inspect their modified machines to see what exactly it takes in terms of aftermarket tweaks to get serious power and speed out of this new platform. In addition to eyeballing the mildly modded bike that Schnitz was riding in Vegas, we also had a chance to inspect the Coby Adams-built Super Street racer that Gadson rode to his class win that weekend. This bike turned a best pass of 8.482 seconds at 178.12 mph--an e.t. and top speed that should strike fear into any Hayabusa racer's heart.
Schnitz's bike is not far from stock at all--in fact, it's very typical of what you could do in your our own garage with a few hundred dollars and a few hours' time. The only performance mods are the aforementioned off-the-shelf exhaust system from Muzzys, the Power Commander ignition module, and lowering links in the rear and a tie-down strap on the front forks (all parts currently available through the Muzzys shop). Schnitz wasn't racing the ZX-14 that weekend in Valdosta--he was just there making exhibition passes--but still, he was going plenty fast. His best run dispatched in just 9.10 seconds at 159 mph (likewise uncorrected) on Valdosta's near-sea-level track. Schnitz's run was fast from beginning to end, with a 1.51-second 60-foot time and a 5.94-second eighth-mile at 125 mph, showing that the ZX-14 gets off the line well and builds big speed all the way to the far end of the track. Schnitz's post-run commentary reinforced this position: "This bike is the perfect platform for drag racing," Schnitz said. "The gearing is perfect--first gear isn't tall like many sportbikes, and the spacing between every gear is great. Even the fifth-to-sixth gear transition offers a real rpm drop, unlike most street bikes. Power is everywhere, and the bike pulls hard all the way to redline, so it's easy to turn fast, consistent laps." We know how much drag times can vary depending on the skill of the rider--and someone like Schnitz can make anything look fast. However, a bike doesn't lay down e.t.s and speeds like this unless it is making serious steam, lending credence to the claims that this new Kawi produces nearly 190 hp (at the crank) out of the box.
So the ZX-14 goes good with some mild modifications--what happens when you throw serious power into the mix, for example, a 100-plus horsepower snort of nitrous oxide? Can the platform handle the horsepower in that scenario as well? Fortunately, Coby Adams and Rickey Gadson were at Valdosta to answer that question. Adams started with the engine, first adding a wet nitrous kit from Schnitz Racing that had to be modified to fit the floor of the ZX-14's airbox. He told us that the 1352cc motor responded well to the addition of nitrous, handling everything from 260hp to 340hp versions of the kit in stride. To help control this power, Adams also added a Schnitz progressive nitrous controller. This controller allows the introduction of nitrous to be metered in as the bike gains speed, preventing the bike from losing traction and simply smoking the back tire--which is what you would expect to happen if you dumped a 100-plus horsepower shot of nitrous into the engine all at once. The progressive controller allows both the ramp rate and amount of nitrous to be tailored to increase as the bike gains speed, allowing traction to be maintained and drag strip performance to be optimized.
One final addition from the Schnitz Racing catalog was an electronic timing retard box. Anytime you hit a high-compression engine with this much nitrous you have to take care to avoid pre-ignition, which could cause you to melt pistons or worse. With this fully adjustable timing controller from Schnitz, not only can you adjust the amount of timing retard but you can also (just like with the progressive nitrous controller) adjust the ramp rate of the timing changes. Furthermore, this box can be triggered with the 12-volt signal of your choice (the signal from your nitrous solenoid, for example), so that the timing is only retarded when the nitrous system is armed, insuring optimum performance even when you're not spraying the laughing gas.
Adams reckons that this nitrous combo would be safe with the stock pistons, but just to be sure the motor would stand up to a full season of drag racing abuse, he did install a set of custom-made, stock-bore pistons available through Adams Performance. He also installed an MRE air shifter, though the clutch pack remained the factory Kawasaki unit, just as it came from the manufacturer, save for shims, to add a bit more clutch spring pressure. It's worth noting here, especially for those of you who plan to drag race the ZX-14, that this factory clutch unit is proving to be particularly durable--one of the ZX-14s ridden at the press launch stood up to no less than 84 drag race starts in less than five hours and was still going strong.
The Adams Performance race bike features one of Adams' own modified swingarms, stretched out to 64 inches and altered the carry the nitrous bottle. Providing traction was a Pirelli Dragon Super Corsa Pro rear tire in the SC0 compound (the same tire was used on Schnitz's bike). Expect to see these tires on many streetbike-based drag bikes this year, as the compound and carcass seem especially suited to quarter-mile sprints. Unlike many drag tires that require long burnouts, the Dragon Super Corsas heat up in less than 10 seconds, so the tread will last longer because you leave less on the track. For drag racing applications, the guys at Richie's Tires in Statesville, North Carolina, suggest that ZX-14 riders use this tire in a 180/55/17 size (stock is a 190/55/17) on the 6-inch rear rim, which will result in a flatter profile to put more rubber on the ground. The Dragon Super Corsa is also reported to be among the lightest tires available at 8.0 pounds front and 12.6 pounds rear, reducing unsprung weight. And finally, the fact that Pirelli is paying four places worth of contingency money in 2006 AMA/Prostar events is icing on the cake.
All these pieces came together and added up to some big numbers for Gadson in Valdosta, despite the fact that this was the first-time out on an all-new, largely undeveloped bike. Gadson qualified sixth in Super Street with a conservative 8.72-second, 168-mph pass, still learning how to get the bike down the track. Gadson proved a quick study that day, though, eventually posting a blistering 8.482-second, 178.12-mph pass in the second round (which set a new mph record for the class), before putting down Todd Schnitz's Hayabusa in the final round for the event win. An impressive debut, to say the least, foreshadowing even greater things for the ZX-14 once Adams, Muzzys and all the other tuners get even deeper into the development of this platform for racing.
And continue to develop, they will--Gadson has signed on with Kawasaki to compete in the full season of Super Street competition on this bike (with additional sponsorship from Joe Rocket, Rance Trailers, Muzzys and Lucas Oil), and he is also considering contesting the Prostar Pro Street category aboard a Muzzys-built turbo ZX-14 that is currently under construction. It looks like this is going to be a great year for hypersports fans on the street and the strip both, as the Suzuki Hayabusa finally appears to have a worthy rival in the all-new, '06 Kawasaki ZX-14. All we can say is congratulations, Kawasaki--it's about time.