At the same time that C&S was fabricating the first-of-their-kind swingarms, Fisher sent the stock ZX-14 wheels off to RC Components to have the hubs measured so a set of aftermarket rims could be created for this model. Fittingly, both bikes sport the latest spoke patterns from RC Components: "Ravens" on the green bike and "Assassins" on the red one. The green bike uses an 18x8.5-inch rear to carry the 240 tire, and the red one rolls on an 18x10.5-incher with a 300 tire. Both are fitted with 17x3.5-inch front wheels-Fisher prefers the 17-inch front over the taller 18s that are becoming popular on custom sportbikes because the 17 allows him to fit grippier, sportbike-specific rubber.
The swingarms and wheels are chromed on both bikes, and while the frame on the red bike has been chromed to match (all the chrome plating was done with a quickness by Sport Chrome in Westminster, California), the green bike features a painted frame. Fisher painted the frame on the green machine for two reasons: to give a more integrated look and also to avoid having to disassemble both bikes completely at the same time. "These were preproduction bikes, and we didn't even have so much as an owner's manual to tell us how they went together," Fisher says. "The red bike had to be completely stripped for chroming, and it turned out to be a good thing that we didn't tear the green one all the way down-we masked it off and painted it with the engine in the frame and the wiring harness still in place-so we could see how the red one went back together!"
Both bikes were painted by Roaring Toyz' house painter, Ryan Hatahaway-no small feat, Fisher tells us. "The ZX-14 is a very difficult motorcycle to paint," Fisher says, "with the monocoque frame and more than 25 separate body pieces to fit together on each bike. It's a very complicated motorcycle, laying a graphic pattern over it, painting all the various pieces and making sure that they all line up when the bike goes back together is very, very challenging, but Ryan really did a great job with it.
Before the body parts were delivered to Hathaway for painting, Fisher and his team spent some extra time cleaning up the green bike's panels. One of the more controversial aspects of the ZX-14's styling has been the "cheese grater" aerodynamic vanes along the side of the bike, which some have bashed for being reminiscent of a mid-'80s Ferrari Testarossa. Addressing this concern, Fisher fabricated a set of replacement "smoothie" side panels that did away with the vanes (these will be available from Roaring Toyz, painted to match the OEM ZX-14 colors). He also removed the speed vanes from the front fender and shaved and filled the fairing-mounted turn signals. The bodywork on the red bike, by comparison, remains as delivered from the factory.
The green and purple color scheme on the 240 bike was a no-brainer. "I thought that we had to do at least one of them in traditional green and purple Kawasaki corporate colors," Fisher explained, expressing bafflement (shared by many enthusiasts) that Kawasaki offers the ZX-14 in red, blue and black but not the signature lime green. A dark red basecoat was selected for the 300 bike in an homage to Kawasaki's earlier top-dog superbike, the candy red ZX-11 that first established the company as a top-speed leader. Finishing off both the Roaring Toyz bikes are tribal-style graphics, with skull-themed airbrushing motifs on the upper fairings and seat cowlings.
Once he wrapped up the body mods and chassis alterations, Fisher and his staff turned their attention to developing a full line of billet accessories to bling both bikes out. Everywhere you look on these bikes you see a trick Roaring Toyz bit. The mirrors are Roaring Toyz proprietary pieces, as are the grips and the stunning bladed brake and clutch levers on the red bike. For these bikes, Roaring Toyz tooled up a bunch of K- and ZX-engraved beauty caps, which are seen on the green bike covering the front axle, swingarm pivots, steering head locknut, motor mounts and fork caps. The red bike features the company's acorn-style pointed pieces in many of the same places. Billet kickstands are likewise Roaring Toyz parts, as are the license plate relocaters that mount to the left rear passenger peg-necessary with the fat tire and extended swingarm. Like what you see? All this stuff is available for sale now through Roaring Toyz' web site at www.zx14parts.com and, if all goes well, will also be available directly through Kawasaki's own parts and accessories line at your local dealer. The ZX-14-logo heel guards are one of the few bolt-ons that come from an outside source-those are the work of Brian Johnson at AlteredChrome.com.