The rear swingarm assembly is just the beginning-even more outrageous is what Vazquez did with the fuel tank. See that seven-inch monitor that pops out from inside the fuel tank at the push of a remote control button? That's not your garden-variety video monitor; that's actually a touch screen-activated mini-PC made by iMobile PC and installed by his friend Johnny Boy at City Cycles in Brooklyn. That's right, The Genesis runs a full Windows operating system and, thanks to a wireless GPS antenna mounted underneath the tail section, Vazquez can check his e-mail and surf the Web from the saddle of the motorcycle-though of course, he advises against doing this at speed! Call Genesis the world's fastest mobile office, then.
Speaking of that tail section, that's another salvage-yard special, made for a Honda CBR1000RR and mounted to this bike via a custom subframe constructed by another "Metric Revolution" competitor, Robert Fisher at Florida's Roaring Toyz. Up front, Vazquez studied the upper fairing long and hard before he lopped off the top right above the ram air vent and replaced it with the upper from a Suzuki Hayabusa to block more wind and improve the bike's high-speed aerodynamics. Molded ducts on either side of the filled windscreen add some extra dimension (and ventilation) to the restyled mask. And as long as he was swapping out parts from other sportbikes, Vazquez decided to can the ZX-10R's stock front fender and replace it with one from a Honda CBR600RR, but not before it was shipped off to Drastik Plastix who cut a pair of ventilation holes in either side to aid in cooling the front brake calipers. Drastik Plastix similarly ventilated the tail section too.
Once the bodywork was suitably worked over, Vazquez turned the Kawi over to Pit Stop's in-house painter, Neso, for some killer graphics. Again, to set his bike apart from the crowd, Vazquez skipped the conventional chrome route and instead chose to have the frame and swingarm powder coated metallic silver by Haward Corporation and then covered in graphics to match the bodywork. Using House of Kolor products, Neso spent a solid three weeks in the paint booth laying down the futuristic, alien-inspired murals that cover nearly every exposed surface of The Genesis, even the engine cases.
Look closely at the lower fairing, and hidden among the intricate graphics you'll spy a dump pipe exiting the right side of the fairing and a K&N cone air filter peeking out from the left, betraying the fact that this 10R is turbocharged, too. That's right, Vazquez didn't overlook the performance aspect of this bike either-the turbo system is a Stage One street setup from Velocity Racing and Orient Express, which Vazquez calls a "no-brainer" installation that easily fit inside the stock Kawasaki lower fairing with minimal modifications. The turbo is presently set to run at a mild (and very streetable) five pounds of boost, and though the bike hadn't been broken in or dynoed at press time, Vazquez guesses that it makes well over 200hp and will help the bike crack 210 mph, especially since Vazquez has the bike geared for top speed with an 18-tooth countershaft sprocket and a tiny, 37-tooth sprocket on the rear wheel.
Of course, Vazquez can't make everything himself, so he reluctantly cracked open his wallet to finish The Genesis off with a few choice aftermarket parts picks. The wheels are RC Components Ballistics, a new cut for 2006, hung with custom Pit Stop Motorsports-logo brake rotors cut by machinist James Bronson of Cycle Workz. Bronson also built the brake and clutch levers, while the deadly looking piked nuts on the front fender, axle ends and other places are from Eye Candy Cycle Design. The rearsets are fully adjustable pieces from Cycle Cat, which have been chrome-plated by Globe Plating in Newark (who handled the rest of the plating on the bike too, including the brake components, forks and more). Lastly, a full complement of Boogie Lights LEDs lights the bike up after dark in three shades (red, white or blue), depending on Vazquez's mood.
All said and done, Vazquez figures he has just $3,500 in parts invested in this remarkable ZX-10R-though the investment in blood, sweat and tears building all the countless one-off components is easily 10 times that amount. The proud builder says he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Not being able to afford all the top-end parts means I gotta use my craftsmanship skills," Vazquez says. "I think that works to my advantage, though. Because I'm not using the same parts as everyone else out there, my bikes don't look like anyone else's. I think it gives me a chance to do well in a project like the 'Metric Revolution' build-off, no matter who the competition is." After studying The Genesis closely and eyeballing the custom bodywork, outrageous graphics and whiz-bang technology of the on-board computer system, we got to agree-advantage, Vazquez.