Miles Ridden: 1884
Modifications This Month:
The Speed Triple's exhaust drones a very alluring song indeed, and my conscience has certainly burdened me lately for not getting some aftermarket pipes on her. This baby just wants to sing its three-tiered tune, but it's been kept stifled. Until now, that is.
Even if the titanium Micron slip-ons didn't gain any power I think they'd still be worth the 900 bones because the symphony that erupts from their tips is magic. We did, however, pull nearly 3 horsepower from the motor by simply bolting the twin cans up. It took less than 10 minutes total, and was one of the easiest pipe installs I've ever done.
Our apparently timid dyno showed only 108 horses with the stock pipes, but besides the horsepower gain we also picked up almost 4 pound-feet of torque across the board with the Microns. Oddly, the cans made more power with the removable sound baffles installed. It's likely that a fuel-management system would benefit the unclogged pipes, but we haven't made it there just yet.
Equally important to the gain in power is the reduced weight. The Microns weigh just 2.82 pounds each, and when the calculator was finished the Triple was left with a weight savings of 10.32 pounds. Ultimately we lost weight, gained power, improved appearance and gave it some decent decibels-sounds like money well spent!
Miles Ridden: 2187
Modifications This Month:
I was finally able to get out from behind the desk and on the bike for some late-night speed testing on the freeway. The performance mods make blasting down the interstate a serious danger to my driving record-reaching triple-digit speeds is just way too easy.
Roaring Toyz and ZX-14s go together like strip clubs and dollar bills. I added a few bolt-on bits, with the major pieces to be installed later. Finally, an RIS Design gas cap replaced the stock unit with a billet aluminum clutch cover next on deck. Let the freedom bling ring.
I prefer the subtle sound of stock exhaust to the obnoxious roar of loud pipes. After searching the forums for aftermarket pipes I ran across a YouTube clip of GSX-R600/750-style pipes for the ZX-14. Hard Rock Motorsports out of Spokane, Washington, manufactures GP-style exhausts for a variety of makes and models. The pipes' sound and power delivery are tunable with an adjustable plate that changes the amount of backpressure. This appeared to be the perfect solution for my delicate ears. Once installed, the exhaust note was a nice deep rumble and groan without being overly loud. Throttle response remained solid despite the lack of a fuel-management system. On the downside, "big blue's" massive size and spaced-out kickstand caused some shifting problems with the Vortex rearsets. Overall the exhaust sounds great, weighs only 3.5 pounds and is a good choice for those who want a GP-style exhaust on their bike.
The current state of the ZX-14 looks unfinished, though. Like those awkward teenage years with pimples and bad hair, it is in desperate need of a wide tire and some final pieces of chrome to bring the total package together.
JDA Customs accessories
Roaring Toyz accessories
RIS Designs gas cap
Vortex rearsets
Hotbodies Racing undertail
Hard Rock Motorsports exhaust