So Dave had done it. Bought himself
a brand new ZX-12R, the second fastest production
motorcycle ever built. Dave could now happily ride
down Campbell Parade, Bondi, knowing that the guy
in the $400,000 Lambo beside him would piss his pants
if he knew how fast the $21,000 Kwaka was.
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He could also enjoy the benefits of hypersonic
travel with only slightly limited cornering
ability. That’s the magic of the ZX-12R. It’s
just like a sportsbike – only it’s on steroids.
It’s a Hyperbike.
So why on earth did Dave walk into S&R
Pro one afternoon and ask for a Turbo? The
answer is individuality. No one else in Australia
had done it, so Dave did. Simple, yet crazy.
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The first task was to locate a kit for the twelve,
which Dave eventually sourced from overseas. Then
the party started – albeit crashed by a few fitment
problems and a big meltdown on the second dyno run.
S&R’s Jamie (who’s no stranger to turbo charging
– see Maximum Boost, page 28) explains, “The kit was
a bit of a nightmare to fit, and once the bike was
up and running the pistons melted on the second run.
ZX-12Rs don’t have forged pistons and, as we found
out, they can’t handle more than 200 horsepower.”
The engine came out again and was rebuilt using forged
CP pistons, with the compression ratio set at 8.7:1.
Dave has travelled almost 5000km on those pistons
now, running 10psi of boost on PULP and without any
problems. Surprisingly, everything else from the pistons
down is stock ZX-12R, even the conrods. Says Jamie,
“Kawasaki bottom ends are quite strong, so there was
no need to replace the crankshaft, conrods, bearings
or gearbox components. The only thing we changed were
the clutch springs, they’re 30% heavier. We were confident
enough in the strength and durability of everything
else, enough to go ahead with the modifications. It
was just a matter of careful inspection and set-up
during assembly, and that’s what can make or break
a performance engine. It’s all in the set-up.”
The
RJ Turbo installation was next. Some brackets
were made to mount the turbo to the lower frame
rails and custom exhaust headers were fitted,
with the outlet from the turbo dump pipe routed
straight out the side of the bellypan. “I originally
wanted the turbo hidden,” admits Dave, “But
the 20 horsepower trade-off wasn’t worth it.
I’ve always put performance before looks and
now that I’m used to it I think the turbo looks
quite good where it is anyway.” |
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Snake and Jamie fabricated all the alloy plumbing
from the compressor to the throttle bodies, and some
ingenious use of the existing ZX-12R airbox helped
to create an effective plenum chamber. The ZX-12R
airbox is incorporated into the headstock and front
main rails of the frame and is every mechanics nightmare
(it’s so tight that the engine has to be dropped to
remove the injectors or even to adjust the valve clearances).
But Snake and Jamie soon put it to good use with
some creative cutting and shutting.
A Bosch hi-flow fuel pump was the next to go on, the
stock unit only good for up to 205 horsepower. And
Blitz 550cc injectors were purchased from Japan and
modified to suite.
An S&R Pro Interceptor B1 was then wired up to
provide real time tuning (at 2% throttle increments)
and control boost, fuel and ignition – areas that
are without doubt the most crucial in terms of horsepower
gains, reliability and efficiency in any engine.
Once the engine was running Jamie started the tuning
process, the end result a jaw dropping 284hp@9000rpm
and 202ft-lbs@8000rpm. And to put those enormous numbers
into perspective, they equate to double the rear wheel
horsepower and triple the torque of a standard ZX-12R!
With the engine now sorted, Dave turned his attention
to the chassis and appearance of the bike. The front
was lowered 13mm and the rear linkages were modified
to give the bike a lower stance. Dave’s twelve now
sits around 60mm lower than standard. Says Dave, “Ground
clearance is compromised slightly at the moment, with
the air pod hitting the deck quite easily. I plan
on fitting a shock with adjustable ride-height next.
That way I can dump it to go drag racing, or jack
it up for ride days.”
With those massive six-pot Tokicos and 320mm discs
there was no need to touch the stock brakes, and Dave
opted to keep the swingarm length and steering rake
stock – again, usability his main objective.
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As for cosmetics, Dave wanted to keep things
pretty low key. “I wanted a bit of a sleeper
so I chose to black it out a bit and polish
the wheels. Both the painting and the polishing
was out-sourced by Sydney’s Kawasaki Territory,
and S&R Pro sorted the decals for me.”
Dave fitted an aftermarket rear hugger and
also shortened the indicator stalks to keep
things compact and neat. The numberplate holder
and rear guard were also chopped down and
an AutoMeter boost gauge in psi was fitted.
And was it all worth the effort? “I think
it was. I love the bike, it’s just what I
wanted, but next time I think I’ll just buy
one that’s already done. This one took eight
months and I nearly went mad!”
Nearly went mad. Mate, you’re as mad as they
come. A 284 horsepower ZX-12R geared for close
to 400km/h. My God.
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TURBO BASICS
Think of a turbo as an air pump that is used
to force more mixture into an engine – thus upping
the power output. Being the inefficient buggers that
they are, internal combustion engines lose lots of
potential power through the combustion process and
a turbo can help regain some of that lost oomph. A
turbo is driven by spent exhaust gasses exiting the
engine via a turbine that in-turn drives a compressor.
In most modern turbo engines the turbo set-up is called
a blow-through system. The compressor draws fresh
air and directs it through the throttle bodies and
inlet manifold to a plenum chamber, and finally into
the cylinder head and combustion chamber. In some
cases the charge is first directed through a water-cooled
radiator for air called an intercooler. This is because
the compressed air/charge reaches high temperatures,
limiting horsepower gains. Almost any internal combustion
engine can be turbo charged.
WHAT A WEAPON
Dave’s ZX-12R really is a sight to behold
out on the streets. The sound is more like a Jet than
a bike. Following Dave through the City for our shoot
was unreal – the whine from the turbo as he loaded
it up and the roar from the dump pipe as the revs
hit the roof. And you’ve never seen a bike turn more
heads. The familiar Psshh from the blow-off valve
as Dave backed off from another massive bout of wheelspin
giving everyone a kick – not to mention scaring the
odd Granny on the sidewalk! What’s it like to ride?
Dave, a Soldier trained in all types of weapons, reckons
it’s probably like strapping yourself to a ballistic
missile!
Hmm. I wonder if he’s tried that theory out...
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE 1196cc DOHC inline four-cylinder four-stroke
running CP forged pistons, 8.7:1 compression, bore
and stroke of 83.0 x 54.0mm, heavy duty clutch springs,
RJ Turbo’s turbo, S&R Pro plenum chamber, custom
exhaust, K&N pod filter, Blitz 550cc injectors,
Bosch hi-flow fuel pump, S&R Pro Interceptor B1
computer controlling ignition, fuelling and boost.
CHASSIS & BODYWORK Aluminium monocoque frame,
aluminium swingarm, 43mm inverted KYB forks lowered
13mm, fully adjustable Kayaba shock with modified
linkages, lowered 60mm, six-piston Tokico calipers
with 320mm floating discs (f) and single 230mm disc
with twin-piston caliper (r), modified bellypan to
accommodate turbo and filter, aftermarket rear hugger,
chopped guard, stubbie indicators, blacked-out/stock
paintwork mix, polished wheels.
POWER – STOCK ZX12-R, 156hp@10,100rpm, 87ft-lbs@7,600rpm
- (at the crank) DAVE’S ZX-12R 284hp@9000rpm, 202ft-lbs@8000rpm
- (rear wheel) COST $40,000.00 WHEELSPIN Every gear,
any speed
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