ALASTAIR KAWASAKI ZX-10RR
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Spitting my dummy…”
W ell, that’s that then. Mr Kawasaki has called to say he wants the big RR back and who am I to argue with such authority. Being a part-timer at FB has meant that I’ve not only lost out on time to modify the ZX-10RR but, more importantly, we haven't clocked up the miles. That said, the weather hasn't really been conducive to riding 200bhp superbikes and I’ll gladly swap oily hands in a warm workshop for broken bones in a cold, overcrowded hospital.
I really don’t understand the willy-waving exhibitions of some folk who post pictures of their bikes next to snowy roads on social media. Just get in the car, mate. With sub-zero temperatures and shitty roads, this month has been another busy one in the JHS Racing workshop, and I finally got round to fitting that Akra’ exhaust that’s been clogging up the office.
I love the RR’s split fairing, which means you only have to remove the bottom half to reach the headers. It’s a tight old squeeze between the rad and the engine block, but there’s just enough room to undo the stock clamps. I’m a lazy bastard, so I was never going to loosen the rad’s top mounts, although I highly recommend doing so in the future.
As you’d expect from the Gucci of exhausts, the Akrapovic is a joy to fit and millimetre-perfect in every area, and I could gaze at the welds all day. I could also gaze at the dyno graph all day, as we found an instant 6bhp (now 189bhp) over the Pipe Werx and a chunk of midrange too. That’s more power than BJ’s GSX-R1000R, so I’m happy!
Of course big horsepower is always nice, especially with an underpowered bike that’s been suffocated by Euro 4, but the best mod this year has been a component that costs a fraction of an exhaust – the Talon front sprocket. I love the handling of the RR (courtesy of dem Marchesini wheels) and as a road bike, it’s tricky to fault its dynamics. I also love the blipper and the rest of its electronics suite. But there’s no hiding from the fact that the Kawasaki is the one that’s suffered most from Euro 4 compliance, and any dose of additional excitement is always welcome to a dreary midrange – particularly when it costs £12.50.
Would I buy one? Yes, I would. As well as the aforementioned, I also love the stealthy looks of the Winter Testing paint and no level of performance can beat opening your garage to chubby-inducing machinery. Before the sadness of handing back the RR, there’s the agony of returning it to its standard state. I know, first world problems. Ciao.