My 07 made me buy a Kawasaki...

[208MT07]

So, I've been dormant on here for some time, so time for an update lol.

I took my 07 to the drag strip a few times in 2020, and got hooked. So last year, I decided to try running a full season at our local track. Season didn't start out too hot, as at our very first test day I tried a more aggressive launch which resulted in me looping the 07. No physical injuries to myself, and luckily only cosmetic damage to the bike. Some scrapes on sliders, a broken peg and slightly bent brake lever, and a busted tail light and rear plastics. Got the peg replaced within a few days, and ran without a tail light for a couple weeks till the parts came in. But for how the season started, it turned out great. Got comfortable on the bike and became pretty good at being consistent, got a handful of runner up finishes and one event win, and actually ended up winning the points championship for one of our classes. So, this past December I pulled the trigger on something to build as a dedicated drag bike, and picked up a low mile 2016 ZX-14R for a good deal locally. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by 208MT07

[208MT07]

Once I had the 14 home, I started stocking up on the first few parts for the build. A low profile flat oil pan and oil filter relocation kit for more ground clearance, a sidewinder drag exhaust (also for more ground clearance), and an upgraded oil pump gear, billet oil pump cover, and a high pressure oil relief valve to prevent a common oil pressure loss issue these bikes are known to have under high rpm racing. Then I got the bike up on the lift, and started tearing it apart. 

[208MT07]

First order of business was to get the oil pan off, get the oil mods installed, and get the exhaust installed. Once I got the forks off the bike, I also installed some new internals that internally lowered the forks by 3" and limits the travel of them to 1.5", the minimum required by the NHRA. Rough riding on the street, but helps keep the front end down on the track. 

[208MT07]

Got the front end back together, then moved on to removing the stock swingarm/extension setup to replace it with a single piece extended chromoly swingarm that can position the rear axle between 10-14" over the stock wheelbase. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by 208MT07

[208MT07]

Got the bike all back together, then finished it up by getting my airshifter setup installed. No pictures of that install, as it was a mad rush to finish it in time for our first test day of this season. Also bought and installed a Pit Bull TRS as a much easier way to get the bike in and out of the trailer solo. Great product and really worth the price.  Got it out to the track, and with some help from one of my race friends, got the rear suspension lowered to where it should be, and got the rear shock setting tweaked enough to work, though it would be best if I upgrade to a drag shock in the future. Ended up spending the first few test days getting used to the bike, and going through the process of upgrading my NHRA license to the correct class to be allowed to run 9's. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by 208MT07

[208MT07]

Now we're a handful of races into the season, and I'm still getting the hang of this thing. To say it's a whole new experience vs the 07 is an understatement . But, these things are Cadillacs at speed. Got a pretty sweet photo taken of the bike at one of the events near the start of the season, and while I'm still working on getting my launches and 60' down, I am having a blast. My PB so far is a 60' of 1.70, and that same run was my PB for ET with a 9.64 at just about 147 mph, though it was a run where I severely broke out against a buddy. I am enjoying every minute, and it's all thanks to my little 07 haha. The 07 is now officially back to being the dedicated commuter bike, but is still setup to be a race bike should I need it as a backup if anything happens to the 14. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by 208MT07

[19MTMike]

Thanks for sharing all of your dragbike pics and I applaud your effort!  It's a lot of work to prep a bike and get it to the track, whether we're talking roadracing or dragracing.  Looks like you're making good power with the ZX14 (maybe 140 RWHP?), especially considering that your running at DAs from 3000 to 5000ft.   And, I'm sure that your 60ft times will come down with practice.   People often say "how hard can it be, you're only going in a straight line?".  To that I say, "if it's so easy, then show me how it's done!"  (In a former life, I've taken many passes down the 1/4 mi - now I'm just happy to putt around on my MT07).

Thanks again 208.  And, here's a few pics of the turbo Kaw KZ that I ran back in the day.  Best pass ever was a 7.75 @ 170.  Thought that you'd appreciate them.

Mike

[208MT07]

On 6/2/2022 at 2:54 PM, 19MTMike said:

Thanks for sharing all of your dragbike pics and I applaud your effort!  It's a lot of work to prep a bike and get it to the track, whether we're talking roadracing or dragracing.  Looks like you're making good power with the ZX14 (maybe 140 RWHP?), especially considering that your running at DAs from 3000 to 5000ft.   And, I'm sure that your 60ft times will come down with practice.   People often say "how hard can it be, you're only going in a straight line?".  To that I say, "if it's so easy, then show me how it's done!"  (In a former life, I've taken many passes down the 1/4 mi - now I'm just happy to putt around on my MT07).

Thanks again 208.  And, here's a few pics of the turbo Kaw KZ that I ran back in the day.  Best pass ever was a 7.75 @ 170.  Thought that you'd appreciate them.

Mike

It was definitely a good bit of work, and slow going since I did everything myself and I'm not the most mechanically inclined Haha. My bike should be putting down just a touch over 200hp to the tire, once I can get my first 330' figured out I should be capable of low 9-high 8 second passes on it even with our higher density altitudes. Definitely a lot more that goes into drag racing a bike than some people know for sure. That KZ is pretty neat! 

[mtechdan]

What did you MT run in the 1/4 mile? 

[208MT07]

4 hours ago, mtechdan said:

What did you MT run in the 1/4 mile? 

Fastest pass I ever recorded on the MT at our elevation was an 11.93. Usually sat in the very low 12's.

[208MT07]

Little update, we're probably about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through our season, and so far my current PB was set last weekend with a 9.44 at 144mph. Hoping to break into the 9.3's this season. I'm also on track to finish this first season on a brand new bike in the top 10 in our points, pretty pumped about that. 

Since I'm unsure of how to post a video clip, if it's even possible, here's a link to an IG post that has a gopro video from on the bike during that run. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgf4wuirvs5/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=