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So I figured I would start a dedicated thread to documenting the build of my '09 Race Bike. I could probably write pages and pages of good stuff and post up a ton of pictures, but I figured I would start with just a few things and I'll add some more later. I'll try to keep this thread updated as the build nears completion and as I get the bike setup and race ready.
My goals were to make it as fast or faster than my current 2000 SV650 that puts out about 80HP and weighs in at 350lb ready to race. That bike is really good and dependable for me, but a new 650R had the best contingency program around and I was itching to do a new bike build. My business model showed with a few wins and handful of podiums (like I get on the SV), it made sense to start with a 2009 bike instead of a used 2008 (bikes are good for contingency for two years only).
So I started with a 0 mile Green 09 from Advanced Kawasaki and before riding it a single mile, started tearing into it. What a wierd feeling!
The basic plan was as follows:
ZX6 front end
Penske Shock
Arata exhaust
ZX6 rear wheel
Engine build per Advanced Kawasaki experience (got to pay to find out what that is!)
Remove anything not helping it go faster
Standard race bike build with Rearsets, race body, and the like
And I planned on painting it myself to save some dough.
The first pic was simply with the body stripped off.
The OEM body was sent off to Cheetah in a deal with BRP and Cheetah so I look forward to getting an 09 Cheetah body on the bike when available (should be soon I hear). Here was the Catalyst body mocked up. It needed adapters made to fit it to the 2009 since the mounting points got moved around a bit. I am a little disappointed in how wide the body is. This is to be expected since it was based on the ZX-6. I think it looks better than the stock 650R body, but I still would prefer a narrower body for less frontal area.
I'll post up more later when I get a chance.
Thanks to the following folks for helping me along so far:
Advanced Kawasaki
Blue Ridge Performance (BRP)
Cheetah Racing bodies
Woodcraft
Twin Works Factory
Kawasaki
My goals were to make it as fast or faster than my current 2000 SV650 that puts out about 80HP and weighs in at 350lb ready to race. That bike is really good and dependable for me, but a new 650R had the best contingency program around and I was itching to do a new bike build. My business model showed with a few wins and handful of podiums (like I get on the SV), it made sense to start with a 2009 bike instead of a used 2008 (bikes are good for contingency for two years only).
So I started with a 0 mile Green 09 from Advanced Kawasaki and before riding it a single mile, started tearing into it. What a wierd feeling!
The basic plan was as follows:
ZX6 front end
Penske Shock
Arata exhaust
ZX6 rear wheel
Engine build per Advanced Kawasaki experience (got to pay to find out what that is!)
Remove anything not helping it go faster
Standard race bike build with Rearsets, race body, and the like
And I planned on painting it myself to save some dough.
The first pic was simply with the body stripped off.
The OEM body was sent off to Cheetah in a deal with BRP and Cheetah so I look forward to getting an 09 Cheetah body on the bike when available (should be soon I hear). Here was the Catalyst body mocked up. It needed adapters made to fit it to the 2009 since the mounting points got moved around a bit. I am a little disappointed in how wide the body is. This is to be expected since it was based on the ZX-6. I think it looks better than the stock 650R body, but I still would prefer a narrower body for less frontal area.
I'll post up more later when I get a chance.
Thanks to the following folks for helping me along so far:
Advanced Kawasaki
Blue Ridge Performance (BRP)
Cheetah Racing bodies
Woodcraft
Twin Works Factory
Kawasaki