You don’t need lots of power to be fast!

I constantly hear people that say they need a bigger, faster bike.  Their 110hp 600 is just not fast enough to keep up with their friends.  Well, I’m here to tell you…that you are WRONG!

To prove that point, we took the mighty Hyosung GT650 up to Utah on a yearly ride for SinCity Sportbikes.  It was a mixed group, with everything from Hayabusas and ZX10s to a few 600s and even an SV650.

The majority of the ride was above 7000 feet elevation with the highest point being 11,500ft. This high altitude will zap the power from any vehicle, especially carbureted ones like the Hyosung.  The more power you have in reserve, the better off you are.

So how can we take this Korean 650 twin with only 65hp (sea level) and manage to keep up at altitude?  First, we added the most important upgrade you can do to a motorcycle.  We upgraded the suspension.  You heard me right, the suspension.

The Hyosung was treated to proper Race Tech springs and G2R Gold Valves up front and a custom G3-S shock out back.  This was a HUGE improvement over stock!  The only engine mods were a slip on pipe and re-jetting.

I handed the bike over to former racer and world renowned motorcycle instructor Lee Parks.  He actually wrote the book on performance riding.  It’s true, it’s called Total Control, go get a copy.

Leading the ride is former racer Josh Marshall.  Let’s be upfront, Josh is fast, but safe.  He is generally 15 minutes into a nap before everyone else catches up to him.  He also knows these roads very well.  He is riding Kawasaki ZX10.

Josh likes to have fun, but is smart.  He does not pin the throttle on the straights to see how fast his bike will go, he already knows that.  He does keep a very brisk pace through the twisties though.

What you are seeing in the video is how a very underpowered bike with a well setup suspension can keep up with a much faster bike in the corners.  Remember, Lee is on a HYOSUNG!

So next time you think you need to step up to a 160hp liter bike to keep up…think again.  Improve your riding skills and get your suspension working it’s best.  Oh, and do your real high speed stuff at a track day.  Remember, these guys are professionals.

P.S. Everyone asks about the wobbly gauges.  The gauges were on a temporary, mock up,  mount.  Not only did we change the mount, we changed the gauges.  Check out the track footage of the Hyosung at my You tube site to see more.  www.youtube.com/cyclesportstv

Test riding the New Kawasaki Z1000

I  got the opportunity to ride the new Z1000 recently.  I was in LA on business and  got to ride it  from the Rock Store in Malibu. Here is the route:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source= … 90895&z=14

I have to start by saying the Z1000 surpassed my expectations. I understand that in order to sell a bike for 10K, now a days, you have to cut a few corners. The end result is usually a slightly underpowered version of it’s sport bike brethren. The suspension is usually non-adjustable, brakes weak…etc. Thankfully, none of this was the case with the Z1000.

The first thing I noticed is that it feels, and is, much lighter than my ZRX. I expected the suspension to cry out in pain under the weight of my big butt, and again, it didn’t. In fact, I tried to get it to dive hard. I would snap open the throttle then slam it shut just as quickly. The Zed just laughed. It had minimal dive even when grabbing the brakes hard.

One of the first roads we hit was Latigo Canyon Road. This is tight, bumpy road that is full of surprises. The bike handled the multiple and quick side to side changes and never got upset. Trust me I tried. Even when making intentional throttle changes mid corner the bike stayed composed. The Z1000 soaked up all the bumps and never complained.

Power was very linear with a nice bit of torque. I intentionally exited several corners a gear too high and the Kawi pulled hard even from under 3k. It doesn’t have the torque my ZRX does, but it is close. Once you got the revs over 8K the power comes on strong, but smoothly. The new Z1000 doesn’t suffer from the vibration issues that plagued the previous versions.

Throttle response was very good. Even when getting to a maintenance throttle in mid turn, it was never abrupt. This is very surprising for a bike in this price range. I’ve ridden far more expensive bikes that didn’t have nearly as smooth a throttle response.

The brakes were very linear and predictable. Don’t get me wrong, these are not the throw you over the bars brakes that the ZX6/10 are known for, but they get the job done. They are actually far more easy to modulate and brake smoothly. There were a few times were I had to brake hard due to some serious debris in the next corner. The bike got slowed down and the suspension stayed composed.

The transmission is another area that really surprised me. It was VERY smooth. I never hit a false neutral and never felt any clunky shifts. The shifter has a very short throw, so minimal input is required.

The wind protection was also better than expected. Mind you, this is a naked bike. For a naked bike it did a great job of keeping the wind from pulling me off the bike even at speed.

The new Kawasaki Z1000 is a great all around bike. You can just as easily put around town as carve up some corners or even hit up a 500 mile ride. I have to hand it to Kawasaki, they did a great job with the new Z1000. I think a lot of riders would be shocked at how well the bike works, given the opportunity to throw a leg over.

New BMW S1000RR!

I took a trip to the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach California. Of all the new bikes I saw, this was the most exciting. Take a look!