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Yo, drag racers. Need advice

6K views 32 replies 10 participants last post by  -Op- 
#1 ·
My background is road racing and my gen4 is set up as such.

Went to the strip last week and had a blast so I'm going back. Goal of getting in the 9's.

My 60ft times were atrocious.

I ran U.K. Ntecs but my warmers are not an option so don't think they ever heated up. Understand the power one (heard that was the best) is no longer produced? Any of michelins replacements just as good.

Any suspension tips?

Thanks in advance
 
#3 ·
easiest thing to do, if you want to leave your bike in road race form, is strap the front. As for traction, if you want a DOT drag tire, the Shinko hook-up seems to be the most popular. I have one on my Gen3 and it works quite well.
If your willing to walk away from road racing and try straight line only, then making it as low and long as you can is the way to go.
Brock Davidson has some good videos about suspension setup. check out brocksperformance.com and watch some of his vids.

try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsIcE5GoGvk
 
#5 ·
I run a Shinko Hookup as well and have been for many years. Those power ones are used by the really fast guys but are more spendy than a hookup. Great tire for drag racing, not the best tire for street riding a more road race bike. Maybe look into the Shinko Stealth, I had friends use those and have pretty good results if you want more of a normal street tire.

Straps for the front would be very useful. I have had my set from Schnitz for almost 10 years and have used the brackets on my R6, R1 and now my ZX10. Looks like they don't make the brackets anymore but those RBM ones looks decent and cheaper than the brocks ones. Gotta get the strap too, might as well get the Schnitz and save a few bucks, all do the same thing.

https://store.schnitzracing.com/search.php?search_query=strap&x=0&y=0

Could also get an adjustable lowering link for the rear as well.
 
#11 ·
I've been going 9.0's on pump gas on mine for the last year or so and went 8.9 on MR12 2 years ago. Pretty basic setup, nothing crazy and I'm a shitty rider :crackup:

http://www.zx-10r.net/forum/f23/c3l1cas-street-strip-wanna-build-thread-248001.html

My thread if you're looking for more info on what I had done. Don't want to de-rail the OP's thread.

Thx celica. Ordered a shinko. Are these straps hard on the forks or is it a non issue? Still road race this bike.

I have an ohlins rear so think I can drop the ride height a bit.
I haven't had an issue with any of bikes forks but I wouldn't leave your straps tight for an extended period of time. Heck you could pull the straps as you're going up to race then when you get back in the pits you could release the strap so the fork aren't compressed the whole day. When I strap my bike I go down the pit road, grab a handful of front brake then pull up on the strap at the same time, gets it way tighter than just pushing on the front end and pulling on the strap.

Another tip to try and keep your clutch lasting longer is to not do back to back runs all day. I usually make a run, come back in the pits, zip tie my clutch lever to the bar and then open the oil fill cap to help cool down the clutch. Usually let it sit for at least 10 minutes, usually shoot for 15-20 min between runs.
 
#7 ·
A simple tie down strap should do the job in the front. You should run full soft in the rear so the bike will squat on launch. Schnitz Motorsports, Inc. has a ton of drag parts for ZX10s. Your clutch is going to be an issue if drag race a lot. It will fail under repeated hard launch's. I switched to a Barnett Kevlar but I was not riding the bike on the street. With springs it has a very heavy pull. I use to run a ZX11 in the bracket classes those bikes had a huge clutch that held up well to repeated hard launch's. I use to run a supercomp dragbike 8.90 index. It would break the inner fiber plate on the oem clutch so I put the Barnett Kevlar fibers in and had no more problems.
 
#10 ·
I picked up an upgraded basket from another member on here. It already the rivets drilled and upsized as well as welded.
As for the strap, I think I went with a schnitz and mps brackets. All the straps seem to be the same, only difference is how they mount. My buddy bought one on ebay for cheap and has used it for the last 5 years, no issues.
If you wanna lower the rear just google "adjustable lowering links" for you bike and look around the forum for brands and quality.
 
#12 ·
yea if youre going to be anywhere close to the 9's you will go through your clutch in one day. I would already call cycle concepts and have a clutch on order lol. The 4th gen's clutch is so high up its get really hot so like celica said dont hot lap it... i made that mistake
 
#13 ·
I use my race bike at the dragstrip fairly often.
All I do is strap the front end, fastest i went was 10.1 though.

As far as tire, on a stock wheelbase bike a street tire will be more than enough. I used Q3's dont even do a burnout and they never spun.

DOT race tires suck when cold though, Pirelli Supercorsa SC spun on me.
 
#17 ·
I typically tighten down the front strap in the staging lanes, by rocking the bike back and forth with the front brake applied while pulling on the tension strap. After a run, i'll go back to the pit and pop it loose.
My Launch Master is set at 4000rpm, still fine tuning this as well as the limit for de-activation. I trimmed down the pin a little last night which now gives me about 1/2 lever travel before it goes to high rev limit.
I also put in a clutch kit from cycle concepts. Dwayne was awesome to work with. He asked me a ton of questions about my setup to make sure he sold me the right clutch. I'll definitely give him a call again when this clutch wears out.
 
#18 ·
Dont leave the strap tightened the whole time. Just before racing. Like said, hold the front brake and rock the bike. Itll compress the forks plenty. The Shinko is a great option, its sticky. Especially for drag racing, 180/55 in the stock rear rim, it stretches it out a bit. You get a flatter contact patch and its like 1/2 to 1 full tooth added on the rear. Thats pretty helpful.

Work your way up for RPM on the launch. Start prolly arpund 6-7k or so. Have fun with it, thats the big thing.

Ive definitely spun a Q3 while SWB before. It can happen depending on the track, launch and where you lined up.

Full soft on the shock helps with the launch.

How deep into a drag setup are you planning to go?
 
#19 · (Edited)
[/QUOTE]Full soft on the shock helps with the launch.

How deep into a drag setup are you planning to go?[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice all.

Not to deep. Still plan on running this bike on the track. Probably just straps and the shinko. Maybe mess with gearing a bit.
I've set a goal of getting in the 9's. In the 10's now but my 60 ft times are around 2.3 so that's probably my biggest issue.
 
#20 ·
My bikes is 95% a street bike, so I bought a spare rim for the Shinko I use for drag racing and then throw whatever gearing on it I think I need. Ive bolted in extensions and gone with a +5 size rear sprocket on there. Coupled with the -1 on the front, you can launch pretty aggressively. For SWB, I just use a -1/+2 setup. Im on a Gen 1, so this doesnt necessarily translate 100%. One guy you might one to find is PatrickG on the forum. If I remember right, he was pretty fast on a SWB Gen4.

One thing you might consider are adjustable lowering links for the rear end. Personally, I have Soupys that you can adjust with a wrench, so you can leave it stock height for the street and road courses and lower it for the drag strip. That would get you plenty low at both ends of the bike and it really helps with the launch.

Good luck, be smart and have fun. ThE biggest part of the 60ft is your clutch hand and then work the throttle to wide open
 
#21 ·
Forgot about that. Where you line ip makes a difference too.
You want to be in on of the two "tracks" where the car tires would be. Not in the middle of them.
 
#22 ·
Yup, watch and see where the cars are launching from and then line yourself up there. Itll help a lot with traction. Too be fair, I have spun my Q3 after lining up properly and all. I think track prep may have been an issue or something. Or I messed up the launch (most likely culprit). Youll be able to feel the sticky spot on the track with your boot though.
 
#26 ·
Did the bike try to wheelie?
 
#27 ·
i'm geared at -1/+5. I run 1/4 and i'm typically clicking 6th gear just before the stripe. My best 60's have been 1.50's.
Went to the track last night, didn't do anything impressive. I trimmed down my clutch switch, thinking it'd be better for launch. Turns out, I was wrong. I shortened it too much, so now the bike leaves the line while still on the 2-step. I found a switch on ebay for $12 and wasted no time ordering it.
 
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