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Another Gen 4 race build

67K views 297 replies 49 participants last post by  dricked 
#1 · (Edited)
Well after having a bad ending to my intro into racing (final 3 races at RACE) where I spun a rod bearing then taking an intake valve shortly after the repair on my 2008 GSXR 1000 sbk, I decided it was time to cut my losses. I picked up a shiny almost new ZX10 with 1700km on it to turn into my new love. I know this is not a cost effective way to get on the track but after having two motor failures, any bike I picked up would have a full rebuild before it hit the track (roughly 3-$4000). This way I start fresh and can mod to my desire and make the bike my own.



I started off riding the bike home (roughly 200km) and felt fairly comfortable with the ergo's right away. Once I got it home and found a couple safe backroads I wanted to see what all the hype was with this bike. Needless to say it was impressive but not what I was expecting. These bikes come heavily restricted from the factory so after a little research I found out by grounding a wire from the ecu it puts the bike into a neutral map where the secondaries don't close at higher rpm, so by day two the bike had already had its first "mod". One quick jaunt and the bike showed what it was really made of! It pulls extremely well past 10,000rpm and if I dare say wouldn't give up much to my GSXR that was built pushing 180whp on U4.4.

I started getting the build under way by removing all the nice shiny painted bits and unnecessary street parts (beside the kick stand).



I picked up a few parts that I knew I would change right away such as Vortex rearsets



Renthal clipons, STM switches, Pro-Taper adjustable clutch perch



Brembo 19x18



Fairing stay with a bigger ram air intake from the UK (http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/181680345840?nav=SEARCH). You can also see the Lightech remote brake adjuster, ProTaper adjustable clutch perch and my homemade rad guard.



And a few bling parts.



I also removed the OEM wiring harness and ECU. By the time it added the cost of a quick shifter to a piggyback system the price was within a couple hundred dollars but this way I have much more adjustability.

Old harness



Race harness and ECU




After removing the OEM harness there was plenty of room to add a set of block off plates so I took the opportunity to get it done while I was there.



Started a bit of the race wiring to keep everything where it's suppose to be.


 
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#2 ·
Installed a new FMF apex exhaust and carbon fiber hanger





I found a great deal on a set of Hotbodies bodywork off the forum and even though I heard how bad they are I decided to see just how bad they could be. Well they're all that and more! I had to trim the oem undertail 1/2" to get the tail section to slide foreward far enough so that the recess lines up on the subframe. I also had to cut and shape the front of the seat pan to get it to fit and the recesses are still extremely crooked that mount to the tank but it'll have to do for now. This will become my spare bodywork later in the season.




I've been having a hell of a time trying to decide what I wanted to run as far as suspension goes until I was lead to a great deal on a set of K-tech 20DDS fork cartridges. Originally they were out of the budget and I was undecided if going with a gas charged fork was really worth the extra expense. This deal made my decision for me. They'll be paired up with the K-tech 35DDS rear shock.

 
#5 · (Edited)
Sure will, not quite done yet

If go for another set of bodywork, consider the Armour Bodies set. I've had the same set on my race bike for 2 years, going on 3 now. Been through 2 highsides and a lowside (repaired of course). Fits great and light.
That's what I had planned on using but this was almost 1/3 of the cost but my time and aggravation just fitting it was not worth the savings never mind the prep that I need to do now before I can paint it.

The front didn't go as bad as the tail. Took roughly an hour to get it on and drilled but I have to do some trimming again and the bracket they use to attach the belly pan is part of the kickstand so I'll have to fab somthing up there
 
#4 ·
If go for another set of bodywork, consider the Armour Bodies set. I've had the same set on my race bike for 2 years, going on 3 now. Been through 2 highsides and a lowside (repaired of course). Fits great and light.
 
#6 ·
Damn dricked, you got my same suspension setup! Nice. Bike’s looking great.
 
#8 ·
Very nice! Subscribed.
 
#9 ·
may I ask what you paid for your K-Tech setup? PM me if you don't want to post.
my setup was $2,500 installed.. killer deal!
 
#12 ·
what rear linkage are you using?
 
#15 ·
Hmmm.. don’t think I’d go with the best deal on this part, go with the best product. It’s a key linkage in the system.
 
#16 ·
There's a few different linkages with good reviews, without being able to try all of them I wouldn't be able to pick which one I prefer. If I stick with one of those options I'm sure it'll will be more than good enough for me right now.
 
#17 ·
if you want some more info on this PM me, I'll be happy to share with you what I've learned.
 
#19 ·
I've got the Kyle Racing one (of course), but the new TTX-GP shocks won't be in until later this week so I have just been looking at it sitting all lonely and shit on my counter. I'd be very interested in hearing any real world rider reviews of it before I start my testing process.

 
#20 ·
I have the DK link and the TTX valved for it. I had to go to harder valving than what Dan initially installed.

When going to the link I went from a 110 spring to a 105 spring.

I found that the bike held itself up in high G corners better. It would hold a tighter radius and finish corners. It feels very stiff when you first sit on it but works perfectly once at pace. My tire wear was better once it was dialed in however I found that the sweet spot for grip/tire wear is narrower once the link was installed.

Best part about buying the DK link is having Dan as a resource if you need help getting setup.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Well I think I'm going to have my tuner chat with K-tech and see what they've used. This way I hopefully just have minor adjustments to make instead of valving and spring changes.

Speaking of chain and sprockets! I just installed my new DID ERV3 with lightech aluminum nuts. The sprocket is just a cheap JT that I spray painted (I know it won't last but I want to take pics of the bike finished before it hits the track) and until I figure out what gearing I want I'm not going to buy my renthals. Went -1 +3 to start with, might be a wheelie machine lol.

 
#166 ·
Speaking of chain and sprockets! I just installed my new DID ERV3 with lightech aluminum nuts. The sprocket is just a cheap JT that I spray painted (I know it won't last but I want to take pics of the bike finished before it hits the track) and until I figure out what gearing I want I'm not going to buy my renthals. Went -1 +3 to start with, might be a wheelie machine lol.

Where did you order the Lightech sprocket nuts from?
 
#22 ·
^Ya she will like the wheelies haha.
 
#23 ·
If you didn't already, make sure you use some loctite on those sprocket nuts. I had a set of driven nuts, torqued them down to spec, and they still loosened up on me and chewed my swingarm a bit before I could notice.
 
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#24 ·
Yea I agree 100% on that... Actually if those are the type with the heli-coils inside the nut I wouldn't use them at all... I've seen some of those come apart more than once and anything on a race bike that is subject to failure can put you at serious risk.
 
#26 ·
Cool, it kinda looked in the picture like there may have been nylon in there but I wasn't sure. I should have bought the LighTech nuts, not driven.
 
#27 ·
I also blue locktite just about everything that isn't race wired when doing my final assembly. Most of the bike has to come apart again to install the shock and linkage. While that's going on I'll remove the swingarm to grease the bearings. I did the steering head already when I was bored.

I was expecting the rear wheel to be much more of a pain to install but it went pretty smoothly. The stand the bike is on is very low though so well see what happens when it's on a proper one. I do have a small trick I've seen on another bike to make wheel changes easier that I'll post a pic of tonight
 
#31 ·
Well, a very nice package arrived at my door today! They come with 3 different spring rates (.95/1.0/1.05) and all the necessary tools to swap them out. Pretty excited to try these puppies out. I'll drop them at my tuners for installation.



 
#34 ·
I've finally got all the bodywork mounted and %99 ready for paint. I installed a tank cover because I didn't want to deal with the oem pieces and wanted to somewhat protect the tank itself. The fit was ok but there's no support on the sides of the tank. I ended up siliconing a few pieces if blue styrofoam insulation to the tank so when I clamped my legs on it the cover didn't break on the tank mounting bolts.

I've also order the remaining parts to complete the build which should be here in a few weeks. I'm not sure if they'll all be here before my first race but the suspension will be which is most important. I dropped the forks and cartridges off on Friday and order one of these on Monday. Hopefully I can pick it all up with my linkage before the end of the week.
 
#35 ·
Awesome man. What colour are you painting the bike? Might have looked over that if you said it already.
 
#36 · (Edited)
I plan to paint it similar to my avatar but viper blue. I may even have a chance to paint it this weekend which will really help move things foreward.

I'll have it on the Dyno shortly after I get the suspension done so we can compare some numbers boosted. I've only got a slipon and the race ecu so I'm assuming I'll be close to your numbers seeing as how were using the same Dyno and tuner.
 
#37 ·
lookin good!
 
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