Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

MEET LARRY LAYE If you want to see a real Hayabusa, look no further than Nxt Level Racing's Streetbike Shootout Hayabusa. NLR's Sebastian Domingo built the bike to AMA/Prostar Streetbike Shootout-rule specifications. The rules don't allow wheelie bars or wheelbases longer than 68 inches, and they must run a DOT tire. How does 475 horsepower sound from a stock-displaced 1299cc powerplant? It sounds scary to me. Maybe it was the incident at LACR when Larry was testing - the rear tire hooked up as he shifted into second and the front wheel went sky-high. Remember, it has a 68-inch wheelbase: it was really scary to see this bike going verticall At one point on grudge night, while Larry was testing the NLR bike and I was just having fun, we lined up next to each other at the lights. I was on the stock Hayabusa, and when the lights went green - or, should I say, amber - I was shocked by the ferocity of the NLR bike's departure. Two seconds doesn't sound like a lot, but in drag racing it's an absolute etemity. Two seconds is what he beat me by. and I swear when he passed through the quarter-mile lights, he was just a dot in the distance while I crossed through the eighth·mile. Just for comparison's sake, and to humiliate myself. I ran a 10.821 at 129.531 to his 8.771 at 162.863, uncorrected. It was cool to experience firsthand though, and remember, he was just testing - he wasn't even trying. The NLR Hayabusa set its fastest ET ever on the night of June 15, at the NMRA (National Motorcycle Racing Association) event at Sacramento Raceway in northem Califomia. How does a 7.971 at 184 mph sound? Congratulations to Larry and NLR's Sebastian Domingo for throWing down such an unbelievable time. See this week's "Bikes of the Stars: page 115 for a look at the NLR Hayabusa. For more information on NLR, check out their Web site at www.nirsystems.com. or by telephone at 909/888-8057. The Kawasaki ZX-12R is available In three color combinations - red, blue and black/gold. Dynojet Research Inc. ~---- 150 . 125 - 125 . . : ----~----~----~----~----~ , , , , , : . , : ----:~- ---:~ ---+ ---:: ----;: ---- --.- -- -1S : . . • • I , . . . . . . . -_----,----.----.----.----.----.----.--, , ,. so I • : , , , , , , I : : : ,. , , . : I -so . • I ,. " , . " , . • I I I , 2 I , I I , 3 , I I , " • . . , .' I 4 , I , , S I , I I I , I 6 , I I" , , 1 I I , I I ~ I - 25 " " " " . " " " . , , , , , , , , , CD ~ c: • , " , , , , , - - - -:- - - - -:-- - - - -:-- - - - -:-- - - - - :- - - - -:- - - - - ~ - - - - t - - - - t - - - - t - - - - t - - • o c .a " ~'''':-':--'''1,'' , o ~ - 100 -i i--- , , ----:..- ---:.. --' 25 -150 I " , . , , I I B I I 9 I I • I I 10 I I I I I 11 . I • I , I I I 12 I I I I _ 0 13 work with. The tachometer read 10,500 rpm on my fastest run· about 400 rpm short of redline, with the needle stalling out completely. As far as the bike's attitude at speed is concerned, it felt perfectly composed and stable and never did anything to alarm me. The aerodynamics on this bike really work well at speed. RPM (x1000) Another key piece of information is that the elevation of our location is around 2500 feet above sea level. Another note: stock speedometers are off, significantly. When your buddy tells you he went 200 mph on his Hayabusa, he didn't. He just went 200 mph on his speedo, and that's probably 15 to 20mph off. SUZUKI I ran the 'Busa first and the wind was a bit brisk at the time. I was only able to rip off a disappointing 176.1mph run. The one thing that is instantly annoying on the Suzuki is the low, semi-opaque windscreen. It barely offers any wind protection and is virtually impossible to see through. Not only is it smoked, but it's like looking through a window covered in Vaseline. I made three passes on the 'Busa that were all unsatisfactory due to the KAWASAKI crosswinds - each run only a mile per hour or so different from the next. Then, all of a sudden, the wind mel- I had high expectations from the ZX-12R, and I wasn't disappointed. Just like the situation with all three bikes, the crosswind was keeping the bikes away from their potential best on the early runs. The first run was 176.8. and then a 179, and then a 179.2-mph run. I was losing hope lowed out and I was able to rip off a 183-mph run. That was it, that was all the bike had on this day - it may be able to go faster at sea level, but that was it in the conditions I had to when the conditions improved and I was able to rip off a 184.9 mph run. This, I'm told, is only 1.1 mph off of the bike's electronic top-speed limiter. We were right there, even at the altitude we were at. I knew I had gone significantly faster on the last run because the bike was able to pull a full 250 rpm more than it had on the previous runs - pulling up to 11,250 rpm, just 250 off of the indicated redline. Riding the ZX-12R at speed was enjoyable. The windscreen worked perfectly, offering excellent vision and wind protection, not to mention confidence. Like the Suzuki. riding at top speed was a piece of cake. I wouldn't recommend that anyone do these types of speeds except on a track, but at speed this bike was like a pussycat. HONDA 18 The XX has been around for a while and it's starting to show it's age through lack of outright performance. Lets get to the facts. The XX ran a best run of 170.8 mph, which was really disappointing in one way, but a relief in another. The relief is that it's not a bike on which you want to spend too much time at top speed. It starts to develop aerodynamic lift at around 140 to 150 mph, which makes the bike start to wander on the road the front end just starts to feel vague. It feels similar to the sensation of lift I've felt in fast cars with inadequate downforce. I'm not sure what's going on, but it's something along those lines. It's not bad, it just requires that you really, really pay attention. a ill-12R 9.811 @143AO Ii corree fOr Ibe 211D-foot alUtude. Suzulli GSI13 R 9.848 @ 142.526 10 CBRll00D 10.2 6@135.238 =- . .. 1ft .. u .. I • n _ _ S • JULY 10. 2002 35

• Cover