TOM SYKES' KAWASAKI ZX-10R
RACER TEST
P80
the ZX-10R since this current cus-
tomer model debuted in 2011, has
allowed me to monitor the relent-
less improvement in the Sykes Ka-
wasaki from the hot seat. And the
biggest step forward year-on-year
was unquestionably the introduc-
tion of RBW/ride-by-wire in 2012,
allowing separate operation of each
pair of elliptical-choke (equivalent
diameter: 47mm) Keihin throttle
bodies.
For his title-winning season, this
turned Sykes' screamer of an in-line
four into a schizophrenic Superbike
that one moment thinks it's a twin
when it wants to be, then the next
instant a four. For 2014 this pro-
cess had further evolved, as Tom
Sykes' Dutch race engineer Marcel
Duinker explains.
"Yes, we made a step forward
and fine-tuned the system, but we
also generated more mechanical
traction from the chassis," Duinker
said. "So these two items make
you feel better riding the bike. The
main items we focused on were
improving the geometry of the
bike and the function of the rear
suspension. We wanted to make
the bike easier to ride. In 2013 the
rider needed a bit too much physi-
cal input to make the bike work for
full race distance. So we managed
mechanically to improve front and
rear traction."
I soon discovered this on the first
of the handful of laps I was able to
make on Syke's bike at Aragon. Un-
"EVEN THOUGH
THIS CAME FOR
PRICE CONSCIOUS
REASONS,
PROBABLY
THIS FORK IS
THE SAME AS
IN MOTOGP.
PERFORMANCE
IS VERY GOOD
INDEED."
– ICHIRO YODA
The Sykes ZX-10R runs a pretty extreme 56/44 percent forward weight bias.
