So a Monday morning in the peak District was enough to get me back into life with the fast-forward button constantly on. The ZX-10R is blindingly fast in a straight line, but given its pixie-like dimensions the front is a little on the flappy side. Hmmm, steering damper for me (and anyone else who's lucky enough to have bought one). Thankfully, down low the delivery is much softer than the razor sharp power higher up.

So on my things to do list are: try and make it crash proof, get a steering damper, get a fruity zorst, stick it round lots of tracks, fine tune the suspension and maybe see if I can persuade a few people to put nitrous on it. Like it needs any more power. So keep checking back to see how it all goes.
Please direct any advice to simon_roots@ipcmedia.com

7th October

Bump, then grind
I'm a bit miffed at the moment. I stuck the Power Commander onto the ZX-10R a couple of months ago now, and at the time it started to cut out. Not good, so I decided to have another look at it and basically refit it. That seemed to be the end of it, but after having a fuel map tailored for the big Kwaka by Sean at BigCC Racing (www.bigccracing.com) the problem has returned with a vengeance.
On my trip out of work (and strangely not into work) the bike will cut out two or three times each journey. I'm going to have another go at fitting it, but the connectors are all clip-in types, so they're either connected, or they're not. So I'm starting to figure that there's something loose in the box itself. Bumps tend to start it stopping, so in the short-term I've cosseted the box in bubble wrap, but that's sorting the symptom, not the cure. The last thing I want is for the bike to cut out mid-corner, so I can't ignore this little problem.
Everything else on the bike is sweet. Kenny had a spin on it the other day and proclaimed it mental, so that can't be a bad thing. With the Pirelli Diablo's on, it seems to be enjoying the changeable conditions much more than on the track-based Metzeler Rennsports.

11th August
It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you
Without a dope beat to step to. Or something like that anyway. Well, it's been busy in a strange sort of way on the ZX-10R front so I'll get you in the loop.

The biggest thing to happen was the big ZX-10R recall that affected every single Ten on the planet. Kawasaki phoned me up and told me not to ride the bike anymore - all after a day wazzing around Snetterton like a maniac the day before. But the offered me a ZX-6R for a week while the fix was sorted. I also suggested to them that it would be an apt time to sort out the 4,000-mile service leaving me with a few more days on the Six.
My first impression of the Six was it was utterly gutless. The capacity difference was messing with my melon, man. Changing gear everywhere, yanking the throttle at every occasion and just be a little less frightened of the thing were the main differences. The lever positions weren't as tailored either and it made me realise that bikes can be made to fit you better. Get the allen keys out and have a twirl to get those brake levers into position.
But after a couple of days I really got into the ZX-6R. It feels much smaller than the Ten, despite the relative similarity in dimensions. It could be thrown around and gassed hard out of turns and in many ways, it reminded me of a purer form of riding, not merely relying on huge power to make waves.
But the I got the call that the Ten was ready, so I raced up to Kawasaki HQ to be re-united. And fuck me, that thing's quick. The Six was topping out in the mid 70s in first gear while the Ten gets to 105mph before the rev limiter cuts in! Don't ask me what happens next because I just couldn't bare to look.
Kawasaki had not only given it a good service (that included sorting one gripe that was getting the clutch cable lubed. Before, there was a snatchy feel to the clutch, but now it's smooth as silk) but an unbelievable clean. It looked like it had just been rolled off a showroom floor. Top work there chaps. But the rain soon put pay to the gleam, bastards!
In other news, the Power Commander has gone on. The instructions were so clear that even I couldn't screw it up, although the airbox is a pain in the arse to get on and off. Round hole, square peg sort of thing. I need to get hold of a laptop and then I'll get the right map on the thing to unleash more power. God, what am I saying?

15th June

Track talk
Well, I'd like to talk about how fantastic the ZX-10R is on a dry track but our day at Brands Hatch was pretty much a washout. It was all my fault too. I went and had a set of road compound Metzeler Rennsports (www.metzelermoto.co.uk - prices are around £200 a set if you haggle) put on the 10R on the Friday and come Monday it was hosing down.

Neil and I turned up to Brands to partake in the Woolsey Coulter Cirucit Riders Clinic too, and one look at the Rennsports and the rain had me running to plan B - a Triumph Daytona that we'd brought along. Mmmm, nice Pirelli Diablo Corsas, the next best thing to a set of wets.

So as Woolsey showed us the ropes it started to dry, enough to roll the Kawasaki out for a couple of sessions in the afternoon.

Before I fired her up in anger, Woolsey advised me to slow up the rebound at the rear. I'd done this before on an old race bike, but Woolsey reminded me that when the upstroke of the rear suspension is slowed you keep a bit more weight on the tyre and help it to grip a bit more in damp conditions. Imagine your rebound is set very hard and you crack the throttle open out of a corner. The rebound rate makes the rear tyre head upwards and puts less pressure on the tyre. The tyre starts spinning and you start to have a problem Houston. So I backed the rebound off and had a ball for two sessions.

It was still damp under the trees (especially on the back part of the GP circuit) and I didn't have confidence in the conditions to put a mildly warm lap in to explore the limitations of the front suspension, but I can tell you that it's not too far off. I've heard that small clicks on Kawasaki's make big differences, so as soon as I start fiddling more, you'll know.

Anyway, you'll be spending good money if you have a day with Woolsey Coulter. The Clinic will be running on the 8th and 28th of July at Cadwell and Snetterton the same tracks on 5th and 30th August. The day costs £175 plus your track day cost. For more information contact www.focusedevents.co.uk or call 01903 744 011.

8th June 2004

Simon's Cowl

Plus other updates
Kenny and Al are making me look bad with their constant updates of their longtermers, so it's time to get busy with the fizzy (whatever that means). I've somehow managed to do over 2,000 miles in the 10R and every single one of them has been fantastic and I'm sure that the general office opinion of the Kawasaki has gone from mad bastard to lucky bastard in the space of a month.

So let's have some big shouts out in a Dave Pearce stylee. Well, after the crash protectors were fitted the next job was to sort out a steering damper. And that came courtesy of American firm GPR Stabilizers who have just set up shop in the UK. The damper costs £299 and is available from GPR UK on 01945 585842. Also check out www.gprstabilizer.com for more info. I've not got the Ten angry enough yet to really test it but watch this space, I've got no complaints yet.

Next up comes a big fanks to Paul from Kawasaki who sorted me out with a smart seat cowl. I'm reckoning that the Big K designed the whole thing in the first place so you can't really go wrong with their aftermarket parts. When you stick in your order for a ZX-10R ask your dealer to chuck one of these in - unless your missus is a constant companion. Check out the results for yourself. Even Virgin Yamaha pilot Tommy Hill, who popped round for a chat, reckoned it looked the bomb.

I need to talk about my day on track with the Ten, but it's bastard hot at the mo and I can't think straight, so watch this space.


Before and after - no contest, ditch the wife


21st May

We've all been out getting some shots of our longtermers in action and I'm pleased to say that the Ten did good. Although I had all sorts of sympathetic looks from the rest of the guys, fearful that the vicious power would have me off at any point. But the only awkward moment was a wheelie that nearly got away. Everywhere else the ZX-10R behaved really well - although that steering damper is still on top of the wish list.

But at least I've made the beast crash proof - by that I mean if it does get crashed then it won't be the fairing that touches down first (unless I flip it). R&G Racing provided me with some crash bungs and although it meant drilling through the fairing, it wasn't such a bad job. Exploring how the panels come off was an initial pain in the arse and you really need the right drill bit for the job, but it's well worth investing an hour or two and £54 for the piece of mind. I've also stuck fork protectors and bar end bobbins. The guys at R&G want me to bin it to see how they stand up in a crash, but here's hoping that it won't happen. Check out www.rg-racing.com to see if their great range of bobbins will fit your bike.