Yes! It's a fabby 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R. And Dowds is looking after it for this year. Jammy sod...

Time Out

Sorry this part of the website has been a touch neglected of late. That's down to a couple of things, not least the fact I've recently spacked myself up pretty badly. Regular viewers will have seen me cartwheeling down Paddock Hill bend at Brands Hatch, closely followed by Simon Roots' GSX-R1000 long-term test bike.

Now, there are two rules of the long-termer. First, don't crash anyone else's bike. Second, if you do crash someone else's, you have to sort it out. So I've spent a bit of time getting Simon's bike back to Suzuki, and (obviously) I've handed over the keys to the Kawasaki to him.

The Kawasaki wasn't much use to me anyway. A dislocated shoulder was the first obvious injury I landed at Brands, but further investigation revealed two neat cracks in the head of my humerus - the upper arm bone. Apparently, if it had been much worse, I'd have needed some screws in there - couple of self-tapping chipboard screws and a flattened-out L-bracket from B&Q I guess.

As it is, I'm banned from two wheels for a month. Bah.

Ironically, the session before my 'off' had been a ball on the Kawasaki. Wazzing around Brands Indy circuit, the ZX was as hot as it's ever been. The Bridgestone BT-002 track tyres I fitted gave stacks of grip on the slightly slippery Brands surface. I still hadn't managed to fit the Sprint SXC steering damper that's under my desk, but to be honest, I didn't feel like I needed it round Brands.

I'll see if I can persuade Simon to scribble some words for this section. In the meantime, Dave Smith has helped me carry out a little exhaust experiment, fitting an Akrapovic, Micron, and Yoshimura full system. Some interesting results too - I'll reveal all in a few days once I get all the figures together...


Rearsets, braided hose fitted

Now then. Things have been getting pretty busy around here of late, for reasons which will become clearer presently. But I've been pushing on regardless with the mods to my fine Kawasaki ZX-6R this month.

First thing to do was sort the front braided hoses out. I'd started fitting a Venhill kit, but got the ends mixed up, and couldn't work out how the master cylinder connection fitted. A quick call to Venhill (www.venhill.co.uk) put me on the right track though, and I had the hoses on in a leisurely hour or so. A word of warning though - check the orientation of the top hose very carefully when it's fitted - it's all very cramped up there, and I managed to fit it in a way that interfered with the brake lever's full movement at first. Check the lever misses the hoses completely - even with the adjuster on the fully out position.

With the braided hoses on, and finally bled (using the nipple on the master cylinder is essential), it was time to make some more mods. We've got a track day coming up, so I was mad keen to get some rearsets on. Not that the standard pegs are particularly low, but it's nice to have some extra ground clearance should you need it. Lo and behold, som Arata reasets appeared in the office like magic. They're Japanese, well-made, and look really sharp. Available in black or silver, they're pretty easy to fit, and have a brake light bracket, adjustability, and good quality locknuts where needed. A dab of copper grease on the moving parts and loctite on the screw threads, and we had smooth lever action and higher, shorter pegs. Arata is imported by Faster By Design (www.fasterbydesign.co.uk)

29/6/5

We've recently finished the August issue (it's a cracker - you're all very lucky), so I've had a couple of quiet days to spend fettling the ZX-6R.
I've screwed on a number of smaller parts this week. First up was a new screen. I had two to try actually - one from Skidmarx and one official Kawasaki part. They're both 'double bubble' designs, with an extra hump in the screen to lift more air up and over you in a race tuck.

First up was the Kawasaki screen. At £63.45 all-in, it's not such a bad price, especially since it's an official factory part and has a neat Kawasaki logo and finishing strip. Ten minutes with one Allen key had the new screen on, and it looks ace. The view of the dash from the rider's seat is much clearer too - you don't have to look through the screen to see the speedo and tacho any more.

The final Kawasaki part was a carbon tank pad. Again, not cheap at £62.24, but a neat, easily-fitted official accessory.
So. The ZX-6R now looks sharper, has lost a wee bit of useful weight, and is more comfy on longer trips. But I'm not finished yet - more soon.

• For the Kawasaki parts, contact your local dealer. Skidmarx is on 01305 780808, www.skidmarx.co.uk

15/6/5 Long termer

Power corrupts
And so does the lust for power it seems, unless you go about it the right way. I had the ZX-6R dynoed the other week after fitting the Yoshimura end can, and was distressed to see less power than before. Peak power is down by around 2-bhp all the way through - check the dyno chart for the full curve (this chart shows crank bhp - before and after the can).
The guys at Carbontek checked the fuelling levels in the exhaust gases, and the fuelling is now all over the place. It seems likely that bypassing the butterfly valve in the stock pipe has had a larger-than-usual effect on matters, and together with the increasingly precise fuelling required to beat emissions regs, simply slapping on a race can just won't do.
All of which has encouraged me to sort out a Power Commander. The guys at Dynojet UK (hi Frank!) are sorting me out one of the silicon-chipped tuning aids as we speak, and I'll be reporting on the fitting and mapping required as soon as I can. I have an utterly gorgeous Akrapovic full titanium race system screaming to be fitted to the bike too, so it looks like I've got a hardcore dyno mapping session coming up soon.

I've also fitted some other tasty goodies this week. Kawasaki has launched a goodly set of aftermarket parts for the ZX-6R, and I'm working my way through the catalogue bit by bit. Top bloke Simon Belton has sent me a carbon fibre front mudguard, and it's gone straight on. Made in Germany from proper hardcore carbon fibre, it's around half the weight of the standard part (250g vs 475g) - and that's unsprung weight loss too my friend. It's a breeze to fit and looks superb. It's not cheap, but you can't beat factory aftermarket for fit and quality most times. Check with your dealer for the Kawasaki accessories catalogue.

Data Tool Protects

Datatool protects
Well it's working on my bike so far. A glance elsewhere on this site will reveal that there are indeed, thieves about in London. Bike thieves in particular, and they've snapped up both JP's CBR600 and Tom's R6 in as many weeks. Disinclined to join the sheepish, mumchance ranks of the dispossessed, I dispatched my ZX-6R to the happy ministrations of the Datatool Company. Long considered the masters of bike alarms, the firm always seems to be at the forefront of anti-theft technology, and its latest System 3 alarm is now setting my mind further at rest.

I've always relied on the firm's immobilisers in the past - you can't beat a good immobiliser for stopping random, opportunist, screwdriver-driven theft. And with the ZX-6R's standard immobiliser, I was already protected for the odd foray into the shops, petrol stops etc. But as both JP and Tom's misfortunes have shown, the bike in a van method is impervious to immobilisers, and seems to be the current method of choice. An alarm isn't the ultimate answer, but then nothing is, and since the bike sits outside my bedroom window at night, it's got to be a worthwhile extra line of security.

The bike went back to the Datatool factory, which is in Mitcham, pretty close to the office. I was in Scotland at the time, but top man JP delivered the bike and picked it up, replete with the System 3 alarm, a connection for a spangly Datatool battery conditioner, and a neat Digi gear indicator. A gear indicator is one thing the ZX-6R clocks don't have, and it's definitely useful on a longer trip. I spent most of the last long journey on the ZX-6 searching for a 7th gear on the motorway, not being quite used to the higher revs of a 600.

Day to day, the alarm has been fine, so far. The unit draws just 2mA of current when on, and has an intelligent battery monitor to help prevent a flat battery on long park-ups. The siren is massively loud when set off, but the remote arming chirp is quiet and unobtrusive. You can select from a massive choice of alarm options, so I'm determined to sit down and read the manual to get to grips with the system. One problem so far is the seat switch on the pillion seat - I need to get a spare to fit onto the optional pillion seat cover I got from Kawasaki last week.

4/4/5 Blue vroom!

Big Al's got his new long term Kawasaki ZX-6R, and he's a happy man...
It's a hard life right enough. But not for me, and not at the moment. Because I've just finished the first full week of life with my new long term test bike. I chose the ZX-6R for a variety of reasons. Some negative - I didn't want the Suzuki GSX-R1000 because I thought (wrongly) that it would be too much for day-to-day use. I had a CBR600RR two years ago and a GSX-R (750) last year, so they were both out. And I didn't like Yamaha's R6 on the 600 test either, which pretty much left the mini-Ninja as top contender in my book.
First things first - it's a good looking bike. Particularly in this smart metallic blue, which takes me back to Kawasaki's ZXR range of the mid 1990s. Sure, the arse is a bit fat - the seat unit is wider than I'd like, to accommodate the underseat silencer. But the purposeful, shark-nosed fairing is supremely aggressive, and there's also a maturity about the design - almost a quality feel, like Yamaha's R1 managed last year.
The day after RX05 LWP arrived, I went up to Northants to do some photos. The 150-odd miles riding up there revealed a decent tank range - easily over 120 miles, even when caning it, and a hint of discomfort in the riding position. Nothing crippling - just a stiff back, neck and wrists after an hour.
Once you're off the M11/A14 purgatory though, it all looks up. This is a genuinely exciting motorcycle, with loads of power, a flickable, dynamic chassis and a real buzz about it. On the road, you turn into an instant hooligan, wheelying out of every corner, leaving the braking to the last second going into every roundabout, and slamming it onto its ear as hard as you can.
Criticism so far are thin on the ground, but it's a little bit flappy over bumpy surfaces and when landing wheelies. There's no steering damper as standard, which is a bit of an oversight to be honest. It's not bad, but I want the damper as a bit of anti-slapper insurance. Next on the list is an exhaust, and after that, an alarm to keep the ZX safe from thievery.