Quote:
Originally Posted by Cito Pelon
ZX11, that's a Kawi? What's your top speed? I haven't been over 115 on a bike myself, at least that's where my eyes started tearing and I couldn't see well. I always had pretty cheap helmets.
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Yes, Kawasaki. They were actually a 1057 cc carbureted 4 cylinder DOHC motor. Made around 135 horses at the rear wheel, ran a top speed of 178 MPH, that’s radar verified not calculated by engine RPM’s as some magazines used to do, and ran a 10.40 ¼ at about 140 MPH.
For the longest time the ZX-11 was the speed king. Honda took a shot at the title with the CBR1100XX but in typical Honda fashion it wasn’t really faster or more powerful, it was just better refined.
Nothing really challenged the ZX-11 until ’98 when Suzuki came out with the GSX1300R Hyabusa.
Yes, Kawasaki. They were actually a 1057 cc carbureted 4 cylinder DOHC motor. Made around 135 horses at the rear wheel, ran a top speed of 178 MPH, that’s radar verified not calculated by engine RPM’s as some magazines used to do, and ran a 10.40 ¼ at about 140 MPH.
For the longest time the ZX-11 was the speed king. Honda took a shot at the title with the CBR1100XX but in typical Honda fashion it wasn’t really faster or more powerful, it was just better refined.
Nothing really challenged the ZX-11 until ’98 when Suzuki came out with the GSX1300R Hyabusa.
The Hayabusa didn’t just match the Kawi’s numbers, it shattered them. It ran a radar verified 196 MPH and rather effortlessly whipped out a 9.8 ¼ at a little over 145 MPH. Keith “Shine” Dennis later ran a stock ‘Busa to a 9.47 ¼, but he’s arguably the best in the business.