Finally, the Kawasaki ZX-10R

Kawasaki’s ZX-9R is a much admired sports bike. But it has started to lag behind the new breed of 1000cc superbikes. What’s really needed here is a ZX-10R: Enter TTS.

Tuning firm TTS has bored out this ZX-9R to 998cc. The firm’s Richard Albans claims the result is 158bhp at the rear wheel – and he can do the same for your ZX-9R for £1850.

” It’s made it a GSX-R1000 beater, at least on power if not weight and handling, ” he said. Suzuki has never issued an official claimed power figure for the GSX-R but we’ve dyno tested one that made 148bhp at the rear wheel, putting it 10bhp down on TTS’s ZX-10R.

And Albans reckons it also beats the GSX-R on torque. ” It’s around 20 per cent up across the rev range, ” he said.

That means it will make around 89.4ft-lb of torque, compared to the GSX-R1000’s 84.6ft-lb on the dyno. Both figures are at the crank.

Albans hasn’t speed tested the ZX-10R yet, but he’s confident the figures are enough to make it capable of stuffing a GSX-R1000 in a straight line.

” The ZX-9R has always had a good top speed because of its good aerodynamics, ” he said. ” So the ZX-10R should be very fast. ”

If you’ve got a year 2000 or 2001 ZX-9R, you can ride away with the same modifications for £1850. But if your ZX-9R is older, TTS will have to replace the barrel with one from a 2000 ZX-9R in order for it to take the capacity increase, which will boost the price to £2500.

MORE ON THIS IN MCN OUT ON JANUARY 2, 2002