[sportrider - latest stories] - 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R recall cam provides more horsepo

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2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R recall cam provides more horsepower

Attack Racing’s Richard Stanboli found that the recall countermeasure intake camshaft for the 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R actually gained power over previous standard camshaftWhen Kawasaki suddenly mandated a “technical hold� on its new 2011 ZX-10R so that it could deal with a valve spring surge problem back in December of last year, the usual question arose as to whether the fix (consisting of a new intake camshaft, valve springs, and retainers) would affect performance. While Kawasaki officially stated that the fix would not affect engine power, skepticism often reigns in situations like this where a manufacturer has to employ an internal fix after the motorcycle has already been produced.

Richard Stanboli over at Attack Performance has been handling much of Kawasaki Motor Corp USA’s AMA Pro roadracing efforts for the past few years, and he has been entrusted with building the 2011 ZX-10R superbike for the Sho-Air/Cycle World effort at Daytona to be ridden by Eric Bostrom. Stanboli had taken delivery of his new ZX-10Rs long before the technical hold was put into place and any bikes that had been delivered were recalled.

Because the ZX-10R in Stanboli’s possession was involved in the recall, and due to the lack of time available to develop any race parts for them before the recent Daytona tire test, he was asked if he wanted to install the factory “countermeasure�, which consisted of a new intake camshaft, valve springs, and retainers. “They’re like, ‘OK, here’s three countermeasures, can you guys use them?’� recalls Stanboli. “I said we might be able to put it in. So we put one in the bike and away we went.�

Upon further examination, he found that the countermeasures’ new camshaft had “a little nicer ramp on the backside. Actually made two more horsepower, the countermeasure. So that surprised me, because I figured they’d tone it down, but they didn’t tone it down. They just changed the ramp angle. A different retainer that kept the spring a little more stable. It was valve springs, retainers and camshaft. So pretty simple.�

Stanboli—who isn’t prone to hyperbole—states that he didn’t do any tweaks to get that extra power. He basically didn’t have time, as the bikes had to leave for the long trip to Daytona in a couple of days. “Didn’t time the cams, didn’t do anything. Pulled the valve cover off, didn’t even pull the head off. Pushed down on the retainers, popped the keepers, pushed the new ones on, put the cams back in, checked the clearance. ‘Whoa, it’s good button it up.’�

Even though Stanboli and crew had little time to get the Kawasaki fully prepped before the team's truck left for Daytona, the rain delay on the first day allowed them to finish preparations. And Bostrom found the ZX-10R to his liking, going fourth quickest in the Superbike class at the end of the test.




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