I’ve done plenty of 24 hour rides in the past – 1,000 miles in 24 hours, 1,500 miles in 36 hours, and 1,300 miles in 23 hours and 15 minutes. But during those trips I was always going at my own pace on a comfortable bike. This is obviously different as I’ll be going at race pace in shifts…and I’ll be on a bike that was not made for all day comfort.
As I mentioned in a comment in the Introduction, it could be a lot worse – I have a friend who did this on an Aprilia RS50 and he had a horrible time due to (among many other things) the riding position. The Kawasaki Z125 is relatively upright, and while I think the Honda Grom is a better bike I did find the Z125 to be more comfortable for taller riders. Plus, the little Z is just plain fun in its own (slow) way.
Photo by Nathan May
I only have experience with the stock Z125, but this bike ain’t stock. I’m actually a bit stunned at how much work has gone into this, as one of the benefits of minimoto racing is that it can be much cheaper. With that said, my teammates have done this before and it’s inevitable that competitive folks will start modifying! Some details of the build include:
– Yoshimura exhaust
– Renthal grips
– PMT slick tires
– Takegawa bar end sliders
– Custom rear brake carrier set up for quick changes so that the brake stays in place during rear tire changes:
– Dry Break quick fill fuel valve:
– Galfer steel braided brake lines
– Fork brace
– Bazzaz Z-Fi Fuel Controller
– Rearsets
– RacingBros adjustable front forks and rear shock:
The motor’s also had a bit of work done, with a new camshaft, hi-compression piston, and cylinder head porting. It’s also…not in the bike yet. The race is in 48 hours, what could go wrong? (UPDATE: Turns out, a lot) Assuming that I can get some sort of internet connection while I’m out at the track, I’ll try to live blog the race on Saturday/Sunday. Hope you’ll check it out!
On to The Gear!