2011 Kawasaki Z1000 Project Bike Part 2

When Motorcycle USA set out to modify our long-term 2011 Kawasaki Z1000 project, we decided to take it in a direction that most wouldn’t. After having a good time with it during the 2011 Streetfighter Shootout, we decided to coax a bit more racetrack performance out of the Green Machine. In the first installment, 2011 Kawasaki Z1000 Project Part 1, LeoVince dialed the Z in with an EVO Factory-R Slip-on Exhaust and a Fast II Tuning box to complement the first phase of putting the big lump on a diet. With a modest but noticeable result, what else could we do but take it further?

In the Shop

With a new set of Renthal FatBar handlebars the front end feel of the Kawasaki Z1000 has improved.

One of my complaints with the stock handlebars on the Z1000 is that the tall bend was a stretch at full lean. While my body was near the pavement the bars, either my left or right hand was in another area code. Searching for a suitable street bars netted no viable options, and we considered affixing a set of clip-ons as a last resort. Then I spied a set of Renthal FatBars ($89.99) meant for our 2012 KX250F. With an inch hacked off the ends the bars fit perfect and were more than an inch lower. Now that may not seem like a big difference, but that combined with less of a sweep meant a more aggressive and forward position. Another benefit of ditching the stock bars was a loss of five pounds.

Ditching the heavy bars got us looking for more places to cut weight. The horn was removed, the kickstand ditched and all the reflectors and mounting hardware tossed in the pile of discarded Z1000 parts. That accounted for another five pounds.

After swapping the bars we contacted Rizoma to get our mitts on some high-quality controls. A few days later a box arrived containing the Italian Company’s Sport Line Grips, Feel Levers, and ProGuard system. Each piece was packaged carefully in a box with foam holding each piece of finely crafted aluminum. Bolting everything up was straightforward and quick.

The Feel levers have a nice bend and the CNC machining on the leading edge provides and bit of traction on gloved fingers. A channel cut into the end of the lever is meant to channel and remove air pressure on the flat edge that rises dramatically at high speeds. A gold anodized knob makes adjusting the reach to the lever a snap.

Rizoma’s ProGuard System is designed to prevent inadvertent actuation if the clutch or brake levers contact with other racer’ machines or bodies on the track. An aluminum stalk comes out of the end of the bar and wraps around the end of the lever where the mechanical force is the greatest. Mounting the ProGuard lever guards took a bit of trial and error

Rizoma's ProGuard System protects levers from accidental actuation by other riders.

to get the spacing correct, but within 30 minutes we had everything mounted up.

The Sport Line grips are aluminum tubes with rubber where the hand would rest. We were a bit worried about the aluminum being too to large and smooth near the inside of the grip, but decided to save judgment until on the track.

Next on the list of goodies was a Vortex 525 CAT5 Rear Sprocket ($74.95) and Vortex 525 Front Countershaft sprocket ($24.95). We decided to go one tooth larger on the rear sprocket to gain a little more punch out of the corners. The black anodized rear sprocket is lighter and much better looking than the heavy steel unit that once resided on the rear wheel. While we were at it we fitted a new gold RK 525 XW-Ring Chain ($246.95). Vortex was also good enough to supply us with a set of Swing Arm Spools since we tossed the kickstand in our quest for lightness.

Finally we fitted a $129 Kawasaki Genuine Accessories Tall Windshield to tuck under at speed and a Kawasaki Genuine Accessories Seat Cowl ($199). Both bolted up in less than five minutes and added function and style to our beloved Z.

New Vortex Sprockets and a gold RK chain put the power to the rear wheel.

After it was all said and done, our time in the shop netted us an additional 11 pounds of lost weight, to a total of 462 pounds. That’s 21 from stock trim. We contemplated ditching the headlight, taillight and blinkers to see where the Z1000 would end up on the scales, but the effort involved was too great and finding a front fairing would be nearly impossible.

On the Track

To test the mettle of the newest additions we joined Let’s Ride Track Days at Buttonwillow Raceway for Saturday and Sunday riding sessions. Buttonwillow’s track surface is not as pristine as some of the other facilities in California, but the tight and bumpy layout would be an excellent to see how the Z1000 would handle with the new handlebars and gearing.

Right off the bat you could feel the 11 pounds that were removed. Flicking from side to side was quicker and took a touch less effort than the previous outing for the 2011 Kawasaki Z1000 Project Part 1. It’s still no Speed Triple R, but the improvement is nothing to scoff at.

The new Renthal bars really made a difference in how the Z1 is ridden. Before the seating position was fairly upright even when on its side because of the tall handlebars. Now the riding stance is more forward when in a straight line, and you can get close to the tank during turns. This helps with front end feel when pushing through the fast corners, and also is less tiring as you are not fighting the wind as much.

A Kawasaki Genuine Accessories tall windscreen made it easier to tuck behind while blasting down the straights.

As we had suspected the aluminum surface of the Rizoma Sport Line grips was a bit slick if you tend to use the webbing between your thumb and index finger to grip the bars. We either had to choke down on the grip or alter the way we used our hands, and for the track that is not something we would recommend you try to deal with. We would suggest standard rubber units for high performance riding.

While the grips are a bit of a problem, the Feel Levers we excellent. The leverage to the clutch and brakes was solid, and we really like the shape and bend. Thankfully we never had to test the ProGuard System, but it was comforting to know we had our brake and clutch covered.

Adding a tooth to the rear sprocket really helps wake up the Z when coming out of the tighter corners. The revs built quicker down the straights and overall the bike just felt livelier, and of course the wheelies came even easier than before.

It may not seem like adding a few flash parts, changing the bars and re-gearing could make a big difference in the track prowess of a bike like the Z1000, but it really did! All day we had people stopping by to check out the green and black monster and ask questions about how it did on the track. We would always reply, “pretty damn good.”

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our Z1000 Project where we enlist the help of Catalyst Reaction suspension tuning and spoon on a set of Pirelli Supercorsa SP tires.

2012 MV Agusta F3 675 Review

Traction control on this day is good news for us test riders because just before we started our first warm up laps it was 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and that’s a record for me on a race track. The 8-level traction control works well on this cold day, and despite the fact that the lean gyros and a few other electronic aids are not activated yet, I felt confident through the slower parts of the circuit.

The middleweight supersport class gets an exotic injection with the introduction of the all-new F3 675 from MV Agusta.

The chicane after the start/finish straight is taken at around 30 mph and is followed by heavy acceleration toward a beautiful but technical right-left-right where the left is banked and blind. This variation which is actually on the Mistral straight was there on this day to avoid icy patches, but I really enjoyed riding the F3 on this part of the circuit. After this it was full throttle through to fifth gear or even sixth reaching speeds of more than 150 mph. The final right out onto the Mistral straight ends in a high-speed left where I experienced lots of wheelspin the traction control handled, allowing the throttle to be pinned.

A steel-trellis frame joins aluminum sideplates to cradle the 675cc Triple.

The F3’s ergonomics are much more humane than its bigger sibling, the F4. There is more space for the rider and you sit more in the motorcycle than on top of it. This is because of the new frame architecture with mixed aluminium plates and the trellis upper part, which allowed the MV engineers to make the F3 much narrower and lower just around the seat area which provides a more comfy riding position. All hand and foot controls fit my frame just fine, both when cruising in and out of pit lane and riding fast on the circuit. I know a bike’s appearance is subjective, but my eyes see a very beautiful motorcycle that doesn’t look remotely like anything you’d call budget. Still that’s what it is; the F3 is a budget motorcycle, Italian style. At $13,498, the F3 will be a mouth-watering prospect to anybody looking for the ultimate middleweight supersport. Its several notches above the Big Four in terms of desirability, and its real competitors are the Triumph Daytona 675 and Ducati 848. The Daytona starts at $10,999 and ranges to $12,699 for the Ohlins-equipped 675R version. The base Ducati lists higher than the MV at $13,995, but the Corse SE version (with traction-control, quick-shifter and Ohlins shock) lists for $14,995.

Out on the circuit again I’m enjoying the sound of the 675cc Triple spinning up effortlessly with its counter-rotating crankshaft. I could wish for a little more oomph lower down in the rev-range but it doesn’t bother me much as it’s only in two places on the circuit this acts as a complication. The acceleration above 10K rpm is strong. I short-shifted up into second a couple of times in the two hairpin corners, and it didn’t work for me. First gear it was, and the throttle response isn’t ideal in this situation. This was never a problem in the higher gears so there’s room for adjustment in first gear where the ratio is slightly off for Paul Ricard. The F3 was thoroughly enjoyable to feed in the gears via the quick shifter from second to third and up, and the acceleration is more than satisfactory, particularly in the lower three gears. Again the sound is fantastic, and despite the fact the F3 isn’t a true racing bike, it sure does sound like one! Wheelies come easy by just using the throttle, but the final version will be available with anti-wheelie for those that are insecure about such antics or need it for racing.
The Marzocchi front suspension and the Sachs rear shock is by now a trademark MV Agusta feature, and I’m impressed with the feel of the front end when hard on the Brembo radial brakes. Thankfully, Pirelli had brought along some extra sticky tires for us in the Diablo Supercorsa. One could argue that on a circuit where the ambient temperature never reached higher than 50 degrees Fahrenheit the SC2 (medium) compound would never be warm enough to take full effect in the grip area. This may be true, but Paul Ricard’s surface is among the best money can buy. In the world of supersport tires, same goes for the Diablo Supercorsa. Combine these two and you get a combination that, despite the cold, provided plenty of grip. This didn’t stop the rear from sliding its way through certain corners, but the chassis of the F3 is so good that it’s only fun and games doing so.

The F3's riding position isn't as uncompromising as its big brother, the F4.

There is something about an MV that makes it feel slightly heavier than it is at crawling speed. Perhaps it’s the sultry lines deceiving me into thinking there’s more mass than there actually is. Don’t get me wrong here, the F3 has almost the exact frontal dimensions as the F4 but is much lighter. Bringing it up to speed, the chassis is superbly stable and well balanced. The faster I went the more planted the F3 felt. The slight liveliness through some of the corners just added to my book of feedback and gave me confidence to push more. With its ultra compact new Triple, MV Agusta have been able to construct the chassis with a longer single-sided swingarm than previous MV models, whilst keeping a short 1380mm wheel base. All in all the F3 weighs in at 381 lbs that is easy to control.
Conclusion
The MV Agusta F3 675 Triple is a dream come true for many, and not least for the MV factory itself. MV Agusta finally has something to offer the much wider audience that are interested in a middleweight supersport. I’d say this is a motorcycle perfectly able to give extra satisfaction even for those looking for something to replace their 600s with and the perfect stepping stone on the way to that full-on literbike. Its chassis is superb and the engine very exciting without going over the top.

At $13,498, the F3 is relatively affordable, especially for a sportbike from MV Agusta.

Despite the fact that the F3 is an all new MV model there is no real gremlins there. All that’s needed are small adjustments perhaps to the powerband and to incorporate all the electronics as promised by the Varese factory. The F3 is the definitive framework for a future perfectionist in the supersport segment.