Last year I took my ZX10R to the dragstrip for the first time ever ... mostly because as a SOAR competitor we got a dragstrip ticket for free so why not. Well, it was entertaining, but running a stock literbike on the dragstrip has a few issues, mostly being too hard to launch hard because it does nothing but shoot the front wheel up in the air. So, this project is to do something about that.

Objectives: Build something entertaining. I am not setting out to build a "pro stock" drag bike (i'll never be good enough, I'll save the pro license for roadracing) this is just something to be entertaining at test and tune days. So, it has to remain streetable and road legal and it has to not handle like an absolute pig. Slamming the bike to the ground is not in the cards. Has to retain the full useful suspension travel front and rear; has to have proper steering geometry so that it will still turn; has to retain reasonable ground clearance and cornering clearance. Obviously some of the things that need to be done would compromise corner exits if one were to do a track day with it, but for street riding, I can live with that. I have other bikes that I can use for corner carving anyway. Has to be reversible back to stock form, too.

Anyhow, here's the starting point



As you can see, with the exception of a steering damper and a taller windscreen, she's bone stock.

Phase 1: A little bit of tuning.

I have a wide-band lambda (air/fuel) ratio gauge that has been making the rounds on every bike I own - really helps with carb tuning for my vintage race bike. A while back, I had a bung welded onto the exhaust ... this is a titanium header so TIG welding this in place was left to the pros. This is the lambda sensor screwed into place, tucked in behind the right footpeg



and this is the gauge and a little bracket that I welded and painted to hold it in a place where I can see it



Does no good without a Power Commander. I had this loose under the passenger seat, but by flipping the sensor located here upside down I found enough room to tuck it in here - fits under the trim panel between the rider and passenger seats with the bodywork in place.



Plugs into the main throttle body wiring harness - airbox has to come out to do this, I had this done previously so no photos of the process