I've been reading statements made on this forum concerning the validity of the HEAD to HEAD race against the Busa!
To start this off, I don't think the fans understand how SLOW racing in Vegas really is!
My school bikes were shipped out to Vegas last Oct and they run 8.80 to 8.84 153 to 154 here on the east coast. Even I was slapped in the face with the brick wall I hit, when my time slip showed a depressing 9.20's at 146-147 at the Vegas racetrack.
Now that we have that out the way, I first want to clear the air for people who wonder wjether I was laying down on the Busa?? HELL NOOOO!
The run the editors(not part of Kawasaki) showed was the VERY 1st run I made on a Suzuki since 2008 when I tested the Busa against the 2008 14 at ATCO raceway(just weeks after Richard ran 9.34 on Brocks 08 Busa).
Back in 08 I rode both bikes in a closed test session with BUSA and 14 lowered,strapped and geared with stock exhaust.
The test resulted in me running 9.20 151 on the Busa and 9.23 150 on the ZX14 by virtue of the Busa having a Brocks clutch mod and being easier to launch 1.50 to 1.52 60ft.
This time( Sept 2012) the Busa had no mod which meant the clutch was inconsistent.
I am not sure why they chose to show my 1st pass but I don't think they were taping when I rode the bike and ran a best of 10.04 143.01 with a 1.72 60ft compared to the 1.68 on the big Ninja.
They were Busy trying to get the Helicopter to work when I finally ran the 10.04. I thought I would have time later to try again when the cameras were rolling but obviously we ran out of time.
The other rider that they claim went a best of 10.15 on the 14, actually ran a best of 9.99 on the Ninja,and a best of 10.03 142 on the BUSA, but again they said he went slower than he actually did because the cameras were not rolling and they couldn't rewind it when they got back to the studios.
There is no way I would brag about going 9.72 if it were here on the east coast, but in Vegas where it took a 125 pound rider (50 pounds smaller than me) to break into the nines 9.97 143 back in 2006 at the ZX14 press intro and a RYAN SCHNITZ (120 pounds at the time) to run 9.65 at that same intro where I could only pull of a 9.96 142 run in the Vegas altitude.
PS- I have yet to ride the new 14 with even a strap on it!! I have ONLY ridden it in the 1/8th mile.............once, in Barona(outside San Diego) when I went 6.34 118..........NO STRAP!!
And then at Vegas.............where they didn't even record my 9.72 148mph run. I went 9.72 the last 3 runs of the night in 100 degree weather and hotlapping the bike so much that my last run was at 218 degrees before I left the line. This bike runs just as fast at 218 degrees as it does at 165 degrees!
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Rickey Gadson
