The much-anticipated Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-14 Pro Stock Motorcycle has made its long-awaited debut at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Raceway.
The bike is every bit as good-looking as it was expected to be. The ZX-14 bodylines have been respectfully reproduced in an overall very sleek package.
The bike has not made a pass down the track. In fact, in the Denver pits was the first time rider Ryan Schnitz sat on the bike with his leathers on.
Team owner Rob Muzzy notes that debuting the bike at an NHRA national event might not be the ideal situation but it was something he felt he needed to do.
“I don’t expect to be competitive today,” he said. “I would like to say we tested as much as we should have and we will qualify on the fist shot but that is not the case.”
“I have felt no pressure from [sponsors] Joe Koenig or Kawasaki to field the bike but I put pressure on myself,” he continued. “When we started this project I thought it was possible to make the first race. Well that didn’t happen. Now it’s almost halfway through the season. We needed to get to the track.”
Still fielding a new bike with new technology is a long process and Muzzy feels putting is on the track at a national event is part of the process.
“The first thing is we need to make sure the bike is legal,” he said. “We did that on Friday. The chassis is passed inspection and the body passed inspection. That’s done. The next step is to make sure the bike gets down the track safely and can stop.”
Muzzy declined to speak in detail on the specifics of the motor but did say it is not the big-displacement bullet the bike will eventually have. It is a ZX-14 production case with widened bore centers but “not full displacement”. He would not allow photographs of the motorcycle without the body panels.
“This is a stage 1 development,” he said. “It was always our plan to build a little engine first to find out where the problems are. The engine cases have been extensively modified so we needed to prove it works before we move forward.”
Two other key components of the bike, the clutch and the fuel injection system, are proprietary Muzzy pieces. “The EFI system was approved by the NHRA last year,” he said. “The throttle bodies are a work in process. The clutch is a new deal that I believe is the only one of its kind. I am sure we will be making changes to it. We have next generation stuff in development all the time.”
“There is not another frame in existence like this, there is not another engine in existence like this, there is not another clutch in existence like this,” he said. “There are bound to be problems and some of them will only come up at the track. If we clear up all these problems and get down the track safely then we can start working on the horsepower.”
iego:.
