If you haven't already Read Part 1, Part 2 and Low End Gains of the ZX-14 Diary before reading

What do you do with a motorcycle that is good at everything? After glowing street reviews and stunning drag strip performances, does the ZX-14 continue to excel? Dragbike.com’s Brock Davidson decides to find out by putting his “Diary Bike” to the test at the Maxton Monster Mile. How fast can a ZX-14 travel in a measured mile with a self proclaimed ‘non-jockey’ at the helm? Find out in Brock’s ZX-14 Diary Part 3…

Friday, September 22, 2006-
Maxton, North Carolina

Laurinburg/Maxton Army Airbase was built in 1942 as a training base for gliders. The isolation made it a perfect spot for covert training exercises during World War 2. Racers now use one of the original three runways to attempt to set official land speed racing records thanks to the East Coast Timing Association. At the urging of my land speed enthusiast buddy, Dave “Dave O” Owen, to, “find out what the bike will really do,” I decided Maxton would be the most feasible location to test the high speed prowess of the ZX-14. It just isn’t practical for me to travel long distances with my busy schedule. Dayton, OH to: EL Mirage, CA = 2160 miles; to Bonneville, UT = 1800 miles; to Texas Mile = 1350 miles; to Maxton, NC = 532 miles. That’s not such a long trip for a guy who really doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.

How do I explain Maxton’s location? “You can’t get there from here!” comes to mind. “Middle of no where?!” “B-F-E?”

I made a wrong turn that even confused my GPS navigation system for a moment! As I pulled my rig down the dirt entry way through the tall Carolina Pine trees, it became very clear that Dorothy wasn’t in Kansas any longer. Met by some friendly folks at the end of an old taxiway, I was thanked for coming and pointed towards the registration trailer at the other end of a tall grassy field.

After filling out some very thorough paperwork and undergoing a bike safety inspection like I had never seen before (which required the signatures of three different technical inspectors,) I was handed a small booklet and told that I would need to complete my “rookie ride” and orientation before I would be allowed to race the bike at full speed?

rook·ie (n.)
Slang.
a. An untrained or inexperienced recruit, as in the army or police.
b. An inexperienced person; a novice.
2. Sports. A first-year player, especially in a professional sport.

After 25 years of drag racing motorcycles, I initially had a hard time relating to being called a rookie, but after my Maxton Mile experience, there is no doubt that the term fits ALL newcomers quite well. As you can probably imagine, the facilities and racing surface of a 64 year old concrete runway can not be compared to say…Indianapolis Raceway Park. My first look at the track surface later in the day with Dave O was, well, let’s just say it was not met with much enthusiasm.

“How fast have you gone on THIS?” I asked Dave O, the owner of the fastest normally aspirated/non-streamlined motorcycle on the planet. “I’ve been 220, my bike has gone 222 and Lee Shierts has gone 260 plus on Yancy’s Bud bike. It’s not as bad as it looks; once you are up to speed you just glide over the expansion joints and bumps. Don’t let it scare you. You will be fine.” Dave O explained in his thick Boston accent. Scared? Me? More like SANE I believe! Truth be told, I don’t usually have much use for going high speeds. Even if we had a relatively safe place in my area to top-out a late model sportbike, local law enforcement would put me UNDER the jail, as they say, if I were to get caught. That would of course be nothing compared to what my better-half and family would do to me for such a mental miscue. It’s simply not safe or smart, and I have too much to loose. I have run close to 190 MPH in the 1/4 mile, but usually I’m in a plenty big hurry to put on the brakes before I run out of shutdown. As a result, I don’t usually get a chance to “savor” the high speed experience. Yet, the thought of big speeds on a closed course does sound fun; this should be interesting.

Saturday, September 23, 2006-
Super Streetbike’s First-Annual Top Speed Shootout: Day #1

ECTA president Joe Timney kept the tone of the riders’ meeting entertaining and light-hearted while also filling it with information to keep everyone as safe as possible. Once I got to know the “Maxton Family” I began to realize that this event is a sort of a family reunion for speed junkies with all interested newcomers welcomed with a smile and a recommendation to keep it safe. The tone is go fast, but don’t get in over your head because tomorrow (or the next time out) is just as fine for going fast.

Photo By Scott F. ODell

Rookie orientation immediately followed the riders’ meeting with the riders in full safety gear riding their own bikes behind a lead truck. The caravan stops at each section where the course is explained from start to finish with speed traps covered in between. To gain access to the starting line, you must travel down a short dirt path. If you look close at the photo below, you can see that there is a CURVE in the Maxton Mile?

Hey, I thought this was a long drag strip. What’s up with the curve?! Dave O explained to all from the starting line that there are several different ‘lines’ that can be taken on the course - inside, outside, diagonal from the left pointing towards the finish. Etc... Of course, everyone had their own idea of the best line. Dave O suggested to me the outside line to use as much of the mile as possible to accelerate, but warned I would scrub off too much speed if my lean angle was too steep. Now the veteran drag racer is subjected to NASCAR and road race terms/problems. I guess I am a bit of a rookie. Hmmm -- This certainly will be interesting.

The Maxton Mile is a bit different than a drag strip because the progressive numbers during the run are not recorded. The only clocks on the course are 132 ft before the very end of the mile and marked with large florescent orange markers and cones.

The next stop on the rookie tour is the shutdown area. As has been my experience in drag racing, it was explained that very few high speed accidents actually occur during the acceleration portion of the track. Most big speed get-offs are attributed to aggressive braking in the shut down area; usually a locked front brake is the culprit causing the front end to wash out. Maxton has a short shutdown approximately 1/2 mile past the beams and a long shutdown which extends another four tenths of a mile afterwards for a total shutdown of .9 miles. Seems like the short would be easy to do, but at nearly 200 MPH or 294 ft. per second, you might be amazed at how easy it is to come up to the short exit sooner than expected. Race director, Keith Turk, made it quite clear in a ‘damn it rookies, pay attention’ tone that missing the first turn off is not a sign of weakness! “We don’t have any hero’s here, if you need to take the long shutdown, be our guest. The course is yours once you get the okay to run, and no one will run afterward until you give the thumbs up to the Shutdown Steward.”

After the orientation was complete, we were directed back to the registration table where rookies had a sticker placed on their helmet which let the officials know how fast they were allowed to go on the track during the licensing procedure. A rookie must trip the clocks at speeds of 125 MPH, 150 MPH, and 175 MPH successively, and show rider competency while doing so before any “all out” passes can be attempted. It was explained that the object was to show bike control -- not (necessarily) to go the exact speed as long as the speeds were close. Since I hold a current AMA/Prostar professional license, I was allowed to skip the 125 MPH run and proceed directly to 150 MPH on my first run. I offered to show them a time ticket from the drag strip to prove I had gone 152 in the quarter mile a couple of nights before at my home track in an effort to also skip the 150 MPH run. “NO WAY rookie!” was the answer. Damn, these guys are serious about not letting anyone hurt themselves on their race track. After sticker placement, there was a mad dash down to the starting line to hurry up and wait for a speed attempt. Finally, I see some parity between drag racing and the Maxton mile. I am all too familiar with this concept.

ZX-14 Bike mods before Maxton

ECTA rules are rightfully strict and require the use of safety wire in several areas. Most of the time preparing for my attempt at the Monster Mile was spent adhering to these rules with no actual performance add-ons to boost power. Items 1-11 are unchanged from the Diary Part 2. Items 12 and up were added to monitor the bike at high speeds, disable the factory 186 MPH limiter, and/or meet rule specifications.

For a complete list of motorcycle rules as described to compete in the Super Streetbike event at Maxton in 2006, click here.

The engine is still COMPLETELY STOCK: Foot shifting (no electric shifter), stock wheel base with NO additional chassis or engine mods and NO nitrous oxide.

FYI: The only cover which has ever been removed from the engine is the clutch cover. I did replace the original clutch with a new stock Kawasaki factory unit with our spacer kit, after over EIGHTY (not a misprint!) passes at the drag strip and over 200 Dyno runs. I still have the original clutch in the trailer waiting for use as a spare someday. It simply made sense to add a new clutch before attempting 200 MPH.

Current NON-STOCK aftermarket bolt-on additions include:

1. Brock’s Performance (by Hindle) StreetSmart Exhaust System
2. Modified ZX-10 Power Commander PC3usb with matching map
3. Front forks lowered 1.25 inches in the stock clamps
4. Brock’s Performance complete radial caliper front end lowering kit
5. Brock’s Performance fully adjustable rear lowering links (prototype)
6. Brock’s Performance (by Spiegler, USA) brake line kit
7. EK530DR2 non o-ring chain (stock front sprocket)
8. VP MR9 race fuel
9. Alisyn Pro Drive 21 Oil <<0W
   (<<0W means less than zero weight---for race track use ONLY!)
10. World Wide Bearings ceramic wheel bearing kit
11. Brock’s Performance clutch spring spacer kit
12. Vortex rear sprocket - 40 tooth
13. Tiger Racing ZX-14 metal chain guard
14. Innovate Motorsports LM-1 Digital Air/Fuel Ratio Meter with RPM kit
15. SpeedoHealer v3.0 with Kawasaki Plug-n-Go wiring harness
16. Brock’s Performance/Ohlins’ Steering Damper Kit (prototype)

The rules mandated the removal of several items from the bike i.e. license plate, rear foot pegs, etc… These items are shown here and equated to an 8lb reduction in overall weight:

Because I intended to trick my speedometer into indicating 20 MPH at a true 200 MPH with the Speedo Healer for the very high speed runs to offset the ZX-14’s built-in 186 MPH factory limiter, I decided to unplug it for my licensing passes so that I had some type of idea how fast I was going through the beams. On my first shot at 150 MPH I decided that a full mile should give me plenty of time to go fast before slowing down to 150 to test Dave O’s “glide over the bumps” theory. As I topped the bike out in 5th gear, the sensation was not nearly as bumpy as I had imagined. Don’t get me wrong - we are not talking about a transformation into a billiard table, but my initial vision of “skimming the whoops” didn’t materialize either. I glanced down at my speedometer to be sure I crossed the beams at around 160 mph indicated because I knew my non-stock gearing combination would throw it off in addition to my also knowing that bike speedometers are quite optimistic at higher speeds. I could have used the Speedo Healer to properly adjust the high speed section of the stock speedo, but who has the time? I just wanted that pesky high speed limiter out of the way when it was time to go fast. After the run, I headed back to registration to get my 175MPH sticker and see how fast I had gone. “140.98” Dave O’s wonderful wife, Lauren, said as she handed me the time slip. “What the hell?!” was my first reaction. What now? Do I have to do it again? Can I still get my 175 sticker? After a brief discussion with Keith explaining to him that I had simply slowed down too much. He gave me the go because he had seen the same thing on the track but warned that he would be watching much closer on the 175 pass. Sweet!

As I waited my turn for my 175 MPH run, I decided that I needed to get as close to 175 as possible, but I had no use for going slower than expected this time. I wanted the mental preparation to know what things were going to be like closer to 200 MPH on this surface. I told Dave O that I was just going to test the 186 limiter for accuracy, and we decided that would be pretty close given my current gearing. The Speedo would be buried a bit sooner, so it would limit the bike slower than 186, but it should be close enough to 175 to make the officials happy without blatantly ignoring the 175 speed limit. We were warned during the orientation that anyone who just decided to go as fast as possible without following the licensing structure would be pulled from the track and asked to leave the event. Keith mentioned several times that heroes are not welcome on their race track.

As I moved through the gears on the run I could feel the wind resistance and noise pick up considerably, especially in 6th gear. It was amazing to me just how hard this STOCK bike was pulling in high gear. More amazing was the feeling that it was going to go as fast as I wanted it to with no complaints. All of the sudden - tat,tat,tat. The bike was bouncing off of the top speed limiter far sooner than I expected. It would stop pulling a bit softer than hitting the high rpm rev limiter, and then lunge forward quickly just to begin the process again. Not sure of exactly what to do, I just let it bounce away through the beams. Slowing down from this pass wasn’t so bad because the brakes on the ZX-14 are very good. No long shutdown for this rookie! It’s off to registration for my go as fast as possible clearance! “178.52,” Lauren said with a grin. “You are good to go.” What now? How do they know I am ok? Just as I was asking she placed a sticker on my helmet that said it all.

Finally, now let’s go see what this thing will really do? After a brief stop at the trailer to plug the Speedo Healer back in and test the settings, I found my self second guessing just exactly what in the hell I was getting ready to do?! I explained to my (also rookie) crewman and Brock’s Performance employee, Shawn Friley, that I wasn’t a sissy or anything like that, but this place and these speeds are quite intimidating. Shawn reminded me that this was why we were here, and that he hadn’t seen anyone else have problems during any of the runs he had been watching even though those guys were “really hauling ass” and “some sounded more like airplanes than bikes.” The one aspect I did not doubt was the bike; it had never done anything to make me doubt the stability. So ok, let’s go do this.

During the punishingly long wait (in 90+ degree heat) for my first wide open run, I tried to envision the pass in my mind and practice my tuck with Dave O critiquing. The racer in me won’t let me do anything half-ass, so I wanted to be sure that I did it correctly from the start. Dave O anticipated my first run to be in the mid-190s, so I was trying to prep for a serious first ride.

Once my turn came, I tried to do what I had been practicing for years…launch from a dead stop. The starting line at Maxton does not have a burn-out box, and we were instructed not to do a burn-out because they felt it could be dangerous to anyone standing behind the bike. No burn-out means a dirty/sandy tire which is prone to spinning on the start. I tried to control the spin on the launch by feathering the clutch a bit more than I would have on the drag strip. Since I have no land speed experience to draw from, my drag race experience told me that if I were traveling 152 MPH or so at the 1/4 mile mark, it would be easier to reach 200 than if I botched the launch and was only running 149 like happens at the drag strip.

While concentrating on throttle control to prevent tire spin, shifting at the correct rpm and tucking-in tight at the same time during the first couple of gears… the cones getting bigger in my windscreen reminded me about the stinking curve! After a brief correction to get the bike re-pointed in the proper direction I realized several things: Number one - I am on the gas for a VERY long time compared to drag racing, and Number two - the reason I saw some of the faster guys installing ear plugs before their runs is because it gets damn noisy the faster you go! It was a very strange sensation. Since the 14’s fairing keeps nearly all of the wind off of the rider, I had no feeling of additional force being applied to my body but it was apparent that the wind traveling over and around the bike was very violent compared to my little pocket of calm behind the windscreen. Also, I have always been more of a feel/hear rider than a watch the tach kind of rider. It’s just a habit I have developed over the years before today’s modern high RPM engines, rev limiters, and shift lights were invented. I use the tach as a focal point to tell me exactly when to shift as my senses tell me it’s about time. After the shift, I go back to watching were the hell I am going. Our street megaphones are not exactly known for being quite, but still I had a very hard time hearing the bike well enough to make the 5-6 shift due to the ever increasing wind noise.

Before my rookie ride, Rick Stetson (current world record holder for a normally aspirated production motorcycle at 222.123 MPH on Dave O’s highly modified 1500+ cc Hayabusa) had explained to me that he doesn’t try to steer the bike too severely in the higher gears. “If the bike is going to stay on course, don’t fight it in an attempt to get it back to exactly where you want it to be on the track”. This is good advice because a bike traveling at nearly 200 mph DOESN’T WANT to be corrected. There is an asphalt patch around the _ mile mark towards the left that I intended to drive directly over, but as luck would have it, my 14 decided that it wanted to go on the edge of the asphalt precisely where I had been trying to avoid. I winced a bit as my front tire skimmed the very edge EXACTLY where my street-rider skills told me not to let it go, but the ZX-14’s incredible high speed stability didn’t even let me feel the seam. After my heart started beating again, I saw the orange finish line signs and tucked as tight as possible as I saw the timing beams approach.

Photo By Jim Hansen

After crossing the beams, the real fun began. I preach to my drag race customers all of the time that engines are for speeding up and brakes are for slowing down. Dave O rolls off of the throttle to engine brake for a while and applies the brakes afterwards. My problem with this is that if someone ever asked me to go out and intentionally break a motorcycle cam chain, rolling off the gas in high gear just before the rev limiter would be my first choice as a destructive move! I can’t do it; my mind won’t let me. I pull in on the clutch and gently apply both brakes while also sitting up to let my body slow the bike like a small parachute. Gradual is the name of the game for high speed braking for this “rookie.” Once I am down to a reasonable speed, I have no problem braking a bit more aggressively since I have been feeling the surface for a while.

The problem with this technique at Maxton is that EVERYONE agrees that SITTING UP at 190MPH is VERY BAD idea. Since my heart was beating so fast and adrenalin was pumping like crazy from just completing what I KNEW was the fastest I had ever traveled on a motorcycle, the braking right after the finish line is a bit fuzzy in my mind. I know I stayed down after the beams, just not sure exactly when I rose up. I do clearly remember seeing the short turn off coming up quickly so I began to brake harder in an attempt to make it. Just like at the drag strip, cars braking from high speeds have a tendency to “roll up” or damage the shutdown area. Maxton is no exception. My harder braking was met with what sounded like an airplane practicing touch and go landings. I could hear the tires squealing as the bike left the ground after hitting bumps in the track and landing several times. “What a rush,” I thought as I gave the thumbs up to the shut down steward (with a big grin and a sigh of relief) as I tried to catch my breath. Now it’s off to the trailer for my speed ticket.

“What did you think?” Lauren asked as she handed me my slip “194.05. Not too bad for a first run.” “Damn, that’s fast!” was all I could muster. I went back to the trailer to download the data log from the run when Shawn jarred my memory. “Why was the bike making that noise when you crossed the finish line?” In my wired (and noisy) state I had not heard the bike hitting the limiter across the finish line, but I did feel it. I simply forgot. The logger confirmed that the injectors had been turned off towards the end of the run. This is a tell tale sign that the limiter was touched. I have mentioned several times that Kawasaki did their homework with this bike; Shawn and I proved it by GOING BACK to the stock gearing. So much for my fancy math to determine gearing before arriving at the track…..

My next and final pass of the day ended up at 196.89 MPH after a ‘what the hell was I thinking on this surface’ tire spinning launch. That’s close enough to 197 to make me happy to end the day on a positive note with hopes of the big 2-0-0 for tomorrow.

Sunday, September 24, 2006-
Super Streetbike’s First-Annual Top Speed Shootout: Day #2

Sunday began the same as Saturday with temperatures forecast to be in the upper nineties. Dave O suggested that I get down to the starting line early taking advantage of the cooler morning air. My ‘all out’ pass number three was the cleanest of the weekend, and I was beginning to get comfortable with the speeds, the track, and the bike. On the return road to get my ticket, I decided that if this pass wasn’t 200 or better, then I would have serious problems because it felt perfect. I also thought about another ZX-14 present at the event piloted by Aaron Frank, editor of SuperStreetbike Magazine.



Aaron and I were involved in an informal race within a race to get to 200 MPH first - he had nitrous oxide, and I didn’t. “ 196.46,” said Lauren as she handed me the ticket. “Didn’t you go faster than this yesterday?” she asked. Oh shit! Where’s Chad?!

Rider profile of Chad Millholland -
Born: March 19, 1984 in Knoxville, Tennessee
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 128 lbs. in his shorts
Nickname(s): none
Accomplishments:

• 2003/2004 600 AMA/Prostar 600 SuperSport National #3 Plate Holder
• Kawasaki Factory supported rider in 2003/2004
• Became member of the ECTA 200 MPH club at 17 years of age ( youngest ever)
• Has set ECTA speed records on 6 different occasions
• Became the first Father (Dan)/son (Chad)/son (Zack) team to set records at over 200 MPH at any Land Speed Racing Event

Fastest Speed Ever: 209 MPH (ZX-12, modified engine)
Biggest threat: Zack Millholland (brother) “He’s ALWAYS so close!”

Of course, the primary reason to race at Maxton was for ME to go 200 MPH as I thought such an accomplishment would be a fitting conclusion to the ZX-14 Diaries. During the process of preparing the bike, I tried to cover every detail. I had visions of running 199 MPH without ever reaching the magic 200 mark and that thought made the racer in me sick. I hate to lose or fall short. The reality I was recognizing was that there wasn’t anything I could do at this race to get me to 200 MPH. Dave O was able to run 220+ at the last Maxton event, but this time his best was 215+, the conditions simply were not as good. I know there is still power available from the ZX-14 engine from timing modifications, but an ignition module is not yet available from Dynojet. I will wait instead of butchering my harness in an attempt to make another bike’s module function. I’m like most, and this is my streetbike. If I want to deal with headaches, I’ll build a race bike. I would also have contacted Richie at Richie’s Tires had I known that the surface was going to be so slick. I love the stock Bridgestone Battlax BT014R tires, but if you count the close to 100 passes/burn-outs/dry-hops these tires had seen, even a great tire is going to struggle on a non-prepped concrete surface. That being said you can probably tell from the other Diaries that the engineer/businessman in me has NO PROBLEM firing himself as the rider to allow a professional to get the job done! A headline of: Brock runs almost 197 will not attract attention like being the first to break 200 on a new ZX-14 at an official Land Speed Racing sanctioned event. I am in the aftermarket parts business after all. Even after several Bonneville events this year, no one had been able to break the magic 200 MPH mark on a ZX-14, stock, modified, or with nitrous as far as we could tell.

This is where Chad comes in. I didn’t know him very well, personally, but he had proven to be a large pain in my rear when I was involved with 600 Supersport racing against him. I knew he was a very good rider, and there was no doubt that he was/is much smaller than me. It was a perfect situation to still break a record, as my ego will never stand in the way of progress. The racer in me suffers a blow, but the tuner and business owner usually come away with a big smile. I win either way.

I had no doubt in my mind that Chad’s first run would be over 200 MPH. Wow, was I in for an unpleasant surprise. Chad’s first run was 199.115 MPH. Way cool for a first pass “shakedown” run. He asked me to leave the bike alone so he could try again and get used to riding my 14. Pass two was 199.150. Pass three was 199.313. I could not believe how consistent Chad and the bike were. I was also experiencing THE WORST case of dejavu I had ever encountered! I was at the starting line for each run and could not hear the bike; Chad’s input and the data-logger were all I had to tune from. Chad was as confused as I was about the wall we had run into. The data-logger indicated a small spike towards the end of the runs. Chad’s lower weight and additional speed seemed to be letting him reach 200 before the traps, and the rev limiter seemed to be what was slowing him down to 199! It was just at the end of the traps and for such a short period that Chad couldn’t hear or notice it. Shawn and I changed to a 40 tooth rear sprocket for the next run.



The wind had really picked up as the morning turned to early afternoon. Keith Turk made it a point to warn the racers to be very careful and that if the cross wind picked up any more, that he would be forced to shut down and wait until it calmed. Chad’s pass four was a shut off early due to wind 198.938. Pass five was 199.220. I wanted to vomit. The wind had remained at a constant, and a shutdown so late in the event would surely ruin our chances of getting to 200. Because we were in such a hurry to try again after each attempt, we were rushing back down to the start to get back in line instead of trying to figure out what was going on. It was like trying to gain MPH at the drag strip with a bike in a perfect state of tune. It’s a nearly impossible task. But, even though the data logger confirmed that my A/F ratio was straight from the very first pass, how could I know the best A/F ratio for this bike (without changing the map) to see if we gained or lost MPH? Dave O has piles of land speed racing experience with Busa’s, but was also at a loss for any exact A/F ratio for the 14. In desperation I HAD to make a change -either way- because what we were doing was not getting the job done. I drug my laptop down to the starting line and made a change; same as at Memphis, I added some fuel. Perhaps the engine could burn a bit more since it surely must have been far hotter towards the end of a one mile pass compared to a 1/4 mile pass or on the dyno. Dave O also suggested lowering the front end a little more before pass number 6. As Chad left the line, all I could do was wander back towards the trailer with my laptop. Maxton is not like a national event, the P.A. system in the pits is portable and a mile away. It was so late in the day that the guys at the starting line with CB radios who were keeping us posted previously had packed up and gone home.

Chad Millholland - Photo by Scott F.Odell

As I arrived at the trailer I saw what I needed to see - a BIG SMILE on Chad’s face with a time ticket for 200.92 MPH in his hand! We had finally pulled it off, the ‘199 MPH curse’ had FINALLY been lifted and we were able to get to 200 before Aaron. As happy as I was, my only thought was, “Great job Chad!”, but I had to try out the new set-up for myself. Just like in any other racing I had ever done, close enough was never really close enough. Before I raced down to the starting line to try the 14 out again, I decided to check the run conditions to remain consistent with my previous diaries.

Maxton is at a true elevation of around 210 feet above sea level; but as you can see from the photo above, the heat and humidity had combined to produce a density altitude of over 1800 feet. Not too bad, but what did I need to do to get some great conditions to allow this bike to perform at its best? I was the last pass down the track for the event. A very clean 198.06 MPH run was a small consolation prize to confirm that the bike had indeed become faster after the changes. Oh well…happy tuner/disappointed rider. Such is my story lately.

I truly enjoyed my Maxton experience. The atmosphere provided the most laid back time I had ever experienced at a national event, and the people were as friendly as you will ever meet. I highly recommend trying an event for yourself – whether you are big or small. A good time can be had by any size rider. The ECTA offers grass roots enjoyment from a world recognized organization. Joe, Keith, Tonya, and all of the other volunteers will make you feel right at home.

A very special thank you to Chad Millholland for throwing a leg over a strange machine and getting the job done in less than ideal conditions. Thanks also to Dan Millholland, Chad’s father.

Of course, the chances of seeing 200 MPH the first time out on a brand new machine would not have even existed without the help of Dave Owen. Once again, fine job my friend and thanks also to Lauren, Josh, Rick, and Dave. Shawn did a great job for his first race and definitely kept all who would listen entertained off of the track also.

Scott Odell, Jim Hansen, and Kevin Patterson provided some fantastic shots. I will be adding more images and updates to this story as time allows.

Finally, thank you once again to everyone involved with the ZX-14 project from Kawasaki in the US and Japan. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this machine, especially for guys who want to bolt-on parts and go as fast as possible. This bike continues to impress me the more I learn more about it and test it’s skills.

FYI: I weighed in at a whopping (for me) 203 lbs. suited the Tuesday after Maxton and was still able to run the pass below exactly as the bike left the track from Maxton. I am in the left lane and a local AMA/Prostar nationally ranked Supersport (flyweight) rider on a race-prepared GSX-R1000 (sponsored by a local dealership) is in the right lane. Once again, thank you Kawasaki!

Good Luck and GO FAST!
Brock

To Talk about the ZX-14 Diary or ask Brock questions, please visit his forum by clicking here