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Suzuki
Hayabusa Ram Air Seals
From Schnitz Racing
Written by: Guy Caputo
I have hesitated from
writing too soon about this product until I could finally give
it the proper research and testing that this product required.
If you are a follower of Dragbike.com articles and projects,
you will undoubtedly have noticed that I have been absent these
last 8 months from the annals of this fine webzine. I could
tell you some tall tales of writer’s burnout, or maybe
offer an excuse or three as to why I have been remiss in my
duties as a staff writer for Dragbike.com but I refuse. All
I will offer you is my apology for taking a break (which I have
enjoyed) and promise to get back into the saddle again. So here
goes.
We received the Ram
Air Seals over a year ago with promises to the developer that
we would get “right on it.” I had hoped to do some
real testing at Maxton, NC back in March of this year, but blew
up my motor instead during that event. I tried to test again
in May when I returned to Maxton for the Maxton Mile land speed-racing
event and I didn’t keep accurate enough records to be able
to give you an honest accounting of the performance. I was however
happy to report that we broke 3 Land Speed Records and had a
great time at the event. Another opportunity arose when the
Street Bike Nationals were held at Norwalk Raceway Park in Norwalk,
Ohio (my home track).
 Let
me start by explaining what the Ram Air seals are and what they
do. The stock air box of the Suzuki Hayabusa has foam ring seals
that supposedly seal against the ram air tubes that protrude
thru the frame to the air box compartment. These foam seals
rest against the metal ring and form a seal that is supposed
to keep the air box from losing air pressure while riding. With
no disrespect to Suzuki’s finest intentions, it’s
this writers opinion that the Suzuki design boys in the lab
messed this one up. When one first looks at the fit of the stock
air box against the ram air tubes, it can be seen that different
air boxes fit differently in each case. When you install the
air box into position, it can change each time you mount the
box. Sometimes the seals fit tight and sometimes they don’t.
The Ram Air Seals are oval pieces of plastic tube specifically
designed to fit around the old air box tube extension that holds
a rubber ring (seal), which overlaps the protruding tube in
the frame. This causes a tight; no air leak fit and allows the
air box to pressurize the way it was designed to. You have to
modify your old box by cutting off the ends of the tubes and
re-glue the new oval pieces to it, but it is relatively simple.
Now if you are not someone who takes your Busa to extreme speeds,
then you probably will never notice a change in performance
by changing to the Ram Air Seals from Schnitz Racing. However,
if are like me and take your bike to extreme speeds at the racetrack
or when Land Speed racing, the difference can mean a higher
mph above the 150mph mark.
I brought both a stock
air box and an air box modified with the Ram Air Seals to Norwalk
with the specific intention of running before and after test,
multiple times down track for real world testing.
Here
were my results.
I made 4 runs down track with the following times:
9.60, 9.61, 9.64 and 9.71 seconds. As you can see, these times
are consistent enough to show differences in mph at those times.
The 9.71 time was
caused by a double wheelie in first and second (which was a
wild ride) so now you have all the b ackground.
Don’t worry about the motor size or whether or not it has
an air shifter or not. This doesn’t matter, what does matter
is the mph going thru the finish stripes at the end down track.
The 9.60 run was with the modified
air box with Ram Air Seals with a mph of 157.6mph. The second
run of 9.61 was with the stock
air box going 154.1mph; the third was with the modified
air box of 9.64 at 157.3mph. The fourth and final run was with
the stock air box
again with a 9.71 at 153.6mph. I rotated the air box every other
run to be completely fair and without other factors interfering
with results. I was using the stock gearing of 17/40, same air
pressure in the tires each run, same fuel and same rider. I
weigh in at a hefty 196lbs (not counting leathers) and I can
reasonably say that while using the Ram Air Seals from Schnitz
Racing, I gained 3+mph when traveling above the 150mph mark.
I did not see or feel any difference in my ET times with or
without the Ram Air Seals on the air box. I do however feel
that they provide a better seal due to their construction and
allow a higher air box pressure during those high MPH runs.
I therefore can truly
say that I personally found the Ram Air Seals to provide my
Hayabusa higher mph runs when they were installed than with
a stock air box using the foam ring seals. I will be at Maxton,
NC for the East Coast Timing Associations October event (the
last of the year) and will be attempting additional land speed
records over 200mph again. Last May we saw exit speeds of 213.35mph
and with any luck we hope to break the 220mph mark using the
newly installed Ram Air Seals (and some more Nitrous). Our goal
for this last event is to be know as the fastest Nitrous only
motorcycle at the Maxton mile for the E.C.T.A., wish us luck!
Ram
Air Seals $89.95
Dealer
inquiries welcome
Schnitz
Racing
222 N. Third Street - Decatur, IN 46733 USA
Phone: 800-837-9730
Outside US /Canada Phone: 260-728-9457
info@schnitzracing.com
www.schnitzracing.com
Guy Caputo
can be reached at GuyCaputo@aol.com
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