Tuner Showdown: Power Mad!
TUNER SHOWDOWN: POWER MAD!
ROUNDUP
IT WAS NO-HOLDS-BARRED tuner-bike madness at Germany’s Oschersleben circuit this past May, as the German Motorcycle Tuner Association put on its first-ever Best of Bike Tuning 2008. Think of it as the ultimate tuner showdown, with 20 journalists invited to sample some of the most exotic and fast two-wheel equipment on the planet.
Certainly the most fascinating piece on the track was the BeFaster Ducati 999, crafted by company head man Ralf Mueller almost completely from carbonfiber, the firm’s specialty. The dry weight of only 315 pounds was achieved by using carbon-fiber not only for the seat, gas tank and fairing but for the frame, swingarm and wheels, as well. Engine displacement was bumped to 1037cc, and with the help of Ducati Corse racing camshafts, porting and a Walbro-TDD fuel-injection system, the 90-degree V-Twin generates 170 hp at 9400 rpm. A full-titanium Moto Corse exhaust delivers a deep, spectacular sound as you row through the Ducati\ Corse six-speed gearbox with TSS slipper clutch. The bike is even road-legal.
Retired 125cc Grand Prix World Champion Dirk Raudies was on hand to ride a few of these machines. “Even at really low revs, the engine delivers enormous power, even if it runs a little shaggy down there,” says Raudies of the superlight Ducati. “But from 3000 rpm on, it fascinates with extreme torque and a very linear power curve, although even higher in the rev range the throttle response could be better.”
Price of admission on the high-fiber 999? About $185,000! A small consolation: You are likely to have the only street-legal machine with a carbon-fiber frame down at your local Bike Nite...
A much more restrained choice is Frank Racing Point’s version of the MV Agusta F4 312 R. While the standard variant of the exclusive Italian machine produces 182 hp at 12,400 rpm, Frank Weissmann’s version lays down 194 hp at 12,100 rpm using a street-legal I exhaust system. Torque is boosted from 84 foot-pounds at 10,000 rpm to 90 ft.-lb. at 10,200 rpm. With a racing muffler in place, output goes up to 198 hp at 12,300 rpm with similar peak torque. At the core of the increase are the High Performance 4-1-2 stainless exhaust (with catalytic converter), optimized ram-air intakes, a Power Commander and a BMC air filter. Additionally, weight is decreased by use of Dymag carbon wheels.
Perhaps the most extreme bike of all was the Suzuki GSX-R1000 heavily modified by the German tuner association’s president, Herbert Kainzinger. His interpretation of Suzuki’s bestseller is, quite simply, a beast of prey on two wheels.
How about 238 hp at 11,600 rpm and an impressive 107 ft.-lb. of torque at 9200 rpm?! All that urge comes from the 1148cc Four and its custom crankshaft with 65mm stroke. Compression is raised to an astronomical 15.2: l, with the beast fed by Kainzinger’s own custom fuelinjection system with 54mm butterflies and showerhead injectors developed in-house.
All that brutal power only has to move 380 pounds of fully fueled and ready-to-ride motorcycle. Kainzinger’s GSX-Rl 148 hits 125 mph in just 6.0 seconds and achieves a top speed of 205 mph! Anything more to explain?
“This engine is completely incredible,” enthuses Raudies. “But it’s just too much for most riders on public roads. Even on the racetrack, you'd best always be mindful of the engine! It pulls like a bull from 4000 rpm then bites like a tiger at 8000 and quasiexplodes from 10,000 up to the rev limit at 13,200 rpm. There’s so much power in every gear, you can only
compare it with a MotoGP racebike. It’s so fantastic!” Together with carbon wheels, PFM radial-mount front calipers and revised suspension, the chassis isthank goodness for the rider!-up to the task of harnessing the engine’s monstrous power. “Cornering is very easy and precise,” says Raudies. “The only thing you have to keep an eye on is the black grip on the right handlebar! It’s your traction control, and you need to respect it at every corner exit.”
The price for Kainzinger’s weapon on two wheels is quite impressive, too. You'll have to roll up with 96,000 euros, or about $148,000.
Hopes are to make this tuner showdown an annual event. We can only wonder what might show up next year! Juergen Gassebner
