On the Road From Quickest To Fastest

ON THE ROAD FROM QUICKEST TO FASTEST

RICKEY GADSON’S 302-HP YELLOW CORN KAWASAKI NINJA H2

Peter Jones

The most decorated drag racer ever—Rickey Gadson—is now looking to set a land speed record at over 220 mph, to add to his growing list of 11 national drag racing championships. For this challenge, Gadson plans on conquering speed on a Kawasaki Ninja H2, not on an H2R. Never one to run in a wheelie-bar class, Gadson is again doing it the hard way.

Because the H2 has nearly all of the mechanicals of the H2R, Gadson’s build required remarkably few components. Gadson’s 2016, Yellow Corn-sponsored H2 has a Guhl flash-tuned ECU and E85 conversion, Dynojet PCV with ignition module, and from Brock’s Performance

a Slasher exhaust, BST wheels, H2 clutch mod, and lowering kit.

The modifications

result in a dynoproven peak of 302.51 hp at 13,100 rpm and 129.02 pound-feet of torque at 10,960 rpm. For less radical performance gains, Gadson now has kits available that have user-friendly (for a select few experienced users, of course) performance gains and milder peak power. The kits include different supercharger gearing for an improved drive ratio and oiling, plus a set of velocity stacks for improved airflow, which are machined from aluminum to

resist distortion from increased boost

pressures. Unless you’re going to be seeking a land speed record, there’s not a lot a rider can do to use 302 hp on a streetbike with a conventional swingarm.

Gadson will be competing on his Ninja H2 in the East Coast Timing Association (ECTA) MPS/BF-1650 class, which currently has a record at 220.5882 mph. When possible, Gadson might also compete at the Texas Mile while working on his goal to develop this machine into a 350-hp monster.

Of course, this year Gadson can still be found competing in two drag racing series: the IDBL and the Manufacturers Cup. His ride in those series is a 2015 turbocharged ZX-14R that he has ridden to 195 mph in 1,320 feet. The project Kawasaki Ninja H2, with a lengthened swingarm, that Gadson created last year is back in Japan, preserved in Kawasaki’s heritage museum. On that lightly modified bike that was built to show the inherent performance within the H2, Gadson achieved a drag time of 8.21 at 166 mph.

Gadson’s new website, which has dates for his drag racing school and a store for his growing list of performance parts, can be found at rickey-gadson.com. CTiM