Motorcycle News - Extreme Green: A Kawasaki ZRX1200R by deBolex
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A handful of top builders specialize in less mainstream flavors though. One of them is Calum Pryce-Tidd of the south London workshop deBolex Engineering, who often starts with unconventional ingredients—such as an Energica Eva or a Yamaha MT-10.
Although it was something of a throwback, the big green machine was no slouch: it could run the quarter mile in less than 11 seconds, and pass the timing light at 125 mph.
That would be enough for most folks even today, but Calum hasn’t just given the ZRX a distinctive new look—he’s lifted its performance to an entirely new level.
Alex bought his ZRX1200R new and later sold it. But he regretted the sale, and bought it back a few years later—luckily with very low mileage, and still in great condition. He met up with Calum, and proposed using the ZRX as a base.
As with all deBolex builds, that meant a lot of metal shaping. “The ZRX was probably one of our more challenging projects,” says Calum. “Features such as the quick-release headlight cover, and the tank and tail designs, took some head scratching to achieve.”
The forks are hooked up with custom CNC’d yokes, and braking now comes from an ISR system with six-pot calipers and twin 310 mm disks. The 17-inch wheels are the lightest aluminum models that Dymag make: the same UP7X spec used on some WSBK racers and finished in gold. The front rim is attached via a quick release spindle.
With a little CNC magic, Calum and Des converted the rear brakes to an ISR two-pot caliper system, and completed the roadholding upgrade by installing Metzeler Racetec RR suspersport tires. This ZRX1200R is going to be generating a lot more g-force than the factory bike.
Gases now exit into a custom stainless exhaust system, terminated with a pair of high-riding Arrow mufflers.
“All work is carried out in-house,” Calum explains, “from design sketches to CAD to the metal shaping stage, and then onto paint and trimming. Keeping these processes in-house enables us to achieve exactly what we set out to achieve—and keeps us pushing to perfect our designs and finish quality.”
The electrics are hooked up to a Scitsu rev counter and Daytona ‘Nano’ speedo ahead of the drag-style Rizoma bars. They’re finished with Renthal grips, a Domino quick-action throttle and tiny Motogadget blinkers.
The ZRX1200R is a one-off of the highest order, and carries the ‘1/1’ designation given to unique, unrepeatable deBolex creations over the past eight years. But there’s going to be a delay before we see another 1/1.
Details of the series bikes will be revealed soon: if you’re interested, flick Calum an email via his website and he’ll keep you updated. And while you’re waiting, take a moment to savor the details on this delicious Kawasaki. deBolex Engineering | Facebook | Instagram | Photography by George Romain Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c January 14, 2020 at 11:26AM Leave a Reply. |
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1/14/2020
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