To Big CC Racing, in Wokingham today, for a much-needed dose of wackiness on this most snowy of Wednesdays. And one of the most comedy bikes we've seen – ever! Okay, you've all seen a Kawasaki ZZR1400 before. Big bus, very fast, will whizz you off to the South of France in a trice, two-up and with 'enough luggage for two for a week' easily strapped on.
Now, you've probably seen one of these kitted up with all manner of touring gear – the hot grips, the satnav, the panniers, the touring screen – hell, even the double-barreled cigar lighter extension setup. Fair enough. But you've also maybe seen a mega-tuned one too? A drag racer perhaps, with a big turbo bolted onto the motor, enormous blow-off valve, boost gauge, steering damper, and a three-inch exhaust system.
But we're saying that – until now – you hadn't seen both at once. Because, yes, this ZZR1400 has all of the above. It puts out between 270 and 330bhp depending on the boost, selected via a switch, has a fully built drag race engine with rods and pistons, HD studs and clutch work, and wouldn't be out of place at a land speed record event. However, the owner, Lawrence, uses it to commute into London each day – and has kitted it out as a luxury mega-tourer. From the padded King & Queen seat, he can survey his route on the satnav, while relaxing in comfort thanks to the Oxford heated grips, raised bars and lowered footpegs, protected by the tall double bubble tinted screen. There's a quickshifter, speedo-healer, full top speed derestriction – all essential stuff when you have a £10k, 500bhp-capable turbo kit shoving you along the M25 of a morning…
Sean Mills at Big CC, who built this masterpiece, told us; "The bike makes about 270bhp, but at the flick of a switch, you can dial in an extra 60bhp of boost. The engine and turbo will make 500bhp on race fuel and full boost, but the owner is quite happy with 330bhp at the moment. He's a lovely man, and he does like to add bits on! My favourite part is on the top-box, where he's got a solar panel trickle charger bolted on the lid to keep the battery topped up when parked."
So there you have it. A 500bhp ZZR1400, with a solar panel. Don’t say we don’t bring you the very (very) best in wacky stuff here on the Visordown…
* Fancy a 600bhp Gold Wing? A supercharged R1200 GS? Nitrous on a C90? Big CC Racing can help. Check them out at www.bigccracing.com
