[TheKid_CFair]

I have been drag racing my EX650r since 2007 (bought it October of 2006). I wanted to see if there is anyone else out there drag racing an EX650r and if so what sort of mods, E.T.'s, and or ideas on making them quicker (also post some pics of your mean machine!).

This is my little gal. I painted it orange as a joke origionally but decided I liked it and it stayed. Thinking of going with a darker silver as the main color with black as the secondary and red accents...

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.

This is it as of 6/13/2011. 12.6's at 103mph (track's rel. altitude above 7500ft)
Lowered 3(ish) inches
Streched 6"
Port & polished head
Head decked 0.015"
Using a 2006 R6 OEM muffler as a slip on
Handlebars are the stock clip-on's from a 2002 ZX6r
Shift light (set for 10,000rpm- also use it for my launching rpm) & air shifter
Sprockets are 13-49 (stock is 15-46)
I feel like there is more but I can't think of anything else at the moment.

This was it at the end of the 2008 racing season. Stock wheelbase- ran a strut instead of the shock as you can see and wasn't geared as much as it is now. Didn't wheelie much as it does now but spun a lot of the launch.

The 650 mid-season in 2009. Racing in Kearney, NE in this picture. 11.6's at 108mph that day. Also took home a NHRA Wally from that race in the "Street Legal" class.

And here is a picture taken about 22 minutes ago (6-16-2011). The orange there is a gelcoat- I am using the stock tank, seat, and seat cowls to make a fiberglass mold so I can have all of that as one piece and run a 1gal fuel cell under it. Next I want to do the upper, and front cowls (along with the plastics around the gauges) as another piece so I will be down from 11 pieces to 2. Also help with weight as I plan to cut out the subframe and move all the electrical stuff from under the seat to a box I'm making that will mount where the OEM muffler did. Which works as a "double play" because without the frame above the rear wheel a) I won't be rubbing the undertail every time I launch anymore and b) I can lower the rear another inch or so...

After that is all done I am seriously considering running a turbo... I am also running a stock 1993 zx11 this year and after getting some seat time on it (10.8's @128mph- track rel. altitude 7500ft) I have found that the 650 just doesn't quite do it for me anymore after I shift into 2nd. Luckly the launch is still a hoot- 1.590 60ft times, I haven't been able to crack the zx11 past 1.692 seconds yet...

Anywho, if you have any ideas, opinions or comments let me know. I welcome and appreciate any and all ideas so wheather good or bad, please post! Thanks for looking and reading through my rambling.

 

[LarryJ]

I don't believe I've seen a 650R drag bike. Have you lined up with any 599 cc drag bikes? Results?

 

[nebraskan]

^ what he said.

are you from NE? i'mi from North platte, but i've been to kearney a million times.

 

[SSRSZ28]

i've been wanting to take my 650 to the strip for shits n giggles. but track days around here are scarce

 

[raized1199]

Very nice.

I've done my share years back.
Old KZ1000s.
Had a big bore, car tire outlaw bike once that was fun.
But not as fun as a street, well tuned Z1 900 that beats the
high dollar motors at the end.
lol
...I miss that one.
It just got to the point I got tired of it and sold off everything.

Mad props for running a inline twin 650!
Bracket is the way to go.
Have fun and stay safe.

 

[RacinJason44]

Took my 650 to that drag strip a long time ago, now I forget what kinda times I was running, it was an 1/8th mile track.

 

[TheKid_CFair]

I don't believe I've seen a 650R drag bike. Have you lined up with any 599 cc drag bikes? Results?

Yeah I'm sorta looking to see if there are any other out there, haha. I was hoping to find this video on youtube but no such luck- someone had filmed a guy running his 2008 ZX6r that just happened to line up against me on the 650. It was a pretty funny video, the lights started coming down and as soon as they went green the 650 was out of the shot... He caught me at about 1000 ft, ran something like a 12.1 to my 12.5 but his mph was around 120, mine was 101. It made me laugh

 

[TheKid_CFair]

^ what he said.

are you from NE? i'mi from North platte, but i've been to kearney a million times.

No I am actually from Denver, Colorado but I have gone to Kearney for the National Dragster Challenge race the last two years. The first year I went I took the Wally in the street legal class, then last year I went red in the final round in that class... Found out a few weeks later when National Dragster published an article about the race that the guy I lost to last year is the same guy I beat in the final the year before- I am going to do what I can to make it there for the NDC race this year (August 21st I think)... I do love that track

 

[TheKid_CFair]

Very nice.

I've done my share years back.
Old KZ1000s.
Had a big bore, car tire outlaw bike once that was fun.
But not as fun as a street, well tuned Z1 900 that beats the
high dollar motors at the end.
lol
...I miss that one.
It just got to the point I got tired of it and sold off everything.

Mad props for running a inline twin 650!
Bracket is the way to go.
Have fun and stay safe.

Thanks man, being an inline 2cyl and 650cc it's my little "half-a-busa", haha

 

[-jayson-]

How come you havent done any tunning yet? Or have you and just not posted that? Have you dyno tuned it? What kind of HP numbers did it make? It seems like a waste of money to port and polish a head but sitll have that restrictive stock exhaust on it. If you tunned it, got a proper exhaust, I could see you hitting low 11's.

I actually really want to take my bike to the track, I used to race cars all the time at the drag strip. I have plans to modify it, just money is tight right now. I want to save up like 2gs and do everything at once. Where did you get the port and polished head from? How much did that cost?

 

[KenLienczewski]

Cool bike bro! I love the swingarm. Good thing about bracket racing is it doesn't matter how fast you are! It's all about consistency! My family (brother drives) races a 73 Vega here at the Mid-Michigan Motorplex. We run 10.60-70's. Only run 3 classes here. Street, Pro, and Super Pro. We run Pro, not too many bikes. Do you run in a bike only class?? That's great you won a Wally, we've always done bad on those weekends! Slower or not, your bike is surely original, and I give you big props!!

 

[TheKid_CFair]

How come you havent done any tunning yet? Or have you and just not posted that? Have you dyno tuned it? What kind of HP numbers did it make? It seems like a waste of money to port and polish a head but sitll have that restrictive stock exhaust on it. If you tunned it, got a proper exhaust, I could see you hitting low 11's.

I actually really want to take my bike to the track, I used to race cars all the time at the drag strip. I have plans to modify it, just money is tight right now. I want to save up like 2gs and do everything at once. Where did you get the port and polished head from? How much did that cost?

I haven't done hardly any tuning on it mainly because of funding (or lack there of) and don't want to spend it on the dyno or anything... I put an OEM can off a 2006 R6 on it and took off the stock one. The R6 can is very light and is open all the way through like an aftermarket pipe is. I know I could get better gains with one made for the bike but that was what I had at the time so I made it work... As far as fuel (powercommander) I haven't done much, basically stock map with 10% added at high RPM. As far as the porting and polishing went on it I spent a grand total of about $30 on sand paper and 10 or so hours... I ran the stock head on a Friday night and was turning 13.2's that night, spent all day Saturday doing the P&P job, took it out Sunday and no joke- 12.7's without anything else done to it (keep in mind I'm at about 7500 so E.T.'s are about 1 second slower than at sea level). Then later I put the head on my mill and machined about .015" off for higher compression- another 2-tenths... But in any case when you get to building one up feel free to ask me about anything on it (chances are I have tried it, haha).

 

[TheKid_CFair]

Cool bike bro! I love the swingarm. Good thing about bracket racing is it doesn't matter how fast you are! It's all about consistency! My family (brother drives) races a 73 Vega here at the Mid-Michigan Motorplex. We run 10.60-70's. Only run 3 classes here. Street, Pro, and Super Pro. We run Pro, not too many bikes. Do you run in a bike only class?? That's great you won a Wally, we've always done bad on those weekends! Slower or not, your bike is surely original, and I give you big props!!

Right on man, thanks! It thrills me when people can appreciate it for its individuality. Yeah it is a Street Bike class (but most bikes wouldn't last 10 miles on the street) that runs 8 or 9 races each season depending on rain- there are about 25 bikes per race. My first season out I went into the last race, which is our Wally race, 3rd in points, 2 rounds down from 1st & 2nd. The way the bracket came out after qualifying I was on the bottom half, 1st & 2nd were on the top. I met the points leader in the finals, he took the championship, I took the Wally (2007). In 2008 I went to the NDC race in Douglas Wyoming and through a series of weird and lucky runs I actually scored Wally #2 in a Street E.T. class (the bike couldn't hardly run that day either so the whole thing still baffels me). Then I scored #3 in Kearney in 2009. Last year I went red in the finals at the Kearney's Wally race and 6 days later I found myself in the final at SRCA's Wally race. As I staged the red light from the week before flashed in my head and needless to say, I got tree'd... Bummer. Haha, but yeah as a bracket bike it is fantastic! In the 4 years I've run the Street Bike Class I got 2nd, then 5th and the last two years took the championship and it's still one of the slowest bikes at Bandimere Speedway. I'm sitting in 6th at the moment, 4 or 5 races to go.

How are you all doing in the Vega at Mid-Michigan this year? I have always loved those cars... I hear that it's a good track out there too, I would love to make an "eastern-swing" someday and race there- nothing better than going to different tracks and getting whooped by the locals...

Thanks for the comments man, they made my day. And I wish you guys the best this season with your Vega- post a picture of it if you have one and let me know how you guys do this year!

 

[Arki Ninja 650R]

surprising bike... ill look it up... keep it up...

 

[TheKid_CFair]

surprising bike... ill look it up... keep it up...

It suprises me every time I take it out... You can watch the live timing by going to www.1320go.com/bandimere when there's a race going on. My number is B670- we will be running our next race in the street bike class this Friday night.

 

[-jayson-]

I haven't done hardly any tuning on it mainly because of funding (or lack there of) and don't want to spend it on the dyno or anything... I put an OEM can off a 2006 R6 on it and took off the stock one. The R6 can is very light and is open all the way through like an aftermarket pipe is. I know I could get better gains with one made for the bike but that was what I had at the time so I made it work... As far as fuel (powercommander) I haven't done much, basically stock map with 10% added at high RPM. As far as the porting and polishing went on it I spent a grand total of about $30 on sand paper and 10 or so hours... I ran the stock head on a Friday night and was turning 13.2's that night, spent all day Saturday doing the P&P job, took it out Sunday and no joke- 12.7's without anything else done to it (keep in mind I'm at about 7500 so E.T.'s are about 1 second slower than at sea level). Then later I put the head on my mill and machined about .015" off for higher compression- another 2-tenths... But in any case when you get to building one up feel free to ask me about anything on it (chances are I have tried it, haha).

Do you actually know how to port and polish and understand fluid dynamics or did you just go to town on the head? Ahh also i just read taht you are at high elevation, cause at first i was like, 12.7s with those mods are a joke. Reality at my level you would be running 11's. Nice.

 

[TheKid_CFair]

Do you actually know how to port and polish and understand fluid dynamics or did you just go to town on the head? Ahh also i just read taht you are at high elevation, cause at first i was like, 12.7s with those mods are a joke. Reality at my level you would be running 11's. Nice.

Yeah I did a my research before diving into that head. I had it put on a flow bench before and and after and did get a higher velocity out of it but kept most of the turbulence (or tumble) so the fuel and air are still mixing pretty good. I didn't go crazy with it though, basically just did a light port-match job. And yeah I know it's rough being at this altitude, the bike always sounds slow. But I did manage to get it into the 11.3's at the Division 5 finals in Topeka Kansas a few years back. It always will at least dip into the 11's when I drop to a more reasonable altitude...

 

[TheKid_CFair]

EX650 Dragbike got "War Paint"

New look of the EX650 Dragbike:

 

[clemson650r]

Love the bike man, it's beautiful!

Understanding you only need the bars to go straight lol, but how well would you say those bars work for street use? Obviously not lock to lock, but almost?

And that seat, did you just take the stock and shave it down?

Keep it up man, I love that machine!

 

[TheKid_CFair]

Love the bike man, it's beautiful!

Understanding you only need the bars to go straight lol, but how well would you say those bars work for street use? Obviously not lock to lock, but almost?

And that seat, did you just take the stock and shave it down?

Keep it up man, I love that machine!

Thanks man! It's always nice to hear when someone approves.

The bars are a bit limiting (will hit the tank before lock) but they actually aren't that bad for the road, infact you rarely approach their limits while riding- parking lots suck. If you've seen Austin Powers when he is making the 2000pt turn in a golf cart- it's a lot like that.

And you nailed it with the seat. I cut the foam into 2 pieces: rider's and passenger's then left the passenger's but tossed the rider's and replaced it with 1/2" foam rubber and recovered it. Not going to lie though, anything past 30-50 miles can be painfull.

Hope that's the info you're looking for and thanks for the post! Have a good one