hearing rumors that the 2010 Zx 14 is going to utilize the supercharged 260hp motor they have in their waterskies. It will be slightly detuned ..but cranking 220 at the wheel and 20lbs heavier.
Interesting rumor ..but where there is smoke there often is fire

That would be a fun engine to mess with.

uh huh zx11d .. now tell me not to wait till 2010 ..

I can only guess...but with the economy as it is, the guess is "no." A supercharger would jump the price at least $3,000 (another guess) and People aren't buying what's there from 09.

I predict there will be some token subtle change that doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Same goes for the oh-ten busa. They aren't going to put all the r&d into the hyperbikes that they put into the liters because hyperbikes are a much smaller share of the market.

Hope I'm surprised but I'm not holding my breath.

I presume if they are simply going to use an engine they have already manufactured for a time ..things might not be too expensive for them to mass produce. Most of the superchargers you buy now for the 14 are not high volume dealers (could be very wrong here) hence the prices they must command.
I have heard that the body and frame will be changed. I would doubt that as that would make things more expensive.

Yeah? Hmm, it would be an engine that has already been developed, wouldn't it? That would certainly mix things up. I actually prefer they just make a jump in performance every 9 years so I don't feel pressured to upgrade. I'm picturing something huge that doesn't even try to be anything like a literbike. That actually makes a lot of sense since the 14 already can't compete in the literbike class anyway.

Most of the superchargers you buy now for the 14

I have yet to see a supercharger kit for a ZX14, can you provide a link ?

Its a lot easier to do on a jetski. On a bike it would be quite difficult. I've seen a couple HDs supercharged, it probably cost US$30k just to make it work. And then all it was good for was bike shows.

And I agree with previous posts, given the economy and emphasis on changing how we consume oil production I can't see any Japanese bike maker doing it.

I usually hear about "turbo" on bikes but not "super."

I was not exactly sure what the dif was.

From Wicki:

A supercharger can be powered mechanically by a belt, gear, shaft, or chain connected to the engine's crankshaft. It can also be powered by an exhaust gas turbine. A turbine-driven supercharger is known as a turbosupercharger or turbocharger. The term supercharging refers to any pump that forces air into an engine, but, in common usage, it refers to pumps that are driven directly by the engine, as opposed to turbochargers that are driven by the pressure of the exhaust gases.

It would seem that a turbo would be a bit more efficient because it is using the energy of the pressure of the exhaust This wouldn't be dragging down the output of the motor (which is still going to make exhaust anyway) to run the pump.

Ever since buying the 14, I've assumed that the power/weight ratio of the hyperbikes was about as good as it was going to get. I hear about people boring, stroking and turboing but I don't hear about people going with a bigger, heavier block to produce a bike that is faster in any way. I did see a pic of a 20 foot long, twin busa engine land speed bike but it was hardly even a bike anymore. It was very specifically designed for salt flats and it would have been barely rideable on the street, let alone safe or legal.

I don't understand why a watercraft supercharged motor would not work just as well if put in a motorcycle. All it would be is a motorcycle with a motor that also runs an onboard compressor, right?

I would take a chance that they don't go supercharged, keep the old 14, and just buy an aftermarket turbo. You could double the hp you make now and probably save some money in the end. JM unquailfied O.

"Ever since buying the 14, I've assumed that the power/weight ratio of the hyperbikes was about as good as it was going to get."

Except liters

* Last updated by: willidx4 on 7/30/2009 @ 11:01 AM *

uh huh zx11d .. now tell me not to wait till 2010 ..

Howabout till.... let's say 2012

rook wrote:[quote] "Ever since buying the 14, I've assumed that the power/weight ratio of the hyperbikes was about as good as it was going to get."

willid wrote

Except liters

Agreed on that. I use the term Hyperbike to refer to the 1000+ cc sportbikes, only.

(BTW, hope Deals Gap is treating you guys all very well this weekend.)

I usually hear about "turbo" on bikes but not "super."

I was not exactly sure what the dif was.

Oh, ok, common misconception. As a rule, a supercharger (there are two basic types) is driven by a belt or gear off the crankshaft. It provides boost quite early in the rpm range, and doesn't need an intercooler as much as a turbocharger.

A turbocharger is still a compressor, just like a supercharger, but it is driven by exhaust gas pressure. So the more rpm you have the more it boosts, and it often takes a while to build boost which is referred to as boost lag.

Like I said, I have seen show bikes with superchargers, and you wouldn't want to run one on the street because of the weight and change in center of gravity and probably width of the bike. A turbocharger will easily tuck in front of an inline 4 engine since you are removing the header anyway in favor of plumbing to route exhaust to the turbocharger drive input.

With turbochargers, you often need an intercooler because you are pumping hot exhaust gas into an impeller drive which has a air charge impeller wrapped around it, so a lot of heat transfers into the air charge before it reaches the fuel injectors or carb(s).

I've seen many superchargers in carb applications with the carb sitting on top of the charger. I've never seen that done with a turbocharger, which doesn't mean it hasn't been done. Heh.

^^Thanks, privateer, for the details and motorcycle specific info. That provides a much clearer picture than the wickipedia explanation.

hearing rumors that the 2010 Zx 14 is going to utilize the supercharged 260hp motor

We can dream but the corporate lawyers would never let this happen. No fricken way they would add another 100hp to a zx14. Hell at this point with all the emissions standards getting tougher every year if you get a stock bike that made as much or the same HP as the previous model you should be happy. I can see lighter but IMOP I just don't think we are going to see to much more power in the coming years. However I bet people said that when the first Busa was released too.

privateer, depends on the supercharger. Centrifugal superchargers are just turbos fitted with a pulled to be spun off of the engine - they thrive off of high engine RPM, like a turbo, so they don't hit much earlier than a turbo.

A roots-type blower does start producing power almost immediately, and gives a huge torque boost, but they are limited on what they can produce on the top end.

Both types benefit immensely from an intercooler (or some method of cooling the output air charge), because compressing air makes it HOT, and hot air is our enemy. The exhaust gas (on a turbo) doesn't transfer much heat to the air being compressed, most of the heat comes from compression of the air.

I would assume that the engine that powers the jetski draws upon a giant intercooler/heat-sink - the lake on which it is running. If that's the case, that part of it would have to be redesigned to fit in a street bike.

I'm not sure how I feel about a power-adder on a bike like a ZX-14. Guess I'd have to ride one to see.

Has anyone ever ridden the Jet-ski with this setup? How is the power deliver on it?

* Last updated by: lemosley01 on 8/16/2009 @ 9:51 AM *

Speaking of heat, I don't think KHI would add any factory boost to the ZX without a major upgrade in the radiator department. Too much potential for warranty work for overheated/warped heads/blocks, etc.

They put secondary flies on what they already had to tame it down. They would find a way to cripple it anyway.

privateer, depends on the supercharger. Centrifugal superchargers are just turbos fitted with a pulled to be spun off of the engine - they thrive off of high engine RPM, like a turbo, so they don't hit much earlier than a turbo

Which is why most drag racers in the car world (where the weight and bulk is less of an issue) use a roots-style supercharger. But, the centrifugal-type supercharger does boost quicker than a comparable volume turbocharger, only because the the impeller rpm is directly tied to the crank rpm, while in a turbocharger the impeller rpm is tied to the exhaust gas flow rate (pressure) which is compressible, and so lags behind rpm under acceleration.

roots-style supercharger

The words "twin screw supercharger" are the three sexiest words in the English language!

I've run turbos, centrifugal blowers and roots-style blowers. I guess I'm just partial to the roots-style. Something about the way it sits right up there bolted atop the lower intake just looks like it should have been there from the factory. :)

-Matt

That watercraft motor is like the 14 only in disp - diff engine. It is not a simple parts bolt-on to do it.

Holy hell Blue welcome back.....I thought you'd rode the internet wave to another cove of life. Good to see you back around. I took awhile to get here myself lol. And I still haven't finished up my turbo yet cause I'm a damn procrastinator Whats your excuse...or is that boosted monster running now?

I think there's a new boosted monster and it has 4 wheels.

Great to hear from you, 06. It's not quite the same without you.

My current 4wheeler is a V12 Benz - non boosted.......just not worth doing really - esp since I drive like ONCE a WEEK.....