Kawasaki ZX-10R 'CARNAGE' Streetfighter - PROJECT

After establishing Au.S.F.R Performance, a business specialising in importing parts for streetfighters, racebikes and custom builds, Stu decided a rolling billboard to promote the business would be in order; something that showed not only what parts were available through Au.S.F.R, but also what could be done with those parts if you had the cash and commitment to take a custom streetfighter to the extreme.

Finding the bike
In early 2008, Stu sourced a bike to be the template for his vision; a 2004 model Kawasaki ZX-10R.
"At the time, I had not seen many ZX-10R fighters done to this level," Stu explained. "There were a few getting around Europe, but nothing here in Australia. Everyone had been modifying GSXRs for so long, it was time to do something different."

While some may say a ZX-10R, or indeed any Kawasaki, is "wrong" for a streetfighter, the "Judge" from Extreme Creations shows that Kawasakis (a ZX-9R in the case of the JUST BIKES cover bike from 2009), can be 'fightered to an impressive level.

"The ZX-10R is the perfect bike," Stu said. "It looks good naked, there's an abundance of parts available and even in stock form, it is a completely mental ride!"

Extreme Creations would play an important part in the early stages of the build, but before then, Stu had to check over his purchase and make sure the Kawasaki's fundamentals were suitable for the planned build.

The ZX-10R had been sitting unused for six months when Stu got hold of it, but appeared to be in good condition. Stu could live with damaged plastics and the like, as these would all be removed, but the engine, frame and suspension had to be top notch. A strip down of the engine immediately after purchase revealed faultless internals for the grunty 998cc DOHC inline four, with the frame and other major parts also passing muster.

Inspiration
It's worth diverting here for a moment to touch on the name for this project - 'Carnage'. If you're up on comic book characters from the Marvel Universe, Carnage should need no introduction. If you're not, Carnage started off as a psychopathic serial killer called Cletus Kasady, but thanks to a symbiotic relationship with the same alien entity that created 'Venom,' one of Spider Man's enemies, Kasady became a supervillain even more destructive than Venom, and an arch nemesis of Spider Man.

Venom was originally going to be the theme for this 'fighter. However, someone beat Stu to the punch on this idea, so the all-red, sinewy, chaotic look of Carnage became the name and theme for this creation.

"I'm a comic book nerd from way back," Stu laughed. "But the themes of superheroes and supervillains really lend themselves to these types of bikes, and it was something I'd been thinking of for a while when it came to the treatment for this bike.

"Carnage is an extreme character, and that suited the objectives and look I had in mind."

The 'look' of this bike was inspired by the 'Vizman' cartoons seen in UK magazines, Back Street Heroes and Streetfighters.

"Vizman's caricatures of streetfighters have stuck in the culture as the ultimate goal for every streetfighter builder to work towards. Everything on my bike is designed to add to that whole, almost 'cartoonish,' image of the bike."

The Build Begins
With a theme established, a vision in mind and a bike ripe for modification, the "fun" began in late 2008. Little did Stu realise back then that Carnage wouldn't see completion for almost five years.

Through Au.S.F.R Performance, Stu already had access to all manner of bolt-on parts, which just left the choice of exactly what bits, from the likes of Oberon Engineering, Megatec, ABM, Motogadget, etc., to fit.
Called in to design and engineer the larger parts, Extreme Creations in Brookvale fabricated an all-new swingarm, the distinctive headlight unit and front indicators, custom battery box, front fork bottom yoke and turbo kit.

The bespoke billet swingarm allowed the fitment of a chunky Metzeler 240/40 VR18 rear tyre, much wider than the ZX-10R's factory 190/50 rear package and up an inch on rim size, too. The front wheel was left at factory 17 inch spec, but a narrower 120/60 ZR17 Metzeler hoop was fitted. Carrozzeria 'V-Track' lightweight alloy rims were selected for both ends.

Like the bespoke swingarm, the Garrett GT2871 turbo was a pretty major upgrade, and one which Stu expected would give the ZX-10R an almighty power boost, but more on that later.

Problems at Home - then Away
In order to keep the exterior looking clean, wiring had to be internal wherever possible, but this proved to be a problem, particularly in the case of the thick-wall ABM handlebars. Stu said that getting the wiring right would be a recurring problem with the build, but the timeframe proved to be more frustrating.

"It seemed to be ongoing, and made it hard to maintain focus. At times, it seemed like we'd never see the light at the end of the tunnel."

This was compounded by the fact that Au.S.F.R Performance isn't Stu's full-time gig. He has a "day job," which meant spare time he could devote to the bike, over and above that he was already putting in with Au.S.F.R, was very limited. A relocation from New South Wales to Queensland in 2011 further compounded problems.

With Stu in one state, and the bike in another, the impracticalities of getting Carnage completed soon became apparent, so in late 2011, the decision was made to bring the bike up to Queensland and hand it over to Pro Cycle Dyno in Slacks Creek to complete the engineering work. This enabled him to keep a closer eye on progress, and also drop in to add and upgrade his own parts as required.

Behind the Times
The months of inactivity on the project had another, unexpected, consequence; new styles and designs of the aftermarket parts he had already fitted were being released. This led to several changes in the bolt-on parts.

"The rearsets are the second set. Bars and mirrors are the third set, and I was tempted to change them a fourth time for a clip-on multi-adjustable unit."

While many parts were changed over the almost five-year duration of the build, the vision remained; to make Carnage the most extreme streetfighter creation ever.

"All of the major billet components were designed to be larger than life," Stu explained. "The massive lightened beam swingarm, fat yokes, double radiator cores and huge rear wheel all reflect this."

Stu added he's been tempted to upgrade the front caliper and disc package with another ABM 6-piston unit, and said he still might do that, depending on the response from potential buyers.

Paint - without the 'Cheese'
With all the engineering finally sorted by June of 2013, that just left a few detail touches and paint for Carnage to be completed. The bike had been in primer for a big chunk of the build time, but getting the right painter, and the right look and feel for the final finish was something of a challenge.

Stu was initially reluctant to go down the custom airbrushing route, believing that it can get "very cheesy very quickly." A test run with another painter did nothing to dispel this opinion, but the move to Queensland had exposed Stu to the work of Caleb Milne of 'Lucky Caleb' custom painting. Having seen Caleb's hand-painted Honda "Hanspree" streetfighter and a supercharged Harley V-Rod with old style pinup art on the tinware, Stu was convinced to not only get Carnage custom airbrushed, but also that Caleb was the right man for the job.

"Caleb would, in my opinion, be the one guy who could pull off the raw sinew and muscle look I wanted - and not be cheesy."

With a timeframe of less than two weeks to get all the panels painted, Caleb delivered in time for Stu to have Carnage complete and on display at August's Club Laverda Concours show in Cleveland.

"I was blown away by what he did," Stu said of the incredible detail Caleb had hand-applied to the tinware. "He did it in about a week. He didn't have the whole bike, only the panels, so the way he made the shadows and lines match across different panels would have been difficult to do, but he did it perfectly."

On Show. . . .
Following its debut at the Club Laverda Concours, Carnage was next shown at the Jamboree event at Willowbank in September, alongside Stu's turbo'd Nissan V35 Skyline. A trophy from that event was welcome, but Stu said that the reaction the bike got from show visitors was worth more.

"Some were just awestruck and gobsmacked," Stu laughed. "Some said they thought it was great, while others appreciated the thought and detail that's gone into the build.

"I'm really happy that we managed to capture the look and style of the ultimate streetfighter caricature as drawn by Vizman"

. . . and on Go
Having it look great is one thing, but we're sure you're all wondering how it rides, right? We'll let Stu explain:
"I was amazed the first few times I took it out on the street, because it rides so smoothly. You can bimble around town on it all day long and it won't give one hiccup. But then, as soon as you head for the hills and open the throttle, holy hell! it's like the world goes into fast-forward!

"It handles exactly like a ZX10R should right up to the point where the wide rear tyre hits the shoulder, then it just needs a firm hand to manoeuvre it around. I reckon that's a small price to pay to an 8-9 second road-legal drag bike!"

A conservative 220RWHP is enough to spank just about anything on the road, but horsepower junkies should note that Carnage has also been up to 267RWHP on the dyno with 10psi of boost.

New Horizons
With the odyssey of Carnage now complete, Stu's putting this one-of-a-kind machine on the market (see below) and moving on to a new challenge. When we asked, Stu hinted that his next build could be either a totally modern café racer, or what he intriguingly describes as a "bare bones, non-fat Harley custom" that may incorporate some out-there componentry like hubless wheels with perimeter brakes!

FOR SALE
Reading through this article and the following list of custom parts and bespoke pieces made for Carnage should provide an appreciation for the time, expertise and money that's gone into this build. Stu conservatively estimates build cost to be in excess of $75,000, so the $45,000 ONO asking price is a bit of a bargain, really.

It's also worth noting that, for all its wild looks and brain-melting performance, Carnage is street-registered. It's not an ornament; it can be ridden - and enjoyed - no matter what your riding requirements are.
For further details, or to arrange a viewing - strictly no test pilots - contact Stu on (07) 3804 0916.

About Au.S.F.R.
Au.S.F.R Performance specialise in high quality custom appearance and performance parts to suit most late model streetbikes, enabling you to convert your road or sports bike to something much cooler, quicker or wilder. Stock includes performance brake and clutch kits, mirrors, levers, grips, indicator & headlight units, top yoke conversion kits, handlebars and bar comfort kits, fender eliminators and even the 'Stig-style' Craft full face helmets.
Find out more about Au.S.F.R Performance at www.ausfr.com.au, email: [email protected] or call (07) 3804 0916.

Thanks to:
ProCycle Dyno (procycledyno.com.au) - engineering
Extreme Creations (extremecreations.com.au) - engineering
Caleb Milne - Lucky Caleb Custom Paint (luckycaleb.com) - paint & airbrushing
Rod Campbell (cutgrafix.com) - decals
VCM Cycle Seats - seat
And most importantly, my wife Angel - extreme patience!

Carnage Specifications:

ENGINE
998cc DOHC 4-cyl engine, standard head/cams/crank/injectors, ceramic coated forged pistons, Cometic 1.5mm head gasket, modified ZX10-R throttle bodies, Walbro fuel pump, Sard fuel pressure regulator, custom plenum/intercooler, custom stainless steel headers/exhaust, 'RACEFIT GROWLER' titanium/carbon fibre muffler, Garrett GT2871 turbo (modified to accept Tial external wastegate), Earls fittings/nylon braided turbo oil return line, Turbosmart blow-off valve, Factory Pro gear shift star, Goodridge heavy duty clutch plates, Orient Express clutch springs, Autronic SM4 ECU, Autronic 500R CDI, K&N pod filter, carbon fibre clutch/ignition/water pump covers, custom twin PWR core radiator with billet end tanks, AFAM 1/2" offset 17t front sprocket.

FRAME
2004 ZX10-R modified to fit wider chain offset, shortened sub-frame, custom underseat coolant overflow tank, carbon fibre frame covers, ABM billet rearsets, Sprint SXC steering damper, ABM billet rear brake master cylinder/reservoir, ABM billet frame sliders.

WHEELS/BRAKES/SUSPENSION
Front - modified 2004 ZX10-R forks anodised/powder coated, ABM billet top clamp, custom billet bottom clamp, Carrozzeria 'V-Track' 17"x3.5" wheel, Metzeler Sportec 120/60ZR17 tyre, ABM full floating 300mm wave discs, Tokico radial calipers, HEL braided lines, ABM billet master cylinder/lever, ABM billet clutch perch, ABM streetbars, ABM billet grips, ABM extended clutch cable.
Rear - One-off billet T5063 alloy swingarm - 6" over standard length, revalved 2004 ZX10-R rear shock, Carrozzeria 'V-Track' 18"x8.5" wheel, Metzeler Marathon 240/40VR18 tyre, Carrozzeria 43t alloy sprocket, RK 530 chain, HEL braided line, ABM billet rear caliper on custom mount.

ELECTRICS
MotoGadget Mini LED dash/shift light/billet switch gear/digital ignition lock - all controlled by mUnit digital controller, custom billet headlight unit with 8 x 300 lumen high intensity LED low beams/1 x 100w halogen projector high beam, custom LED front indicators, ABM billet rear indicators, LED rear/tail lights, custom wiring loom.

BODYWORK
Megatec 'Vampirus' tail unit, 2004 ZX10-R seat pad re-covered in red/black snakeskin/carbon fibre, custom front guard with custom 'Moto GP linear actuator' mounts, 2004 ZX10-R fuel tank, billet race fuel cap, carbon fibre side panels.

PAINT
Satin black frame, powder coated swingarm/fork tubes, custom airbrushed 'CARNAGE' paintwork on tank/front guard/side panels/tail unit, custom gold leaf/carbon fibre 'CARNAGE' tank graphic.

Aftermarket parts used & bespoke parts manufactured:
ABM (Germany)
brake discs (front/rear), brake caliper (rear), front brake lever/master cylinder, clutch perch assy, extended clutch cable, top yoke/risers, handlebars, rearsets, rear indicators, fender eliminator, crash knobs

MotoGadget (Germany)
'mSwitch' billet switchgear, 'MS Mini' LED dash & top yoke mount, 'mUnit' digital controller, 'mLock' digital remote ignition module

Racefit (UK)
titanium/carbon fibre Growler exhaust

Oberon Engineering (UK)
Mirrors, race fuel cap, preload adjusters

Sprint Dampers (UK)
SXC steering damper (on custom mount to allow fitment with non-OEM bars).

Carrozzeria (Japan)
'V-Track' billet wheels (front/rear)

Megatec (Germany)
front guard, seat unit

JMV Concept (France)
carbon fibre side panels, carbon fibre frame covers, carbon fibre engine covers

HEL (Australia)
braided steel brake lines (front/rear)

Autronic (Australia)
SM4 ECU, 500R CDI

Extreme Creations (Australia)
Swingarm, bottom yoke, headlight unit, front indicators, radiator, turbo kit, battery box