HONDA CBR1100XX: Well what would you rather have-115 horsepower or 122 horsepower? The CBR-XX obviously reacts well to ram-air induction. The horsepower and torque curves literally mimic the non-ram-air graphs, only with a five to seven horsepower increase and three to five additional foot-pounds of torque. It should be noted the Honda XX's ram-air system is one of the most Link Removed on the market, showing immediate power gains well before the 7000-rpm starting mark and posting high-pressure readings during our top-speed test. For comparative purposes, the CBR-XX's pressure reading without ram-air assist at full-throttle/top rpm was -8mb.
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SUZUKI GSX1300R HAYABUSA:Even though the Hayabusa posted median pressure numbers during our top-speed test and didn't build pressure beyond ambient until 145 mph, it's apparent that any internal-combustion motor benefits from ram-air induction. The reason the power curve is tailing off a bit around 9500 rpm is because the Suzuki's mondo engine was basically beginning to require more air than we could feed it at that point. It was the only motorcycle we ram-air-dynoed that left both compressors gasping for breath. And again, the Hayabusa suffered from leakage around the airbox/ram-air duct junctions, which possibly prevented it from posting higher numbers.
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KAWASAKI ZX-6R:After witnessing the high-pressure readings garnered by both Kawasakis during our top-speed tests in the first session, we were anxious to see what another ZX-R could do on the dyno. Unfortunately, we ran into a problem. As the revs started to climb beyond 10,000 rpm, we couldn't get the Kawasaki to run cleanly. It was obvious the float-bowl vents weren't getting the same airstream pressure as the airbox during our dyno runs. Without ram air, the ZX-6R ran perfectly and posted excellent power numbers. No matter what we tried, we couldn't get our simulated pressurization to work with the Kawasaki's ram-air system properly. It was frustrating. If we would have had more time to fabricate ducting that enshrouded the ram-air inlets, we're confident our ram-air simulation would've worked. Still, the ZX-6R shows the initial signs of definite power gains up to 10,000 rpm. And judging by the excellent graphs drawn from our top-speed tests of the 7R and 9R, it's a sure bet the ZX-6R would have set the pace as far as showcasing the benefits of ram-air induction.
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