ProMoto Billet/ Fastway Performance...
ProMoto Billet/ Fastway Performance team captain Rory Sullivan set a blistering pace on the RM-Z450 around the Escargot course, and then followed it up with a respectable time at the motocross test. Suffice it to say, Rory ain't scared.
About the Bike:
Each year around this time, we patiently wait for our invite to the 24 hour/Torture Test. We just never know what kind of a new spin Jimmy has dreamed up. When the e-mail arrived, we all crowded around the computer. "Build the Ultimate Bike"...We hadn't even finished reading the entire e-mail before the brainstorming started. What does the "Ultimate" bike mean to us? Horsepower, suspension, titanium, bling, flash....it all got tossed around.
After an hour of brainstorming, we all calmed in a state of post adrenalin bliss and gave each other a reality check....we had all seen articles on the bikes of the stars. Money is no object when you race for your paycheck with factory backing. However, none of us here at ProMoto Billet/Fastway Performance enjoy that luxury. Money "is" an object and most of the extra already goes to support our riding habit. We are all working guys who love to go ride every free minute we get. Okay, so with the reality check of being working guys, what is the ultimate bike? This changed the conversation immensely. A new word popped out of our mouths...affordable. The "Ultimate" bike for us would be affordable.
Instead of having the most horsepower, the quest would be for useable horsepower. A motor that would allow you to place in the top of the expert class at a motocross and still allow you to trail ride on the weekend; a motor that is so butter smooth you can ride all day long, a motor that is always crisp and jetted spot on, a motor that is reliable and has reasonable maintenance intervals and costs...that would be the ultimate.
Suspension? Same thing. Flexible enough to allow a fifth gear blast across the desert without giving you baboon butt at the end of a 60 mile trail ride.
Our "Ultimate" bike would need to be durable as well. If we want to take a week and go ride, we don't want to replace bent parts and worn out pieces. We would need protection in the right places.
Of course, none of us would have an ultimate bike that didn't look good. There had to be some budget for bling.
So with these items in mind, we started our quest for the "Ultimate Working Man's Bike".
First on the agenda was to choose a base platform. We needed a bike that was durable, proven, powerful and affordable. To fit these criteria we chose the Suzuki RM-Z450. This is the one bike with fuel injection that has had a year of proven durability. We were lucky enough to spend a week with Paul Whibley and Jimmy Jarrett of Factory Suzuki last year. These guys showed up to ride an exhibition Endurocross, play ride, practice, and race the Iowa round of the OMA with one RM-Z450 each. They didn't have a practice bike or a truckload of parts. They rode them, washed them off and raced them on the weekend placing first and second. Pretty impressive! In addition, the 2008 and 2009 are virtually identical which allows a person to purchase a leftover 08 at a sizeable discount....affordable.
Next on the agenda was to get the suspension set up for the "Ultimate" bike. Since we sponsor a large contingent of amateur riders, we get an inside track on what really works for them. Amateurs are usually racing the same suspension any one of us can get over the counter. They don't have the luxury of factory mechanics and special one-off parts. They need affordable suspension that works on a variety of terrain. After quizzing many of our riders, one name kept popping up...Travis Flateau and TBT Racing. Travis has been around the industry for many years and has worked with Subway Honda and other top teams. He provides great suspension at reasonable rates and treats each customer like a factory racer.
Our focus next turned to the heart of our machine. Although we all like big horsepower, we felt the stock power of the RMZ was adequate for most of our needs. None of our paychecks depend on getting the holeshot on Saturday. We would much rather ride smooth all day and have energy left to take our spouses to dinner in the evening. Our efforts in the motor department were geared towards this smooth forgiving horsepower that pulls you to the front of the pack, but doesn't wear you out. The Suzuki RM-Z450 is known to have great low to mid power, but tends to flatten out on top. Our experience and input from others "in-the-know" suggest that an aftermarket head-pipe can increase the top-end and provide a little more over-rev. Most aftermarket head-pipes will mount right up to the stock silencer. This is a very affordable way to get improved performance. It also allows a person to mount the very affordable ProMoto Billet spark arrestor end-cap which provides a great spark arrestor solution while providing excellent power characteristics. In addition, the ProMoto Billet Endcap can be fitted with two different ProMoto Billet silent inserts. The first insert uses a deflection technique to direct the sound towards the ground which effectively uses the ground as a sound damper. The second option, the Ultra Silent Insert, provides additional backpressure as well as the deflection technique.
Hailing all the way from Idaho,...
Hailing all the way from Idaho, the ProMoto Billet/ Fastway Performance squad must have spent their entire snowy winter tricking out this bike, because it looks B-A-D!
In addition to the exhaust upgrade, managing the heat transfer to the air-fuel system can provide significant performance benefits. We have all experienced the nice crisp feel of our bikes on a cool morning and the flat feeling on a hot muggy day. We contacted Steven Heye at Heat Shield Products for recommendations on header wrap and air-fuel system insulation products. He sent us out some of his new Lava Header Wrap made with volcanic rock (What else would we have from the high deserts of Idaho?). He also sent us some matting to insulate the fuel tank and air box as well as an insulation sleeve for the fuel line. This will keep our air-fuel charge cool and dense under all conditions. It will also reduce radiant heat transfer to the engine resulting in a slight reduction in engine operating temperature.
To further address heating issues, we added a Boyesen Supercooler water pump. The design of this water pump insures the best coolant flow and reduces the chances of overheating. We also used CV4 silicone one-piece radiator hoses. The one piece silicone hoses eliminate the plastic tee in the radiator lines which is a known weak link. It also allows us to run a higher pressure cap from CV4 to reduce boil-over.
The final power item is the addition of a No-Toil Air Filter and Power-Up kit. This helps the bike breathe and the water based filter treatment makes filter cleaning a breeze.
For tires we all agreed the Dunlop 756 front and rear combination was a great choice. After many years of riding, we all felt these tires provide an excellent combination of durability and traction.