Yesterday’s offline browsing led to a short piece in Cycle World about Bill Werner, the top tuner for Grand National champions, who built a Kawasaki Ninja 650 based flat tracker. That reminded me of a comment here on The Kneeslider and after doing some digging I found it along with a link to a photo. (Shown above)
Remember the story about motocross bikes converted to road race bikes for an entry level class? This idea does a similar cross purpose conversion by taking a street sportbike, a Kawasaki Ninja 650 twin, and making a flat track racer.
The AMA has a new class, Basic Expert Twins for rookies moving up from 450s so they don’t have to run the main event with the high dollar pros. The class allows restricted XR750s and restricted Aprilia and Suzuki 1000s and the like to run against the production based 650s. Bill Werner took an old Ninja bought on eBay, swapped the fork and swingarm with flat track pieces along with 19 inch wheels and a Kawasaki road racing tail section. He got a local expert, Jesse Janisch, for riding duties and went to Monticello, New York.
Kenny Coolbeth won the main event on an unrestricted Harley Davidson XR with a fastest lap of 24.23 seconds on the half mile track. In the Basic Expert Twins race, Janisch placed third behind 2 restricted XRs, while turning in a best time of 24.36 seconds on his 650. Notice those numbers? The new class is running as fast as the big boys and the 650 Ninja with all of the modifications any racer could duplicate will run about $6,000 total for the bike and conversion. A competitive XR is at least $20,000. Very cool!
Repurposed bikes like this really expand the opportunities for racers to begin on a lower budget. It also shows what a little creative thinking can do, taking bikes designed for one environment, completely changing their appearance and capabilities and coming up with a winner. Looks like flat track racing just opened up to a lot more racers.
Photo: AMAFlatTrack.com
Related: BMW Flat Track Racer
Phoebe says
I don’t know anything about flat track racing, but that bike looks really cool!
Ride says
I have the honor of knowing 5 time AMA championship engine builder Russ Fletcher. He lives here in my home town of Vancouver WA. He builds all sorts of flat trackers for a local dealer that LOVES flattracking and has more money that god. They built several versions of this bike for that with good success. His are highly modified motor wise but it is a cool engine to start with. I love going over to his shops and peeping the RMZ450 based flatrackers, Husabergs and Beta SM’s that are built to the hilt, and all the other cool stuff they are into.
guitargeek says
I’m all for anything that’ll make racing more affordable for the average rider.
Jeff C says
I also don’t know much about flat track racing, but is it fair to say this bike can ‘run with the big boys’ when earlier it mentioned that those big boys are restricted? Are these bikes also restricted in the ‘high-dollar pro’ class?
(I’m honestly curious, not trying to offend)
kneeslider says
The restricted bikes are the ones running with the Basic Expert Twins class. Kenny Coolbeth’s best time cited above was when he was running unrestricted. Those were 2 different races, one the pros, one the Basic Expert. Times were almost identical.
aaron says
must be a 180 degree crank firing both cylinders in the same revolution. I can’t see any other way it would hook up well.
hoyt says
Kawasaki should consider a style re-do for the Ninja (or add models based on this platform). The hard parts are there for a stylish bike, but the stock Ninja’s fairing and tidbits don’t cut it.
The above dirt tracker is a brilliant application of this platform….and the time shows. Cool deal. (don’t like the waspy tail section tho’)
todd says
I could imagine the entry cost being less than $6000. Really, what modifications do you do to a bike to make it a flat tracker? Remove the front brake and add motocross bars? A standard SV650 would also be a great (and less expensive) candidate.
-todd
willie schmitz says
Great conversion to a flat tracker. Plenty of potential with this bike.
Kneeslider, here’s a web site that is worth watching for flat trackers (bikes).
http://www.vft.org/vftforsale2.html
ROHORN says
Are 650 Ninjas and SV650s the new UJM? The same engine & chassis used for Moto-ST and flat track?
That’s cool in my book.
OMMAG says
Just put a front brake on and it’s a TT bike.
For you young guys that’s kind of like Super Moto … picture flat trackers going over big whoops and making a couple right hand turns…..
zipidachimp says
bill werner for prez!
Ride says
It sure is not as simple as bolting handlebars on. The chassis setup is VERY important to being competitive. If you look at that bike the swingarm, suspension, bars, forks, probably the triple clamp, wheels, tires, footpeg brackets, chain / sprockets, exhaust… are all changed / modified. There is no easy route to competitive racing unless it is a stock class.
Jeff says
Sweet setup .