Engineered for Victory: KAWASAKI Z900RS Custom by ARCHI & YSS

ARCHI & YSS' Z900RS

The Taste of Tsukuba (TOT) “Street Fighter" class was newly established with the concept of breathing new life into the race with high-spec street and neo-classic style machines made with modern technology. For this class, the scope of modifications is restricted. To put it simply, the power system can be modified by changing the exhaust and adding a performance chip, and the frame can be reinforced without changing the basic structure.

In this Street Fighter class, which was held for the first time on May 14, 2022 at the TOT SATSUKI STAGE, #51 Shinji Tanaka took pole position in the qualifying race under wet conditions with a time of 1 minute 9.582 seconds. In the finals, in which the track was dry, he kept the lead from the start and set a record of 1 minute 4.439 seconds to win the race. This machine is the "YSS ARCHI Racing with AGAIN Z900RS CAFE" that he rode to victory. As you can probably tell from the naming, the team's parent organization is PMC, the company that runs the ARCHI and YSS brands. Mr. Shimizu, who is in charge of the ARCHI brand, explains the background behind their participation in this race as follows.

"One goal we had was to promote brand awareness. We wanted to promote both the ARCHI brand, which offers parts for current bikes, and YSS suspensions, which offer ample performance. So when we heard that a new class would be added to the TOT, we decided to enter it. Another reason was the significance of participating in the new class. As a parts developer, I thought it would be very significant. There were only a few days between the decision and the race, but since we were going to participate, we decided to aim as high as possible and try to reach the top! We decided to go for it, so we asked for the cooperation of AGAIN, a shop with a lot of experience in this type of race," says Shimizu.

The machine was converted from a street-use demo bike, and was built in a short period of time, starting about 2 weeks before the main race. Even though there are restrictions on modifications, it takes a lot of preparation to turn a production bike base into a racing machine. While keeping the race restrictions in mind, the exterior was designed for the race, and preliminary tests were conducted. Although the steps were modified to secure the bank angle during the race, the billet honeycomb subframe can be installed as is with the engine sliders, a stock Z900RS accessory, and each part seems to have been effective in both practical and visual aspects.

"I think we were able to ride well and show off our brand in this new class. I hope this will spur some people to try out YSS suspensions and see how good they are for themselves. I think it was also a good opportunity for ARCHI to think about new products for the future,” said Shimizu.

The success of this bike in the new class of the TOT, which has attracted the attention of many street custom fans, has surely increased the appeal of the YSS and ARCHI brands, as was the original goal of the project. We look forward to seeing more Z900RS demo bikes, including this one, as they appear with the company's new parts developed in the future.

Handle

The front master cylinder is a GALE SPEED VRC and the clutch lever is by SNIPER. The bikini cowl is an ARCHI Gill Cowl.

The steering stem is Z900RS stock with a machined aluminum ARCHI Stem Top Cap Cover. The carbon meter covers are also by ARCHI.

Bodyworks

ARCHI D.B.I. (Double Bubble Intake) side covers are equipped and the exterior is done in original colors with the YSS and ARCHI logos.

Engine

The engine remains stock, but shift rod retainers to ensure proper shift operation, a billet honeycomb sprocket cover, and other parts have been added. To secure the bank angle, the frame was cut near the side stand and an ARCHI Billet Honeycomb Subframe was installed. The engine sliders, a stock accessory, could also still be installed despite the modifications. The radiator is equipped with a hex core protector.

Intake & Exhaust

The slash-cut megaphone exhaust is a prototype of ARCHI's LOUDEX Exhaust. The company plans to develop it for street/race use in the future.

Chassis

The wheels and brake calipers are stock, and the discs have been replaced with SUNSTAR WORKS EXPAND for both front and rear.

The rear shock is a YSS MS456 with HPA. The steps are ARCHI Billet Honeycomb, but they have been modified to secure the bank angle for racing.

Gallery

Specifications

Original Source of this Article

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