Kawasaki MotoGP Team Races With Off-The-Shelf EK Chains

MotoGP bikes are mostly built up from prototype components that can handle more than 220 horsepower and speeds over 200 mph. So it might be a bit surprising that the Kawasaki Racing Team is using standard, off-the shelf EK Chains on its Ninja ZX-RR bikes in 2005 – the same high performance chains that any privateer racer can buy.

With performance capabilities that far exceed those of any production motorcycle, MotoGP bikes can be incredibly demanding on drivetrain components. “Other manufacturers may build special one-off chains for factory teams,” according to Casey Wada, EK Chain’s sales and marketing director. “EK doesn’t have to. We make every chain with the same quality and precision, regardless of whether it's for a factory race bike or a consumer's bike. The EK 520RXO chains that Kawasaki uses are exactly the same as the ones we sell.” Wada said that the chains fitted to the bikes of Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann have a tensile strength of 8500 pounds and feature EK’s proprietary Quadra-X Ring seals, which he said help reduce friction by as much as 50 percent compared to conventional O-rings.

In pre-season testing, the EK 520RXO chains have more than fulfilled the Kawasaki team’s expectations, easily handling the power of Kawasaki’s latest “big bang” motor without a single chain-related problem. What’s more, Nakano set the fastest lap time during day two of the final pre-season MotoGP test at Jerez, Spain, on March 26.

To learn more about the Kawasaki Racing Team, go to www.kawasaki-eckl.com.