Building a Timing Retarder Eliminator
…a.k.a. a Trivial Resistor Enhancement.
One of the main points of criticism heard most about the Kawasaki ZZR 1400 (or ZX-14 Ninja, as it is called in the USA), is the relatively low amount of torque at low engine speeds (3000-5000 rpm) in gears 1-4. The reason for this is that Kawasaki took some measures to keep the bike easy to handle, and not have it wheely all the time.
There is a quite simple thing you can do to boost the torque a little: install a “TRE”. A TRE, or “Timing Retarder Eliminator”, as it was called by its inventor, is a simple device that makes the ECU of the bike think it is in 6th gear all the time, allowing for faster throttle opening rates in lower gears, resulting in a 15 Nm torque increase at 3500-5000 rpm.
An original TRE from Ivan costs USD 70.00. The device, however, is nothing more than a 270 Ohm resistor in a strong casing, with the necessary connectors for easy mounting. The cost of the different parts should not be more than a few Dollars or Euros, so it might pay off to build a TRE yourself.
For the fearless among you, I have written some instructions (in Dutch) on building and installing a DIY-TRE. Available for download right here.
) may have noticed that on October 1st, I posted a small update to the previous article about the “mileage” of my old Suzuki (99880 at the time).
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I will definately try and arrange a test drive some time soon!