On The Dyno: Presented by OEM.DIGITAL Pty Ltd
Ex-Pro Motorcycle Drag Racer Todd Moore (IDBA, NHRA, Prostar and AMA Dragbike) knows what it takes to make a big Kawasaki go fast. So when he bolted a Hand Held Dyno Ignition onto his classic street drag bike and took it to the dyno, he wasn’t chasing hype – he was chasing horsepower.
The bike is a 1977 Kawasaki KZ1000 A 1, stretched and sharpened for old-school quarter-mile duty: 1105cc engine, Mikuni Smoothbore carbs and an open Murray exhaust. It’s a proven combination, but Moore was looking for a modern edge to push it that little bit further.
The ignition first caught his eye on looks alone. The gold anodized billet aluminium unit matched the other premium hardware on the bike, but it was the brains behind the beauty that really hooked him: a built-in tuning and diagnostic app, and published dyno results from other riders that suggested there was real power on the table.
For the test, Moore turned to Black Cat Motorsports in Clearwater, Florida, where Mike and Sandy Marsh bring more than 40 years of top-tier drag bike experience. They spent the day doing things the traditional way – fettling the KZ on the dyno, ironing out small issues, then chasing maximum horsepower with jetting and ignition tweaks. Pull after pull, the bike settled at a rock-solid 97 HP. No matter what they tried, it refused to go higher.
Then the Hand Held Dyno® ignition went on. Same bike, same dyno, same day. With the new ignition fitted, the Kawasaki finally cracked the barrier and pushed just over 100 HP in a true back-to-back comparison. As Mike put it, after being stuck 3 HP short of 100 all day, “to bolt something on and immediately find 3 HP – that’s impressive.”
Moore was equally impressed by what the smartphone app brought to the table…
“It’s a very useful tool. It definitely paid off in telling us a lot about the bike. The app has a race tacho with shift lights which is fun to use and reads voltage as well, which was helpful for diagnosing battery issues we had. You also use it to change between the 9 pre-programmed ignition maps, wirelessly, which can be done while the engine is running. This is very useful when operating
a dyno.”
Just look at what people are saying about the OEM Digital Hand Held Dyno….
“It’s the best system I’ve come across in 50 years of doing this.”
– Mike Pacella, Atlanta Motorcycle Works – gained 6.6HP on a Kawasaki Z1000.
“It’s the cheapest and easiest way to add instant horsepower.”
– Dudley Lister, IoM and 500cc Grand Prix Mechanic – gained 12.9HP on a Suzuki 1100 Katana.
Prices for the OEM.Digital Hand Held Dyno® system start @ AUD$1,295 + GST/VAT/ETC – includes Smartphone App with Tachometer, GPS speed and nine selectable ignition maps, all available via your mobile phone.
For enquiries contact Michael Arnott Mb: 0409 049 179, email: mike@oem.digital or visit their website at OEM.DIGITAL
