Updates? This looks awesome!
My supercharged K8 project...
The bike pictured above is my bone stock K8. A friend gave me a fantastic deal on this bike last year, and it has just under 2000 miles on the clock. I love this bike for the same reasons everyone does -- incredibly smooth, extremely capable and controllable, great power, and fantastic ergonomics for a supersport machine. The local Dynojet 250i says it puts down 152whp (SAE corrected), which is actually more power than a full-exhaust, PCIII-tuned '04 ZX-10R produced on the same dyno.
Now, normally the next step would be to add an exhaust, change the gearing around, or add some braided lines, and while I'll eventually get to those mods, I have something different in mind right now...
It's a Rotrex C15-60 supercharger, right off the plane from Denmark. This little unit can support over 230whp, and that's the number I'll be shooting for with my little project here. Also, the impeller wheel used to be cast, but these new wheels are apparently machined out of billet.
Before you ask, yes, I am a power junkie. There's just no going back once you've ridden a boosted literbike...
You can see how small it actually is compared to the bike. Somehow, some way, it will fit in there...
After staring at this sight for a couple of days, I realized the only place to put this thing is in-between the engine and the radiator, just below the frame. I'd love to stick it up higher, but the frame would get in the way of the belt (which is a dealbreaker) and the radiator fan would also have to be relocated. Placing it lower eliminates these problems, but makes it much harder to hide the drive behind the fairings and also places the inlet of the Rotrex very close to the header. I also do not want cornering clearance to be compromised at all, so it will be in as far (and up as high) as possible.
If anyone is wondering how I plan on driving this thing, take a look at the picture above. The M10 bolt currently fastened into the end of the crank will be removed and a machined adapter will take its place (this adapter has to locate perfectly off the crankshaft for this to work). A pulley will sit on top of this adapter and then drive the supercharger via an 8mm synchronous belt. The supercharger bracket will either take the place of the stock cast cover or locate off of it -- I'm not exactly sure yet which way to go.
There's a lot of work left to be done, but I'm looking forward to it. I plan on tuning the ECU directly and, of course, it will run on pump gas. In the meantime, wish me luck, and stay tuned...
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4
First off, sorry for the lack of updates -- work has been crazy and this whole project got pushed back by quite a few months. All I've wanted to do is work on this bike, and now I'm finally able to do so again...
Kwaka, you said it right - a whole lot of work. It might be possible to do that (I've seen 1098s set up that way), but the position I have the Rotrex right now really is quite good.
Ok, onto some new stuff. I tested the fuel pump at various voltages and found out that despite being small, that little sucker can really pump some fuel -- in standard configuration it can easily handle 230whp, and with a boost in voltage, 400+ is possible, so no more worrying about fitting a Walbro or different pump housing.
After cutting the teeth, I sent the pulleys out to get hard anodized...
I fabbed up a bracket out of some plexiglass I had laying around and turned up some standoffs to get everything properly spaced and positioned into place. At this point I have the main bracket design pretty much figured out, but I want to make sure everything fits before I start writing any CNC programs. Plexiglass is great for mock-up as it's easy to work with and allows you to see potential issues lurking behind the bracket.
This is about as low profile as I can get make it. An idler will eventually reside between the pulleys on the top belt span.
Definitely going to need some clearance here. I don't know how much of the pulley will end up poking outside the fairing, but one way or another, most of the drive will fit behind the bodywork.
There shouldn't be any issue with ground clearance here. I actually think there's less clearance with the stock cover on the LH side than there is with the supercharger positioned there.
Lots more to come, so stay tuned...
3
I had an extra airbox laying around from my 10R project, so I popped it on the GSXR to check fitment...
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Everything easily fits under the tank, and there is loads of room under the airbox itself (so much, in fact, that I plan on mounting the BOV under there rather than welding a nipple in the intake tubing). I can also fit the Rotrex oil reservoir right next to the airbox.
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Obviously a new throttle body plate will have to be made to match the GSXR's runners, but I'm glad that everything else fits so well. The tubing going from the Rotrex outlet to the airbox inlet should also be a piece of cake to fab up, needing only a few simple bends.
Next up, I can't believe how quickly this part came in, but here's the inlet for the Rotrex:
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It's made out of Alumide using a process called Selective Laser Sintering. It has a very high temp resistance and is quite strong. This part only existed on my computer before it was literally printed into this form. Amazing. I could actually get it made out of stainless or titamium, but the cost is ridiculous.
Anyway, this inlet will allow an oval tube to run right behind the header to the other side of the bike, where cool fresh air will be drawn in. I plan on removing the ram air tube and sticking a filter up in that empty pocket as I hate filters that stick out the side. Everything will be heat wrapped to keep the temps as cool as possible.
Lots of machining still to come.
Everything easily fits under the tank, and there is loads of room under the airbox itself (so much, in fact, that I plan on mounting the BOV under there rather than welding a nipple in the intake tubing). I can also fit the Rotrex oil reservoir right next to the airbox.
Obviously a new throttle body plate will have to be made to match the GSXR's runners, but I'm glad that everything else fits so well. The tubing going from the Rotrex outlet to the airbox inlet should also be a piece of cake to fab up, needing only a few simple bends.
Next up, I can't believe how quickly this part came in, but here's the inlet for the Rotrex:
It's made out of Alumide using a process called Selective Laser Sintering. It has a very high temp resistance and is quite strong. This part only existed on my computer before it was literally printed into this form. Amazing. I could actually get it made out of stainless or titamium, but the cost is ridiculous.
Anyway, this inlet will allow an oval tube to run right behind the header to the other side of the bike, where cool fresh air will be drawn in. I plan on removing the ram air tube and sticking a filter up in that empty pocket as I hate filters that stick out the side. Everything will be heat wrapped to keep the temps as cool as possible.
Lots of machining still to come.
Man i'm so anxious to see the results when your finished!!!:franticI had an extra airbox laying around from my 10R project, so I popped it on the GSXR to check fitment...
![]()
Everything easily fits under the tank, and there is loads of room under the airbox itself (so much, in fact, that I plan on mounting the BOV under there rather than welding a nipple in the intake tubing). I can also fit the Rotrex oil reservoir right next to the airbox.
![]()
Obviously a new throttle body plate will have to be made to match the GSXR's runners, but I'm glad that everything else fits so well. The tubing going from the Rotrex outlet to the airbox inlet should also be a piece of cake to fab up, needing only a few simple bends.
Next up, I can't believe how quickly this part came in, but here's the inlet for the Rotrex:
![]()
It's made out of Alumide using a process called Selective Laser Sintering. It has a very high temp resistance and is quite strong. This part only existed on my computer before it was literally printed into this form. Amazing. I could actually get it made out of stainless or titamium, but the cost is ridiculous.
Anyway, this inlet will allow an oval tube to run right behind the header to the other side of the bike, where cool fresh air will be drawn in. I plan on removing the ram air tube and sticking a filter up in that empty pocket as I hate filters that stick out the side. Everything will be heat wrapped to keep the temps as cool as possible.
Lots of machining still to come.
4
Before I get to the CNC machining, it's time for some good old fashioned lathe work. I needed to make an idler pulley and an adapter for the BOV to interface with the airbox.
First up is the idler. I started with a 2.5" bar of 6061...
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An hour later....
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Next up is the BOV adapter. Another hour (or more) later...
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After parting each blank, I faced the backsides and did a secondary drilling op on the adapter. The idler was designed with hard anodize in mind, so the bore was left .002" larger to properly fit the bearing. Precision pays dividends in the end.
![]()
First up is the idler. I started with a 2.5" bar of 6061...
An hour later....
Next up is the BOV adapter. Another hour (or more) later...
After parting each blank, I faced the backsides and did a secondary drilling op on the adapter. The idler was designed with hard anodize in mind, so the bore was left .002" larger to properly fit the bearing. Precision pays dividends in the end.
yeah buddyBefore I get to the CNC machining, it's time for some good old fashioned lathe work. I needed to make an idler pulley and an adapter for the BOV to interface with the airbox.
First up is the idler. I started with a 2.5" bar of 6061...
![]()
An hour later....
![]()
Next up is the BOV adapter. Another hour (or more) later...
![]()
After parting each blank, I faced the backsides and did a secondary drilling op on the adapter. The idler was designed with hard anodize in mind, so the bore was left .002" larger to properly fit the bearing. Precision pays dividends in the end.
![]()
8
Here's a little guide on CNC machining parts. Most people probably think that all it takes to machine a billet part is a drawing and the push of a button. Ha, I wish. Unless you have access to some expensive CAM software and a 5-axis machine, it's nowhere near that easy.
First you create a drawing. In my case, a 2D drawing of the front and back of the part is required. Then, using those drawings, you create a program that the CNC mill runs on. With the software we have, this means manually creating toolpaths, figuring out cutting depths, and generating code for each individual tool to be used. For this supercharger bracket, a total of 4 programs (front, back, fixture, facing) will have to be created to get to the finished part.
We're not done yet. After ordering material, the blanks have to be cut to the proper length. Then, each blank is squared up and faced (front and back) to the final thickness. The first op is the front side...
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Before the back can be machined, the fixture has to be created. This fixture locates the blanks via 3 pinned locations and will allow the final part to be cut out of the larger material.
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The fixture is clamped in the vises and the blank is bolted to it. After loading up a different set of tools, the backside program is run...
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The part is then unbolted from the fixture, cleaned off, deburred, and voilà:
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The only thing to check now is fitment on the bike. Think it fits?
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Woohoo! All is good. The only thing left to do now is send out the bracket and idler pulley for anodize.
First you create a drawing. In my case, a 2D drawing of the front and back of the part is required. Then, using those drawings, you create a program that the CNC mill runs on. With the software we have, this means manually creating toolpaths, figuring out cutting depths, and generating code for each individual tool to be used. For this supercharger bracket, a total of 4 programs (front, back, fixture, facing) will have to be created to get to the finished part.
We're not done yet. After ordering material, the blanks have to be cut to the proper length. Then, each blank is squared up and faced (front and back) to the final thickness. The first op is the front side...
Before the back can be machined, the fixture has to be created. This fixture locates the blanks via 3 pinned locations and will allow the final part to be cut out of the larger material.
The fixture is clamped in the vises and the blank is bolted to it. After loading up a different set of tools, the backside program is run...
The part is then unbolted from the fixture, cleaned off, deburred, and voilà:
The only thing to check now is fitment on the bike. Think it fits?
Woohoo! All is good. The only thing left to do now is send out the bracket and idler pulley for anodize.
41 - 60 of 193 Posts
