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Turbo Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R Bursting in Flames at 400 KM/H Looks Sick

This video is a glorious testimony of how important using high-spec components is when becoming involved in any type of racing. Whether it's endurance or sheer straight line speed, almost each part of a bike has to withstand stress that's many times more intense than what normal usage involves.
Fire aboard a ZX-14R doing 400 km/h 1 photo
Photo: Youtube capture
Manufacturers of racing-grade components know that their products must exceed the rigors of normal use tenfold (and sometimes more). The safety of the racers depends on those parts doing their job, regardless of whether we're talking about chains, hoses, fairings, tires and whatnot. Stamping "race-grade" on them is serious business, and so much more than advertising.

Speed, failure or GoPro win?

Now, it's rather difficult to decide what's the most interesting thing in the video below. On one hand, we've got a turbocharged Kawasaki ZX-14R Ninja that does 400 km/h (just under 247 mph) on a runway in Finland during an official speed event.

The speed itself is crazy enough to scare many riders just by making them watch the video, but contemplating a component failure at 400 km/h is even scarier. Luckily, it was only an oil return line that ruptured, and not a drivetrain or suspension element that broke down.

Having a seized engine or a suspension/wheel malfunction at such speed could have led to a crash with dramatic consequences. Still, the ruptured oil line itself is not a thing to be taken lightly, as burning oil sprayed on a rider is not exactly the safest way to spend the afternoon. Watch some WWII flamethrower footage and you'll get the point.

In the end, as the rider managed to stop the bike and bail, it's amazing to see that the SD card inside the GoPro camera made it safely. If you watch the second half of the video, you'll see how the blaze spreads and melts the windscreen, then engulfs the bike.

As the incident took place further down the strip, it took rescue teams some time to get there, and put out the fire. The GoPro met its maker, so to speak, but the card inside made it to tell the story.

All in all, despite the unfortunate end of the ride, we'd still call this a win, mostly because the rider was unscathed and the SD remained intact so we could watch what a fire aboard a motorcycle doing 400 km/h looks like.

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