11:1 compression you REALLY need to be running race gas (110 octane). I my previous SxS had a built 11:1 compression motor and while it would run ok on 93 octane pump gas it showed a REAL loss in power doing so. On 110 it really woke it up. Now while i love the smell of race fuel burning and wish they made cologne scented that way LOL....at ~$8 per gallon at the pump and $10-15 per gallon in the 5 gal cans at your local bike shops it makes running them MUCH more expensive. Your talking a minimum of 4x the price of just fuel. On top of that when you travel with it you HAVE to carry fuel with you or risk ruining your motor. Or at least race gas mix in the small bottles and that still ends up costing you about $12 per gallon. I agree that the clutching can be overcome BUT also it would be REALLY nice to have a dealer backing you up on this and at least sell you parts you break while sorting out all the problems at cost. When you start shredding belts at ~$150 each and wet clutches at ~200 (im guessing prices and dont know the actual on these machines) it gets expensive. To top that off you may go through 2 or 3 of each before you figure it out fully.
I guess my point is that its not just "toss in bigger bore parts and your good to go" 99% of the time when you up the HP like that then you will have to upgrade other parts to hold it together. Axles seems strong in these and thats good. Guys are running 30's and not blowing them apart so i think they would hold the HP because 30's vs 26's %wise is about the same % of HP you are going to go up. I think the real work would need done with the clutching. I am friends (and have stayed at his house several times) with James Davis the guy who owns JBS performance. He does A LOT of Yamaha clutches and Kawasaki. There isnt a massive difference in them either so if it comes to it I will drive out to WV and he and I will work on the clutching on the CF Moto.
Considering the new 1000 used the exact same chassis and drive train as the current Z8, it seems drive line upgrading isn't necessary.
I believe the old Rhino 660s were 11:1 (or close to) compression and called for 91.
I was told by Hendershot performance in Ohio it couldn't be done.
BUT now I'm curious about what the new 1k is. Is this a modified Z8 block, or is it "based" on the Z8 block. Modified would mean us Z8 owners could just by the cylinders, pistons, and head assemblies and convert to a 1k. Otherwise we are back to a no go on any sort of "big bore" kit