Kawasaki ZX-10R
MSRP: $11,799
Curb Weight: 459 lbs.
Horsepower: 155.85 @ 12,200 rpm
Torque: 72.72 lb-ft @ 9000 rpm
Quarter Mile: 10.05 @ 141.5 mph
Outright Top Speed: 186 mph (limited)
Racetrack Top Speed: 156.72 mph
Superpole Best Lap: 1:56.86
Overall Ranking: 3rd Place
The Green Machine is back for another round and a second shot at the title. Last year saw the Ninja superbike come home a close second, falling victim to a Honda which just plain did everything far too well. Kawasaki may not have made changes to the Ninja ZX-10R, with the exception of a MotoGP-inspired color scheme option, but it’s a new day, at a new track, and there’s no doubt Kawasaki came weapons drawn and ready to go. This track is much faster and longer than last year, which should have helped the monster-motored
The previously mentioned engine of the Kawasaki ZX-10R is the key to the identity of this motorcycle. It’s still the horsepower king and was praised by all on the track. Most noticeable, though, isn’t the outright power, but how the
“The Kawi motor is one of the most fun to ride, it has a very grunty low-end, mid-range and somewhat explosive top-end,” says Sorensen. “This is one of those bikes as you get into the upper gears your mind gets busy with the way the scenery is blurred. I would imagine after some seat time you would get used to the way the Kawi puts down the power but upon the first ride it is a little overwhelming even for skilled rider.”
“Man-oh-man the Ninja rips,” exclaims Kenny. “It hauls ass, it’s the rompin’-stompin’ motor that we all love about open-class bikes. More than a few times I found myself going ‘Holy crap!’ because I didn’t realize I was still going so hot that far into the braking zone.”
Glancing quickly at the dyno graphs one would think the Kawasaki should have dominated in terms of top speed and acceleration. This wasn’t the case though – Max Acceleration coming out of both 6 and 14 was toward the bottom of the pack, which is surprising. That is until you look closer at the dyno graphs. You can see that despite making the highest peak number (155.85 hp), the
Sorensen went fastest on the ZX-10R.
acceleration numbers. Though by the end of the straight the peak power has kicked in and the
Like the engine, the transmission as a whole is another plus for the
with ease into the corner no matter how high in the rpm range, though still giving a slight bit of back torque to the rider, providing a solid feeling of being connected to the asphalt.
Now we know
But it’s still not the most agile of the group, which is highlighted in the data with the second- slowest fickability scoring in the group, some likely due to its slightly heavy 459-lb wet weight. Still, compared to the previous version, no doubt the changes paid off. In our group it received somewhat mixed reviews, though much more positive than negative.
“For me the
One of the better back ends of the bunch, and we're not talking about Chuck's.
“The Kawi turn-in was a little slower in comparison to some of the other bikes, which I don’t think is a bad thing,” Sorensen adds. “In left-to-right transitions it took a bit more effort compared to the other bikes. With the current set-up this bike moved around a little bit more as you would flick it to change direction, but I recorded my fastest lap of the day on the Kawi.”
As for stability, once on its side, the
“I am really comfortable on the ZX and for some reason it feels just good enough to make me want to push it harder,” Hutchison remarks. “The
Where