2WF.com - Online and on the Gas - 2006 Kawasaki ZX10R

2006 Kawasaki ZX10R

Monday, 21 August 2006

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The motor is all new - top to bottom. The emphasis was placed on better power delivery, same retina stretching horsepower but with a more linear delivery. They key to a throttle friendly bike is seamless fuel injection - this 10R motor is fed by throttle bodies with dual valves. This fuel atomisation boosts power delivery and at the same time contributes to a step-free torque curve. More power means bigger breaths, the ram air system has been modified too, with a bigger airbox feeding those above mentioned 43mm throttle bodies. I could bore you witless and tell you about the hi-tech flow analysis for the cylinder filling, its Ti exhaust valves with single oval section springs, the forged pistons, lightweight billet SCM420K steel cams with soft-nitriding surface treatment for long wear and high RPM reliability and the reduced friction with less mechanical noise, but I won't. Before I forget though, the engine layout has been further adjusted with a higher mounting position and a relocated generator and starter mechanism.

Did you know that the ZX10R puts out the
same torque in the first three gears as
Mr. Nakano's MotoGP bike? Me neither...

All that motor is fine by me and the new chassis dynamics match all that oomph. The chassis was reconfigured to solely reduce lap times, not to be a lazy grocery getter. On the Kawasaki shopping list was a longer swinger for improved traction, amazingly this is a shorter unit from pivot to rear axle. The front pivot is lower and the rear axle slightly higher. The higher CG of the bike contributes to better rear wheel traction with the additional advantage of holding a higher profile tire. The rear swingarm is a looker too, with a very tactile design that uses casting around the pivot areas and pressings for the actual arm itself. The rear tire sizing is now a 190/55-17 verses last years 50 series.

Stability was promised and delivered by the Kwak staff with a totally new frame that offered a revised steering geometry. The steering head has been moved forward some 15mmm. The effect, combined with that shorter swingarm, is less weight on the front and a better feel on the rear tire's state of mind. So let's recap - higher CG + revised steering geometry + less weight on front tire + lower swingarm pivot + higher rear tire = more time at full throttle. Fook me, I'm feeling faster already

Tire-wise, the ZX's will come with the greatest street tire in existence, the new Dunlop Qualifier. This tire differs a little from the Las Vegas one's we tested last month, it's a little harder compound, as requested by Kawasaki's technical department, to help with street longevity. The only downside is that it pushes terribly until it's thoroughly warmed up - we were doing 3-4 laps before we were pushing hard and I must admit I was chomping at the bit to get going during those 3-4 laps, but safety first. The Q's that you'll buy as a replacement will be the super stickies that we tried at the intro and I'll gladly trade some of that longevity for grip, so should you, really.

With a very tall first gear it was very apparent how good the fuel injection was on the ZX. The CA speedway had a couple of pretty slow corners - slow corners and tall first gears? Welcome to highside village Mr. Emery, you're the idiot. To be honest, I never had a spin up that threatened to eject my royal British bum from the comfy confines of my little solar yellow 10R flier. Sure angry throttle inputs will see a spin up on street tires but what do you expect from a 160BHP + two wheeler? No such problems on the full Dunlop race tires, the smooth transition from off throttle to full on press GP mode, I never had a slip or slide at all, but then I have been told before that I ride like I don't like the wind blowing up my skirt.

Either way, the stability of the ZX was quite outstanding, the CA straightaway saw 180mph on the clock on Qualifiers and only 4mph more with race tires (I know, more wind blowing up my skirt). Best not look at that new speedometer too long though because banging down (gobless the slipper clutch) two gears before snapping it over for turn one (that's the left-right-left combo) in quick succession soon grabbed your attention. The beefy 43mmm forks up front and the rear shock both have top-out springs to regulate suspension elongation after heavy braking and to keep all things stable when getting on the gas again. The upcoming sweeping double left on the track illustrated the bike's stability nicely - with aggressive acceleration after your initial entry into the infield portion, you could bang down two gears with minimal clutch input, letting the slipper do its little dance before tipping it into a big double apex arc, followed by as much throttle as you dared for the next tight left/right combo. All good stuff.

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