Firts Drive The New Kawasaki-ZX10R

The engineers at Kawasaki have to get a lot of credit for creativity for the 2008 version. To meet stricter noise regulations, Kawasaki looked inside the motor and quieted down the motor rather than doing more extensive work on the exhaust, thus leaving the exhaust more free-flowing! Smart. Kawasaki claims this results is a gain of power! The ZX-14 has also become greener by adding a third catalyzer therefore reducing emissions and meeting ever-growing emission control regulations.

Not to forget that the engine isn't the only thing going for it, let's get to the frame. The ZX-14's aluminum sections of its frame has been produced using gravity casting in previous years, but it is now being die-casted to produce a lighter frame. It's monocoque design is a light and very strong frame.

Firts Drive The New Kawasaki-ZX10R


Firts Drive The New Kawasaki-ZX10R



Firts Drive The New Kawasaki-ZX10R

The Kawasaki ZX-10R needs hardly any tweaking for it to work straight away. That's why it's such an unstable, scary monster on the road when you accelerate over bumps at speed. But on a straights, and is faster than the Ri. But compared to the Yamaha you have to wait too long for the power to chime in when you get on the throttle, so it feels slower coming off a corner. Taking the corner in a lower gear won't catch the R1, either - the lower gear slows you down too much going into and through the corner.

VERDICT: This is a spectacular track machine straight out of the crate - and ironically it's less scary on the circuit than on the road. It's devilishly quick, but not quick enough to challenge the Yamaha R1. Stick a cross plane crank in the Kawasaki ZX-10R, change its firing intervals and Yamaha will have a fight on its hands