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Kawasaki ZX10R Launch
by john ivy
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
AT THE TRACK
With military aircraft streaking overhead from nearby Homestead Air Base, we arrived at the speedway to find a row of 12 pilot-production ZX-10R machines waiting. Three of each color: blue, back, and lime green bearing ending serial numbers from 54 to 126. We were scheduled to rotate through each of the bikes at thirty minute intervals. We were advised that pre-scrubbed Dunlop 208GP race rubber would be the tire de-jour.
Sitting on the ZX-10R for the first time, all the earlier mention of the 600 class size of this liter-bike starts to settle in. It's small. It looks low, it feels thin and diminutive, especially through the mid-section. The frame spars blend into the tank and the riders legs have a perfect interface. At a 6'1" height, even I was able to feel downright cozy, after getting the levers quickly adjusted downward an inch or so.
Homestead Speedway is a somewhat typical road course within a speedway oval. The 14 turn road course uses the front and back straight-aways on the oval, then dumps into the 10-turn infield with two infield straight-aways and nearly flat corners. Not a hard track to learn and fun to ride, the only detraction being that the track would not really offer the ZX-10R a fair chance to fully stretch its legs. A modern liter bike pegging out in fifth and sixth gears gives off that special feeling not to be had anywhere else. So for the ZX-10R, 4th gear was as far as we would get in the close-ratio 6-speed box.
First subject has to be the brakes. They have the potential to have the rider removing pieces of the dash from his teeth if abused. With the brakes at operating temperatures, snaking through the pit-out lane and giving what would be considered a 'normal' squeeze on the lever constantly served as a reminder to re-calibrate the fingers. These radial mounted 4-piston calipers are the most powerful brakes I have ever encountered, period, and can make for some amazing late braking heroics. Attributable to the petal-discs, the calipers, the brake pad compound or the radial mounting, it's hard to say, but once you get used to the braking power available it is a wonderful thing to behold. More than a few times I observed the rear wheel of a ZX-10R in the air on a hot corner entrance.
The focus Kawasaki paid on the chassis and the importance placed on handling capabilities shines through with the 2004 ZX-10R. With a rack of twelve ZX-10Rs to work my way through I expected some minor variations in handling but all displayed perfect composure. Not only was I not limited in any way by chassis gremlins, the ZX-10R gave me increasing confidence and offered up the means to pull any type of line-changing shenanigans I was bold enough to endeavor. I found myself sitting forward, hugging the tank with knees pulled in tight, my elbows totally outside my knees. Exploring other seating positions, I was amazed at how far back in the saddle I could move, almost too much room. The ZX-10R is easily tossed around, totally chuckable, and feels small under the rider, nothing like riding a GSX-R1000 whatsoever.
The front end also gets high praise, with the stout 43mm suspenders and 102mm of trail combining to deliver that 'grab the front axle' feel that is far more reminiscent of ZX-7R sportbikes than any 600 class front end. Even while being slammed onto and off of the banking and coping with the tremendous braking forces scrubbing down into a first gear hair-pin, the ZX-10R front end never exhibited excessive dive, bounce, packing down or harshness. The top-out springs apparently allowing for moderate damping rates and a plush, smooth and competent front suspension. If you are a rider that needs 100 percent confidence in the front to do the business, the ZX-10R is waiting for you.
The growl from the 998cc ZX-10R provides the initial clue that, although small, you are in liter bike territory. It fires up with a sufficiently nasty rasp, and if this motor sounds even remotely like a sewing machine, I'll eat my hard drive. After a couple of sighting laps behind Kawasaki's Japanese test rider, I started to gas it up a bit. Run first gear up to redline and it's good for 105 m.p.h or so, surprisingly. Throttle into a second gear wheelie and you are mono-ing across the ton in a blink of an eye. Coming off of a first gear hair-pin that leads to the back banking, under hard acceleration the ZX-10R digs in and finds amazing traction, the bike squirming slightly as it is fired up the banking. Railing through this corner again and again, you start to realize the dynamics playing out. In first gear, the ZX-10R throws down an incredible percentage of its' claimed 185 at-speed horsepower. The long swingarm reduces the leverage effect of the motor, the rear suspension takes a set and the rear tire starts spinning up, the sidewalls bend a little, but the chassis stays in line with where its pointed. As the power continues to come on, the rear swingarm's engineered lateral flex is called upon. All you feel is a slight squirm as the ZX-10R paints black stripes for several hundred feet, over and over. The rear end does not want to kick out, the ZX-10R stays put, hooks up and howls up to the 12,500 redline in a dramatic but controlled display. The speed at which the motor is willing to rev is impressive, I have never bounced a liter-bike off the rev-limiter as often as on this ZX-10R. The claimed power peak occurs at 11,700 r.p.m. and the thankfully soft rev-limited kicks in near 12,500 rpm. The dash has a small yellow shift light, said to be adjustable, which was mildly distracting for me because it was nearly always on. The step-less power curve is a bit deceptive, and the ZX-10R feels to be missing the midrange punch found on the GSX-R1000. Examining overlaid dyno charts showing ZX-10R power curves before and after fitment of exhaust cross-over tubes and butterfly valve you can see there was a mid-range hit to the power curve and the modifications fill in the curve before the mid-range spike, achieving a near seam-less delivery of power up to the 11,700 peak where Kawasaki is claiming a substantial 185 horsepower at speed with Ram-air assist. Nothing short of side-by side comparisons is going to establish who will come out with the horsepower crown in the 2004 1000cc sportbike arena, but the Kawasaki has the aerodynamics and the power potential to be a most serious contender. The front straight on the banking yielded the highest speeds of the day: an indicated 155 mph, near redline in fourth gear. The other three straights had me tapping 145 mph prior to clamping on the binders. The ZX-10Rs second, third and fourth gear ratios hurled the Kawasaki down the tarmac impressively, using effectively half of its' available gearbox. The ZX-10R slipper clutch is a fantastic piece. I could consistently downshift into first or second gear at the end of the straight-aways and dump the clutch. No fancy, Tom Kipp inspired matching of engine revs required, just choose your gear and simply dump the clutch. The back-torque limiter catches the engine braking and rear wheel hop or chatter is non-existent. Downshifts could also be made without use of the hand clutch, just blip the throttle and downshift. Gotta love the ability of a good slipper clutch to have these issues totally covered and it helps make the ZX-10R easy to ride.
One issue on the ZX-10R that was not totally covered, was a nagging problem with the third to fourth gear up shift. Straight out of the gate, after the first track session I commented to the Kawasaki technicians that under hard acceleration and near redline up-shifts, occasionally I would have to make two or three attempts before it would allow the third to fourth gear shift to engage. As the bikes were rotated and the gearboxes racked up miles, the shifting seemed to improve some, but in nearly every session, it would happen at least once. On the lunch break, thicker external linkage rods were installed, production pieces that replaced the thinner ones on the test bikes. I had been training myself to make a slow, deliberate 3-4 shift and close the throttle more than I might otherwise, and things improved but the problem was apparent to everyone and openly discussed. Flipping the shift pattern to race style with up shifts being down on the lever would have been another good move, with the increased engagement force available. In any case, on day two of the test (which was a rain-out after ten laps) when I asked Karl Edmondson if these ZX-10Rs were production units, he responded that they were pilot-production bikes but that obviously Kawasaki was going to address the shifting concern prior to the production run. The suspect is likely the internal shift fork and shift drum engagement, with possible flex of the fork under loads preventing immediate engagement. Press introductions of a new model with hoards of journalists racking up miles with all types of riding occurring is the last stage of testing on a new model machine and it is good for Kawasaki that this issue was caught.
After circulating around Homestead Speedway for upwards of 150 laps on the ZX-10R, I'm left with a real appreciation for the new Kawasaki model. The poise and confidence under track conditions. The integration of ideal chassis design into an amazingly small and nimble package that redefines what a liter-bike can be. The user friendly way the ZX-10R welcomes you into the saddle. So many things feel just right with the Kawasaki. In conclusion, The ZX-10R is shorter than its' ZX-6R cousin, presents a smaller frontal area and out-weighs the 600 by only 5.5 percent. That extra 9 kgs is pure muscle, and the ZX-10R puts out an extra 56 horsepower over the ZX-6R to more than compensate. It's a supremely balanced package with a superb front end, absolutely killer front brakes and all the ancillary goodies needed to walk the walk. The styling is cutting edge and already a consumer hit, the engine performance should be capable of posting some incredible numbers. We anxiously await the chance to test fifth and sixth gears, please! The 2004 ZX-10R will become available by early February 2004 and your choice of Lime Green, Candy Thunder Blue, Metallic Spark Black or Pearl Blazing Orange with a MSRP or $10,999.
ENDS
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