Kawasaki ZX-10R

Features

Four-Cylinder, DOHC 998 cc / 60.9 cu-incc Engine
- Very compact, narrow and lightweight design
- One-piece upper crankcase and cylinder casting saves weight and offers increased rigidity
- Oil is routed through channels milled into the cases on various parts of the engine, eliminating oil lines and saving weight
- Stacked triangular layout of crank axis, input shaft and output shaft reduces engine length and lowers the center of gravity
- Lightweight crankshaft maintains the same inertial moment as heavier design but saves about two pounds
- Low friction oil pump reduction ratio
- Water pump uses the same type impeller as the ZX-14 with pump rpm optimized for less friction
- Lightweight Denso radiator with tightly packed cores
- Specially designed internal fins on the liquid-cooled, aluminum oil cooler for highefficiency heat dissipation

Cylinder head
- Intake ports, exhaust ports and combustion chambers designed for optimum flow efficiency and top-end power
- Exhaust ports are narrower at the midpoint and larger at the opening to promote higher exhaust velocity
- 24.5mm diameter exhaust valves
- Lift profiles of the cam lobes are designed to deliver more power at high rpm and make it easier to tune the engine for racing

Fuel Injection
- Secondary fuel injectors improve top-end power output and power characteristics
- Oval cross-sectioned throttle bodies allow more precise throttle control and response
- Compact flat-type fuel pump takes up less fuel tank space 

Air intake
- Ram air intake duct shaped for lower intake noise and higher intake efficiency
- Larger airbox offers accessibility and ease of maintenance

KIMS Ignition
- Kawasaki Ignition Management System (KIMS) helps curtail sudden spikes in engine speed, enhancing the rider’s control of power delivery
- Designed not to interfere with the rider’s inputs, the complex ECU program remains passive, unless the change in engine speed exceeds the predicted response for the given parameters, the KIMS will not engage
- Monitors engine speed, throttle position, vehicle speed, gear position, FI input data (feedback from intake air temperature, intake air pressure, engine temperature and O2 sensors), and rate of RPM change, then adjusts ignition timing to help regulate power delivery
- Only possible to adjust the parameters with an accessory racing (circuit-use only) kit installed

Exhaust system
- Features a pre-chamber under the engine to reduce exhaust noise, and minimize silencer volume
- Palladium catalyzer helps the ZX-10R to meet strict Euro-III exhaust emissions standards
- Single orthogonal, titanium silencer, along with the pre-chamber, lowers the bike’s center of gravity and improves exhaust efficiency

 Six-Speed Transmission
- Gear ratios suit the power characteristics for ideal power delivery in the low and high-rpm ranges
- Final reduction ratio of 17/41 intensifies the acceleration
- Features an adjustable back-torque limiting clutch

Chassis
- Unique twin-spar frame features an optimized stiffness balance through a mixture of materials, shapes and thicknesses, which alleviate critical stress concentrations
- Ribbing on the interior of the pivot plate where it joins the frame’s upper cross member slightly slows down the frame feedback for a more accurate feel
- Swingarm pivot located to aid with the front-rear weight balance
- Lightweight, two-piece, aluminum die-cast sub-frame is mounted to the frame’s upper cross member, so rear suspension feedback is transmitted more directly to the rider
- Narrow sub-frame layout contributes to the compact and slim rear of the bike

Swingarm
- Pressed beam swingarm delivers a level of feel and feedback unobtainable with a cast swingarm
- Swingarm features a top-mounted brace that contributes to the superb high-speed stability of the chassis

Suspension
- DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) fork tube coating on the fully adjustable 43mm inverted fork improves fork action with less friction, smoother action and better road holding
- Bottom mounted springs completely submerged in oil for reduced frothing and improved damping performance, fork action and road-following ability
- Fully adjustable shock features dual (low- and high-speed) compression damping, providing the fine-tuning needed for racing

Race-quality steering damper
- Adjustable Öhlins steering damper with relief valve and twin-tube design, developed specifically for the Ninja ZX-10R is fitted as standard equipment to ensure stable damping performance even under racing conditions

Brakes
- Tokico radial mount brake calipers fitted with dual pads for superb initial bite, increased control and a progressive feel
- 5.5mm thick 310mm petal discs provide the heat dispersion needed to maintain brake feel and responsiveness during extended periods of heavy use
- 220mm rear petal disc is gripped by a single-piston caliper

Wheels
- Squeeze-cast wheels offer more precise dimensions with less wall thickness and weight yet are stiffer than the gravity-cast units

Ergonomics
- Rear frame, tank and seat offer high levels of contact with the bike and provide the rider very accurate feedback regarding chassis performance and road surface
- Flared fuel tank top makes it easier for riders to rest the inside of their arm on the tank when leaning into a turn
- Narrow in the front and shorter, front to back, for a slimmer riding position, the seat offers a shorter reach to the pavement and excellent feedback from the chassis
- A special rib on the end of throttle tube, under the rubber, improves grip and feel

Aerodynamic Bodywork
- Top of the front cowl has a slight step at the front to reduce wind blast on the rider’s shoulders and generate a laminar flow around the rider’s helmet for less turbulence at higher speeds
- Front fender aids cooling efficiency by directing air toward the radiator
- Recess on the top of the fuel tank accommodates the helmet’s chin, so it’s easier to tuck in behind the windscreen
- High mounting position of mirrors, with integrated turn signals, provides excellent rearward visibility and helps to minimize damage if the bike falls over
- Flush-surface of the tail’s underside reduces turbulence at the rear of the bike and ensures laminar airflow around the seat
- Larger rear inner fender keeps the bike cleaner and allows the mud flap to be smaller and less obtrusive, further improving aerodynamic qualities around the rear of the machine
- The mirrors, license plate holder and rear turn signals are easily removable for track day prep
- LED tail light makes the bike more visible to drivers and provides the final styling flourish to the evocative Ninja design
 
Advanced Electronic Instrumentation
- Instrument cluster uses UV-blocking glass, so the LED displays are brighter and easier to read
- Multifunction odometer, tripmeter, clock and lap timer/stopwatch

Review

Having a 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R in your garage is like owning a personal Formula 1 car. You know, zero-to-60 mph in two-something seconds, the quarter-mile in nine-and-a-bit seconds at about 150 mph, and highway acceleration that will suck the wipers off a Mack truck. (

More than adequate power is what literbikes are all about, and the continuing search over time for performance that can be deployed in the various international race formats isn't slowing the machines down-even with tightening noise and emissions regulations doing their worst. So you'd expect a hardening of the categories here, with bikes that give up more and more creature comfort and practicality as the quest for class-leading performance continues.

It's no surprise then, that this 2008 model is compact in size and mass, with any component larger than a gnat pared down to its smallest practical extent. The fairing is skeletal, no, vestigial, in size and design. In fact, the term full fairing doesn't really describe these things anymore. They have become the thong bikinis of the biker world, with mere slivers of plastic sketching out the shape of a real full fairing. Nose cones now tightly embrace the headlights, and current windscreens extend naked without frame surrounds.

Yet to our surprise, there's a reasonable amount of protection from the wind when out riding. That little nosecone slices a hole in the air for the bike and most of the rider to fit through. The balance between protection and supportive wind rush is good enough to take some of the weight off one's wrists, and as the bars are set pretty low, that's very helpful on long rides.

With such an abbreviated fairing, the mirror stalks seem unusually long. And, with a strange outboard adjustment pivot and decidedly tacked-on turn signals, they also look downright weird. But rearward visibility isn't too bad, despite the fact that the mirrored panes adjust inside their plastic housings for the best view, and they are limited in how far they can be focused.

A new round instrument gauge hunkers down behind the windscreen. It has a rectangular digital speed display panel superimposed on the large round tachometer surface, so you observe speed and engine revs in one glance. There's enough flexibility down low that shifting at six- or seven grand is typical street use. Even when spinning the engine higher than that, there seems less inclination to wheelie than we remember from the previous big Kawi. Don't worry, though, it will still wheelie with the best of them. Remember, there's about 197-horsepower at the crank at 12,500 rpm with full ram effect, with 83 pound-feet of torque at 8,700 rpm.

It's a freakin' strong engine in anybody's book. Even Jamie Hacking, who bravely campaigns one of these in AMA Superbike racing, says there's plenty of power. And watching him wrestle the thing off the corners at full steam is really something to see. It's clear that the big Kawi's engine can still overwhelm its chassis at race speeds.


But the beautiful thing is that the 2008 chassis is amazingly good on the road, imparting a sense of confidence I haven't experienced since perhaps the Ducati 1098S. The Bridgestone BT16s feed back a reassuring stream of data, and the new chassis-with pressed swingarm and chassis components said to communicate better than cast items-delivers the info to your hands, feet and seat of the pants in no uncertain terms.

I found myself riding on LA's freeways at 10 to 15 mph over what I use on other machines. It just seems pointless not to, because the bike feels utterly composed under you, and it is scarcely breathing hard at that speed. If you can ride this thing around on the freeway at under 90 mph, you're a better man than I.

Not only does it canter along effortlessly at speeds that can get you locked up, the damn thing steers with such precision you find yourself arrowing past cars at close quarters without even questioning it. Too bad about all you people in the other 49 States, but here in California you can split lanes like a laser on this bike.

Up in the canyons, it's much the same story. High corner-entry speeds are no cause for alarm on the 10, again because of the reassuring feedback. Some bikes have that indeterminate numbness on corner entry, and you need to be leaning in before they feel okay with the maneuver. Not the Kawi. It talks to you when it's straight up, and it keeps talking as you crank it in.


Again, I was going faster than my usual pace on the familiar course of my favorite canyon road, and the bike never faked me out on any of the turns. It felt so stable that I figured I was wussing out and riding slower than necessary. But at the rest stop the tires revealed that lightly shredded texture all the way out to the edge of the tread. And the bike wasn't even breaking a sweat.

When Dirck came back from the 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R intro in Qatar, he said he believed it was the best sportbike he'd ever ridden. Bearing in mind that Dirck hadn't been on the new Honda CBR1000RR at that point, it's still a major vote of confidence for the Kawi. Speaking for myself, I'm usually quite happy to return literbikes at the end of their loans. They're great at what they do, mostly, but I find them excessive to my needs. A good 600 lets you use more of its potential more of the time.

In this case I was not that happy to see the ZX-10R go, and I even toyed with the idea of getting one. Then the image of my license being burned in the town square came to mind, and I hopped back onto my little 600 and set off home. Nonetheless, I won't quibble with the literbike devotees. You get a lot of performance for the money, and the 1000cc bikes are often easier to ride because of the abundance of midrange torque.

This Kawasaki offers inexhaustible one-finger braking from the twin-rotor front brakes. There's easy shifting, with not much effort at the non-hydraulically assisted slipper clutch. And there's relatively smooth operation throughout the range apart from a little vibration at revs so low you're hardly ever there. Naturally, there's always mind-boggling acceleration and razor-sharp steering backing you up.

If that's what you're after, I can recommend the big Kawi. Along with its towering speed it has unshakable composure, sensuous controls and switches, and a distinctly pleasant personality. Maybe it won't win AMA Superbike or World Superbike this year, but it certainly won us over in a big way. Plus, at $11,549, it's a lot cheaper than a Formula 1 car.

Source Motorcycle Daily