2016 Kawasaki Zx-10r
Ignition
TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE R -> BMW’S HUD HELMET -> MAN YOUR BARGE -> PEAK VISION
THE RIDE STARTS HERE
2016 KAWASAKI ZX-10R
CW FIRST RIDE
Title Defense
Don Canet
Kawasaki has earned the right to milk a championship hangover with two WSBK titles to its credit in the past three seasons. But Team Green isn’t falling into any such slumber, as the Ninja ZX-10R has undergone a major generational update for 2016. At stake is more than simply providing reigning team rider Jonathan Rea the best possible platform on which to defend the crown. Of greater importance to sales is a long overdue shot at topping the stock literbike shootouts.
As so often stated in the past by any given manufacturer, Kawasaki says the goal of the project was to make the ZX10R easier to ride fast. To this end, the electronics suite that has largely gone unchanged since first appearing on the 10R in 2011 has seen major improvement. This includes a completely revamped Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (SKTRC), newly added engine-brake control, a launch-control mode, quickshifter, and smarter optional KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent Braking System) cornering ABS. The system now utilizes a Bosch five-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) measuring longitudinal, transverse, and vertical acceleration along with roll and pitch rates. Kawasaki’s proprietary software calculates yaw rate, a sixth degree of freedom said to sense the rear end stepping out during a power slide. Kawasaki touts this S-KTRC system as the most advanced of all current
offerings due to its “predictive” rather than reactive nature of maximizing cornering grip and exit drive.
Mechanical changes are many with nearly a pound shaved from the crankshaft along with a lighter engine balancer and slipper clutch, resulting in quicker response, acceleration, and improved transitional-steering agility.
A redesigned cylinder head features straighter and wider ports, imm-largerdiameter titanium exhaust valves (Ti intakes as well), long-reach spark plugs flanked by larger liquid-cooling passages, and a revised combustion chamber for improved intake/exhaust efficiencies. Shorter/lighter pistons made of a new heat-resistant alloy have a dryfilm lubricant coating on the skirts.
Feeding the fury are a bank of 47mm ride-by-wire throttle bodies drawing from a 25-percent-larger (10-liter) ram airbox. Spent gases exit through a titanium-alloy header said to have pipe diameters and length very similar to race-use headers.
The vertically stacked cassette-style transmission has revised ratios providing slightly lower bottom and top gears and more evenly spaced gaps throughout the six-speed box. The quickshifter trigger is designed to allow auto-blip downshifts when unlocked with the optional Race Kit ECU.
Chassis changes have focused on improved front grip and feel, more consistent feedback, and handling agility.
BYTHE NUMBERS
2000 DOLLARS: Manufacturer rebate offered to licensed roadracer purchasing 2016 ZX-10R for competition use. 210
HORSEPOWER: Claimed peak output at 13,000 rpm with ram air. Figure 10 hp less without ram air and around 180 plus at the rear wheel.
The engine is mounted higher and more forward, along with the steering head now located 7.5mm closer to the rider. The cast-aluminum twin-spar frame is said to be lighter, using fewer welds and less complexity in its construction. The swingarm is nearly 16mm longer, utilizing tuned-wall thickness and the addition of upper bracing to optimize lateral and torsional rigidity; overall wheelbase has been stretched by 12mm. Steering geometry is a conservative 25 degrees of rake and 4.2 inches of trail, but Race Kit steering angle collars are available. The most visual of chassis updates is a 43mm Showa Balance Free Fork (a production sportbike first) derived from the similar design used on the factory WSBK machine.
Attending the world press introduction at the Sepang Circuit in tropical Malaysia offered an opportunity to sample the 10R on a world-
class track. For the first 20-minute on-track session, the bike was fitted with Bridgestone Battlax Rio supersport race rubber with ABS toggled on. Kawasaki positions KIBS as a street/trackday feature and describes the cornering management functionality as providing more neutral steering feel during trail braking. The 3.45-mile, 15-turn layout offered a couple of prime corners to ride the front brake to deep lean angles. Minor brake lever
2016 KAWASAKI ZX-10R
ENGINE TYPE
DOHC inline-four
DISPLACEMENT
998cc
SEAT HEIGHT
32.9 in.
FUEL CAPACITY 4.5 gal.
CLAIMED CURB WT. 454 lb.
BASE PRICE $14,999 to 16,299
fluctuations manifested the few times I had the nerve to invoke KIBS interaction nearing an apex. Survival instincts die hard.
Battlax V02 race slicks and deactivated KIBS were slated for three remaining sessions. Even with the higher-grip setup, circuit-specific suspension settings derived by Kawasaki’s test rider were unchanged from the DOT race-tire setup. Further, damping settings were hardly different from stock, and only minor rear ride height was added.
“Easier to ride fast,” proved well founded, as the balance, stability, and positive feedback lent loads of confidence. The Showa fork was of particular interest and provided exceptional support and feel under hard braking and an overall degree of ride compliance and feel beyond the Showa BPF (Big Piston Fork) of last year’s machine. Entering turns one and 15, both of which involved 170-mph approaches and a flurry of backshifts from fifth to first gear, put the combination of enginebrake control and slipper clutch to the test. Even running in hard with a closed throttle (no blips) and rowing down through the gears displayed no drama or instability. While standard engine-brake control offers Light or Off settings, the Kit ECU allows gear-specific tailoring of this feature.
With a Brembo radial-pump master cylinder connected via steel-braided lines to M50 monoblock four-piston calipers and 330mm front rotors, I was surprised at the amount of effort required at the lever to maximize stopping. While initial bite and power are ideal for the road, a
change of pad compound may be in order for those who prefer a more race-oriented feel.
Throttle pickup in High Power Mode is edgy yet controllable with linear delivery from any point in the 14,000-rpm rev range. When revs dipped to 7K rpm at the apex of the tightest low-gear hairpin,
I found myself wanting more midrange. Once beyond 9,000 rpm, I was grateful for S-KTRC’s traction/wheelie control. Like the current Yamaha YZF-Ri, the front seldom elevated more than a foot or so above the tarmac and settled back down smoothly. Unlike the Ri, the Kawi’s delivery doesn’t exhibit a sharp torque increase in this region, making it less wheelie prone in the first place.
Snicking upshifts right on cue with light and seamless precision, aided by the LED bar-graph
tachometer flashing a very visible shift indicator warning, produced fluid drives between each corner. Minimal buffeting while tucked behind the new windscreen at high speed indicates the pressurereducing vents work well, which makes the cockpit an ideal office for conducting business. A choice of street or track LCD dash displays prioritizes the information provided.
Ridden on the boil, my seatof-the-pants dyno suggests this new ZX-10R has the Ri covered in power and acceleration but lacks the brute delivery of BMW’s S1000RR.
The real question, however, is how the class contenders stack up in overall performance and accessibility. My take is that Jonathan Rea’s talent is not required to tap the new Ninja’s assets.
