The Goodwood Test: Kawasaki Ninja ZX‑10R – Developed On Passion

Heritage

The Ninja ZX-10R has had a reputation for performance mixed with attitude ever since Kawasaki unleashed the memorably compact and aggressive original model in 2004. In recent years the ZX-10R’s raw roadgoing image has been matched by both sophistication and racetrack success. Two of the last three World Superbike championships have been won by lime-green Ninjas, ridden by Yorkshire’s Tom Sykes in 2013 and by Ulsterman Jonathan Rea last season, when the Kawasaki duo won 18 of the 26 races between them.

As those results suggest, the Ninja has been repeatedly updated to keep it competitive. That first, 2004 model was a light, 172bhp rocket whose fearsome reputation was entirely deserved. The 2006 follow-up gained a steering damper (welcome) and high-level pipes (less so) but lost a little of the ZX-10R edge, which was regained two years later by a sharper, faster Ninja that produced 185bhp. The 2011 model was another big step: increasing power to 195bhp, adding advanced traction control plus a sweet-handling chassis, and forming the basis of an increasingly successful racebike.

Design

This new ZX-10R is designed for pure performance, heavily based on the factory machine that long-time Kawasaki rider Sykes and his crew honed into a championship winner. Its 998cc, dohc 16-valve engine’s key feature is a lighter crankshaft that helps reduce inertia by 20 per cent, boosting both acceleration and chassis agility. New internals include camshafts, lighter pistons and an uprated lubrication system. Maximum power output remains 197bhp but midrange performance is increased. The Ninja becomes the first big super-sports bike to meet Euro 4 emissions levels, with the help of a new titanium silencer.

Chassis layout remains based on a twin-spar aluminium frame. The Ninja’s handling benefits from the engine’s reduced inertia but the main advantage, pioneered on Sykes’ racebike, comes from revised geometry and a longer swing-arm, which put more weight on the front wheel. The Showa suspension comprises new Balance Free front forks (which separate springs and damping reservoirs) and a rear shock that is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The brakes are also upgraded, with Brembo’s ultra-powerful M50 Monobloc front calipers biting larger, 330mm discs. Other updates include a fairing and screen that are subtly reshaped to improve wind protection.

Performance

The result is ferociously fast Ninja which despite being slightly heavier than the previous model (due to those Euro 4 mods) is also easier to ride, largely due to its sharper steering and ultra-refined electronics. The Kawasaki revs harder than ever, leaping forward with stunning urgency as its rev-counter bar flicks towards the 14,000rpm redline through the gears, the acceleration boosted by a quick-shifter which, slightly disappointingly, works on up-changes only. Midrange performance is very strong but like the previous model this ZX-10R is slightly flat below 7,000rpm, which isn’t ideal for road riding when combined with the tall first gear.

Once into its stride that rev-happy powerplant is brilliantly tamed by the Ninja’s race-developed traction control system. This more advanced system, which combines Bosch’s sensor unit with Kawasaki’s own software, keeps the bike on the edge of grip when accelerating at severe lean angles, then holds the front wheel just off the ground for maximum acceleration under full throttle. Unlike some superbikes the track-focused ZX-10R has no semi-active suspension option, but its high-quality Showa units combine excellent damping control with a very smooth action. And that updated Brembo system gives plenty of braking ability, backed up by sophisticated ABS.

Passion

This ZX-10R was very much developed on passion – for speed and circuit lap times rather than rounded roadgoing performance. The Ninja is thrillingly quick and responsive, but for street use it lacks a few of the niceties of some rivals. Project leader Yoshimoto Matsuda rejected an expensive TFT instrument panel, opting to update the previous model’s unit while retaining its format of digital speedo plus rev-counter bar along the top. There’s no sign of the heated hand-grips and cruise control that are options with some rivals. But track day fiends and hardcore Kawasaki enthusiasts won’t be worrying about that. If your idea of an open-class super-sports bike is a hard and fast replica of the current World Superbike champion’s machine, the Ninja ZX-10R ticks the vital boxes.

Price tag of our bike: £13,799 (£13,649 in grey; £14,399 for limited-edition Winter Test Edition with black paint and an Akrapovic silencer).

Photography by Double Red and Ula Serra