Help Support Ducati Forum:
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2013
- Messages
- 342
- Location
- SF
I think it's the best looking of the current crop of Jap liter bikes, WAAAYYYY better than......
Personally I think all the Japanese bikes are ugly minus the Fireblade.
That said, I think I would take the R1 over the Zx10r in terms of looks. This just seems like a fatty. Although I am sure it is a beast.
jarelj
Site Sponsor
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2012
- Messages
- 2,158
- Location
- Omaha, NE USA
I think it's the best looking of the current crop of Jap liter bikes, WAAAYYYY better than......
I don't mind the new R1 however that resemblance is some funny ....!!
I'm a kawi fan as well, but they have not made a good looking bike since the 04/05 ZX-10R, 03-06 zx-6R...
But Kawi has lead the motorcycle industry in many aspects of being the 1st to bring something to a mass produced bike.
Ram Air
Radial brake calipers
Radial master cylinder
Slipper clutches
Ugly ... digital tachs
Now the good old balance free forks & shock
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2015
- Messages
- 946
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
At a certain point, too heavy is too heavy. Almost all of the bikes I have ridden that are hovering in the 410 lb. range are such a delight to ride, so flickable and transition so well; the bikes in the 450 lb. range just seem fat and slow, my BMW S1000RR was one example - it just felt pudgy, even though we are only talking 35-40 lbs difference.
Another thing is HOW the bikes carry the weight; my Triumph Daytona 675R feels lighter than my Panigale, but it's actually around 5 lbs. heavier, now that I lightened my 1299 up by putting on the Termi Carbon and replaced the battery with a Lithium Ion.
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2013
- Messages
- 1,123
- Location
- Oregon
It's likely mostly in exhaust, headlights etc. I saw a build thread on the kawi forums of a guy racing in Canada where there was a 370 pound weight minimum and he was worried about hitting it with just basic track prep and a lightweight battery.
It gained a bit of weight indeed, but the problem is it didnt lose any from the wheels, and added some weight with the larger rotors most likely.
but 2lbs from the crank and clutch, will surely help with the bikes handling.
Stw
Former Staff
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2012
- Messages
- 6,381
- Location
- Dallas.Tx
Because it is from kawasaki... they put in lots of effort in changing the look and making good looking machines
I expected nothing less, from my once favorite brand.. From the same hideous design team that brought you the H2 locomoto bike.
Looking at 2002 ZX-RR, that bike is gorgeous and more current in regards to look than the new zx-10r, WTF!
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2012
- Messages
- 1,331
- Location
- South Africa
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2013
- Messages
- 466
- Location
- Texas
Five Things You Need to Know About The 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R
This new Ninja is all about going faster more easily, say factory racers and their crew chiefs.
Leave it to an engineer to cut to the chase. "At the beginning of this project," said Yoshimoto Matsuda, head of development for the new Kawasaki ZX-10R, "I made an announcement to the company: "˜We don't develop any cosmetic features.'" In other words, lap times trounce good looks.
Matsuda was speaking to a group of international journalists gathered in Barcelona, Spain, at a invitation-only unveiling of the Japanese manufacturer's new claimed 197-horsepower, 454-pound, 998cc sportbike, which Matsuda defined as "more innovation, no compromise."
Newly crowned World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea, his teammate, former series champ Tom Sykes, and their respective crew chiefs, Marcel Duinker and Pere Riba, also spent time on stage. Here is a portion of what that quartet said regarding racetrack development of some of the headline features introduced on the new four-cylinder machine.
1. Redesigned fairing with wider windscreen, handlebars closer to rider: "I rode the 2015 version of the ZX-10R at the Isle of Man TT parade lap," Rea said. "When I did the first laps [on the new bike], I noticed straight away that the riding position is much nicer, especially with the new front cowling. The Showa Balance Free Fork and Brembo brakes are more like my race bike."
2. Lighter crankshaft and primary gear: "We have a very well balanced bike," Sykes said about the current-model ZX-10R, "but the inertia causes some problems that we aren't quite able to get around in terms of setup. I think what you'll see with less inertia is much better performance all around"”straight-line acceleration, braking, corner entry, change of direction."
3. Steering head 7.5mm closer to rider, swingarm 15.8mm longer: "The keys to success were consistency," Duinker said, "which is something I was taught in my MotoGP years for Kawasaki, and understanding and solving technical problems on the track and getting the maximum potential out of the bike. In racing, we push technology to its very limits, and Kawasaki is using this technology for its production bike."
4. Electronics suite includes launch/traction control, corner management, engine braking, and ABS: "I've never experienced electronics on a street bike," Rea said. "Straight away, I was so impressed. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "˜When is ABS going to make it in top-level racing?' I was having fun at the end [of a photoshoot] trying to do big, rolling stoppies, and it seemed almost impossible to get the bike really out of shape. From a safety point of view, it's really good."
5. Adjustable steering head and swingarm pivot: "If you want to go fast on the track," Riba said, "you have to make the bike really easy to ride"”the rider cannot be fighting the bike. Working closely with the factory makes it much easier to understand the limitations of the bike. Step by step, we understand the best and weakest points of the bike. This is why we change the balance, the weight distribution, a little bit. Together with all the new parts inside, we make the package much stronger than the other bike."
Five Things You Need to Know About The 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R |Cycle World: This new Ninja is all about going faster more easily, say factory racers and their crew chiefs.
This new Ninja is all about going faster more easily, say factory racers and their crew chiefs.
Leave it to an engineer to cut to the chase. "At the beginning of this project," said Yoshimoto Matsuda, head of development for the new Kawasaki ZX-10R, "I made an announcement to the company: "˜We don't develop any cosmetic features.'" In other words, lap times trounce good looks.
Matsuda was speaking to a group of international journalists gathered in Barcelona, Spain, at a invitation-only unveiling of the Japanese manufacturer's new claimed 197-horsepower, 454-pound, 998cc sportbike, which Matsuda defined as "more innovation, no compromise."
Newly crowned World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea, his teammate, former series champ Tom Sykes, and their respective crew chiefs, Marcel Duinker and Pere Riba, also spent time on stage. Here is a portion of what that quartet said regarding racetrack development of some of the headline features introduced on the new four-cylinder machine.
1. Redesigned fairing with wider windscreen, handlebars closer to rider: "I rode the 2015 version of the ZX-10R at the Isle of Man TT parade lap," Rea said. "When I did the first laps [on the new bike], I noticed straight away that the riding position is much nicer, especially with the new front cowling. The Showa Balance Free Fork and Brembo brakes are more like my race bike."
2. Lighter crankshaft and primary gear: "We have a very well balanced bike," Sykes said about the current-model ZX-10R, "but the inertia causes some problems that we aren't quite able to get around in terms of setup. I think what you'll see with less inertia is much better performance all around"”straight-line acceleration, braking, corner entry, change of direction."
3. Steering head 7.5mm closer to rider, swingarm 15.8mm longer: "The keys to success were consistency," Duinker said, "which is something I was taught in my MotoGP years for Kawasaki, and understanding and solving technical problems on the track and getting the maximum potential out of the bike. In racing, we push technology to its very limits, and Kawasaki is using this technology for its production bike."
4. Electronics suite includes launch/traction control, corner management, engine braking, and ABS: "I've never experienced electronics on a street bike," Rea said. "Straight away, I was so impressed. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "˜When is ABS going to make it in top-level racing?' I was having fun at the end [of a photoshoot] trying to do big, rolling stoppies, and it seemed almost impossible to get the bike really out of shape. From a safety point of view, it's really good."
5. Adjustable steering head and swingarm pivot: "If you want to go fast on the track," Riba said, "you have to make the bike really easy to ride"”the rider cannot be fighting the bike. Working closely with the factory makes it much easier to understand the limitations of the bike. Step by step, we understand the best and weakest points of the bike. This is why we change the balance, the weight distribution, a little bit. Together with all the new parts inside, we make the package much stronger than the other bike."
Five Things You Need to Know About The 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R |Cycle World: This new Ninja is all about going faster more easily, say factory racers and their crew chiefs.
Similar threads
Register CTA
Register on Ducati Forum! This sidebar will go away, and you will see fewer ads.
Sign Up
