“The increased peak power output will certainly help Jonathan Rea in his World Superbike title defence this year, but in talking to him, it’s not really the improved motor that excites him; it’s the ZX-10R’s ability to make super-quick side to side transitions, and being able to brake much deeper into corners that make him really confident…. The new ZX10R has been brilliantly and innovatively designed, and the dramatic reduction of engine inertia coupled with the raised centre of gravity and changed chassis geometry are immediately noticeable. They have combined to create an incredibly sharp, precise, and intuitive handling machine that is a dream to ride fast.” That’s not Kawasaki South Africa trying to sell you a bike, but UltimateMotorcycling.com in their report headed “2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R First Ride – 11 Quick Facts”. There you’ll find all sorts of info about the new Kawasaki superbike – things like the fact that the Ohlins steering damper is fed information from the rear wheel, and the airbox has been baffled to allow the exhaust to be a little more noisy and thus efficient while keeping total decibel levels below the legal limit, and the traction control recalibrates itself continuously to make allowance for things like different tyre compounds, tyre wear and tyre pressure as well as road camber, and the fact that at the recent Portimao World Superbike test the ’16 bike was a whopping two seconds a lap quicker than last year’s bike. You can also watch Jonny Rea talking frankly about the new bike HERE.
But don’t read it all on our website – click on the UltimateMotorcycling link and get it straight from the (independent) horse’s mouth!