Bajaj Kawasaki ninja ZX 6r

Kawasaki back intimidating in the Indonesia motorcycle market with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R.It’s a brand new day for the third most potent Ninja (ZX-14, ZX-10R and now  ZX-6R… ). The 6R’s engine is all new, the first total redesign in 10 years for the model, and the bike in general is endowed with a paddock’s worth of race-inspired technology. Using the above logic, such a track-honed tool necessarily means less street-ability.

STYLE:

Previous ZXs had a little issue with a poorly designed and located instrument cluster. The tachometer was a narrow, digital band that was difficult to see. To make matters worse, the top line of the windshield did an excellent job of obscuring the view of the tachometer. Not so this year; welcome back, analog. A bright white-faced tachometer sits prominently in the center of the rider’s view and is accompanied by a reasonable digital readout just to the right that displays speed, water temp, mileage, and other functions. The only drawback — a rather minor detraction — to this new cluster is the little gift that Kawi attempted to give the rider. Nestled within the tachometer is a narrow digital readout that displays the gear position. This can be a handy feature to have on any bike, but unfortunately the display numbers are quite small and difficult to read while concentrating on the road ahead — even more so while ripping down a race track.

ENGINE:

The 599cc 16 valve liquid-cooled inline four focuses on high revs thanks to strengthened and lightened internals bent on reducing reciprocating mass. Short-skirt forged pistons are connected to rods that are more compact on the small end by smaller and lighter piston pins. Big-end rod bearings have been revised to fit a new crankshaft with modified flywheel mass that is said to aid traction.

In order to boost low to mid-range torque, the cams received new profiles and intake valves — about the only internal parts that didn’t get smaller — increased in size from 24.0mm to 26.5mm. Before leaving the top end alone Kawasaki changed the exhaust valve angle and polished the intake ports. To assist in the high rpm/torque combo, throttle bodies were shortened by eight millimeters and the injectors were changed to ultra-fine atomizing sets. While on the subject of fueling Kawi also revised mapping for both the fuel injection and ignition systems. Finally, the six-speed transmission is a racy cassette set-up and the back-torque limiting or slipper clutch is adjustable.

Mass centralization is all the rage these days and as part of the program to achieve this, a revised and improved exhaust system now operates with a pre-chamber nicely hidden beneath the engine. This maneuver allows the silencers to be smaller. In further attempts to help centralize mass, the oil cooler (which is itself liquid cooled) and oil filter are now located behind the cylinders. Engine revamps aside, the next target on the redesign hit list was the chassis. In my mind this is where the 2007 ZX-6R really comes into its own. The latest trend to follow mass centralization is “tuned flex” in frames, and this bike is no different. It employs a new cast-aluminum swingarm and a frame comprised of pressed and cast aluminum to form the twin-spar perimeter. Both have revised “stiffness balance.” The superb handling of this bike not only owes thanks to frame and swingarm improvements, but to the location of the engine. Engine mounting points have been moved to the rear of the cylinder head as part of the handling design philosophy.

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Suspension work is handled by an all-new inverted, fully-adjustable 41mm fork in the front. A new rear shock employs “pillow balls” — ask Gabe or Sean to show you theirs — instead of bushings for improved feedback.

Braking is somewhat familiar fare with 300mm stainless-steel semi-floating petal-type rotors up front that are now six millimeters in thickness instead of the previous five and a half. Four-pot radial-mount calipers utilize one brake pad per piston to reduce pad warping. Your fierce desire to stop is translated to the calipers via a radial-pump master cylinder that provides excellent feel.

Even though it shows up in familiar Kawasaki Green, bodywork has also been redesigned for improved airflow. Frontal area was reduced by minimizing the ram-air intake without reducing intake volume and projector beam headlights now pierce the night — they look small but powerful. As a result of smaller under-the-seat silencers the tail section is also narrowed up.

 DRIVETRAIN

 FRAME

  SUSPENSION

BRAKES

 DIMENSIONS

 PERFORMANCE

OTHER  SPECIFICATIONS: