The Kawasaki contradiction: The ZX-10R isn't lighter, it just feels like
it
By Lance Oliver
What's more important, brains or brawn? And what about agility? Or
beauty?
 It only takes one time accelerating out of the final turn at Losail
International Circuit in Qatar on the 2008 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R to be
reminded that Ninjas never did lack muscle. In second gear, the front end
gets light as the power comes on smoothly, the slightest of headshakes
(slighter than the previous model would have exhibited, for sure)
waggles the handgrips, and the kilometer-long straight looms ahead,
questioning just how much nerve you have when it comes to twisting the
throttle.
Brawn? Check.
It's the other three areas where Kawasaki made the biggest changes to
its Superbike platform for 2008.
But before moving on to that, it's worth reviewing the work Kawasaki engineers did to
keep their literbike competitive in power output. The goal was to keep
the previous Ninja 10's low and midrange power, while boosting high-rpm
performance to make the motorcycle even more track-ready. Dual fuel
injectors and new, oval-shaped throttle bodies feed the fuel-air mixture
past titanium valves into revised combustion chambers, and cam profiles
were tweaked to increase top-end power.
But the really interesting advances with the new Ninja
aren't in the engine, but in the brains, agility and, to a lesser extent, the beauty
categories.
The Kawasaki Ignition Management System (see the sidebar, right),
combined with the new dual injectors, is intended above all to improve
throttle response, said Karl Edmondson, Kawasaki's sportbike project
manager.
With hundreds of fuel maps on board and an ECU monitoring conditions
50 times a second, it's clear Kawasaki can check "brains" off the to-do
list. The system may be complicated, but it works simply well. More on
that later.
Of all the changes to the ZX-10R for 2008, the most noticeable when
riding the bike are the improvements to handling. If all you did was
compare 2007 and 2008 ZX-10R spec sheets, you might reasonably assume the 2008
would be a slower-handling motorcycle. Reality is exactly the opposite.
Despite slightly more rake and trail, an extra inch of wheelbase and
eight more pounds, the 2008 turns more quickly and feels lighter than
its predecessor. The sensation is heightened by the new bike's smaller,
slimmer dimensions.
How did Kawasaki make a heavier bike feel lighter? You don't have to
be an engineer to notice that the previous model's two underseat exhaust
cans are gone. The weight of the exhaust system is about the same, with
its catalysts
needed to meet Euro III emissions standards, a collector underneath the
engine and just ahead of the rear tire, and a new titanium exhaust on
the right side. Now, however, that weight is much lower and closer to
the center of the motorcycle.
 Changes
to the frame were aimed primarily at increasing feedback, said Edmondson. Surfaces were changed from
concave to convex forms and, in a trick learned from Kawasaki's AMA Superbike
team, welding was added to the frame to tune its rigidity. (Click on the
diagram above to see the changes to the frame.)
While the frame was being updated, the ram-air intake duct's path past the steering head was re-routed
to make it a straighter shot into the airbox.
The 2008 Ninja gets a new look to go along with the new hardware.
The styling of the previous model focused on optimum aerodynamics, with
curved surfaces designed to move smoothly through the air. But what
looks good to the wind doesn't always look good to the human eye, and
many found the 2006-07 ZX-10Rs to have a beady-eyed, overly rounded
shape.
 For 2008,
the designers put some sharp edges back on the bike, though it's still
nicely rounded. As lead designer Keishi Fukumoto noted, curvaceous shapes slip best
through the wind, but sharp edges work well enough, when done right, and
often look more attractive. The metaphor Fukumoto repeatedly referred to
was a Japanese sword. The previous 10 might have been more easily
likened to an American jellybean.
Kawasaki paid particular attention to the parts of the motorcycle
that come in contact with the rider to provide maximum feedback for the
rider. The upper part of the tank is flared, making it natural for the
rider to have his outside arm resting against the tank while hanging off
in a turn. Similarly, the area where the rider's knees press against the
frame is shaped to fit the human form and covered in a grippy material.
The chance to try out all these changes came at Losail International
Circuit, the world-class motorcycle track built just a few years ago
in Qatar to attract MotoGP and World Superbike rounds to the Middle
East. For many of the U.S. writers who traveled to Qatar for the intro, it
truly was a trip halfway around the world (12 time zones) just to test
the new Ninja. But Kawasaki folks knew what they were doing. The smooth,
fast Losail circuit will make any good motorcycle look its best,
and allow a fast motorcycle to unleash its power on that long straight.
 Whether it's the Kawasaki Ignition Management System or the new dual
injectors and oval throttle bodies or, most likely, the combination of
all the above, throttle response on the ZX-10R is as good as you'll find
on any showroom floor.
See that green slice on the tach at left? Keep the needle pointed anywhere in that space and smooth power just rolls on at your command.
But even at lower rpm, throttle response is seamless and glitch-free.
Kawasaki says peak power hits at 11,500 rpm.
 At the end of Losail's kilometer-long straight, the two things a
rider needs are stopping power from the front and no surprises from the
rear. The Ninja's brakes were already strong, so Kawasaki only made
minor changes for 2008: Front petal-disc rotors grew 10mm in diameter to
310 and shrunk half a millimeter in width, to 5.5. They work and they
don't fade, at least at any pace I can push them. Equally reliable and
drama-free is the slipper clutch, which made the fifth-to-second
downshift at the end of the straight a lot easier. I never heard a
single complaining chirp from the rear tire due to wheel lockup.
A few times it was a bit difficult to find neutral on the six-speed
transmission when rolling to a stop in the pits, but that's perhaps a tradeoff for the fact that I never
hit a false neutral in seven riding sessions over two days. In fact, I
never missed a shift at all.
Where the ZX-10R shined most was In Losail's endless series of turns. Totally flat and
nearly devoid of reference points, Losail can be a confusing track to a
newcomer. Two turns may be quite different yet look alike on entrance.
When I made a mistake and forgot which flat righthander I was
approaching, the Ninja had plenty of extra in reserve. Just lean it
further and ride through it. It's worth noting that in two days of
riding by nearly 30 writers from five countries, not one motorcycle
ended up on its side or even took an excursion into the gravel traps.
 It's hard to evaluate a motorcycle apart from its competition or
predecessor, and the task is even more difficult when the track surface
is so optimum. Is the new Ninja's handling that great or is it the
supreme smoothness of the Losail asphalt? The new Ninja feels more
stable and less prone to headshake, but how much of that is due to
improvements to the bike and how much is due to riding it on a track
that has precisely one bump, instead of riding it on the typical
car-rippled asphalt of a U.S. track? What was the effect of the World
Supersport-spec Pirelli tires hand-picked by Kawasaki for the press
intro (U.S. bikes will come stock with Bridgestones)?
Despite all that, here's what I can say for sure: For an
intermediate-level track-day rider like me, the 2008 ZX-10R is easier to ride
quickly
than its predecessors or other literbikes I've yet sampled. The stability and handling
gave me the confidence to dip deeper into the Ninja's well of power than
I would otherwise.
What if you ride a faster pace? Well, U.S. racer Kenny Noyes, who
grew up in Spain and currently races there professionally, was also
testing the ZX-10R. He turned in some hand-timed laps in the 2:07 range
around Losail. That's within 10 seconds of the best lap times turned in
by World Superbike riders just a week earlier in testing. And Noyes was
riding a street-legal bike in stock form (except tires), mirrors in
place, turn signals in the wind, and headlight blazing.
That combination of brawn, brains and agility will soon be parked on
your Kawasaki dealer's showroom floor, available for $11,549.
|
2008 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R
|
 |
|
Engine
|
Liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder, four valves/cylinder
|
|
Displacement
|
998cc
|
|
Bore x stroke
|
76.0mm x 55.0mm
|
|
Carburetion
|
43mm oval throttle bodies, dual injectors
|
|
Compression ratio
|
13:1
|
|
Transmission
|
Six-speed
|
|
Tires
|
120/70-ZR17 front; 190/55-ZR17 rear
|
|
Front brake
|
Dual semi-floating 310mm petal discs,
radial-mount four-piston calipers
|
|
Rear brake
|
Single 220mm petal disc, pin-slide caliper
|
|
Seat height
|
32.7 inches
|
|
Front suspension
|
43mm inverted fork adjustable for preload, rebound and
compression damping
|
|
Rear suspension
|
Single shock adjustable for preload, high- and low-speed
compression damping and rebound damping
|
|
Wheelbase
|
55.7 inches
|
|
Fuel capacity
|
4.5 gallons
|
|
Dry weight
|
395 pounds
|
|
MSRP
|
$11,549
|
Metallic Diablo black |
Candy Plasma blue |
Lime green |
© 2007, American Motorcyclist Association
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