Motorcycle specifications KawasakiZX-10R 1000 2015 The desire to kill time

the Kawasaki ZX-10R continues its career with flying colors, poised to remain a top performer in 2015. But this year, the competition has stepped up a notch, and is putting its weight behind the Ninja. The Yamaha R1 makes its comeback with 200 hp and a razor-sharp chassis; the Aprilia RSV4 becomes an RR with 200 hp as well; the Ducati 1299 pushes all the meters towards madness; the BMW S 1000 RR has gained even more potential. It won't be easy, but the Kawa has a strong case. The scarecrow of world endurance racing (four wins in a row at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, three at the Bol, and the Bol d'Or + Le Mans double in 2012 and 2013), untouchable in WSBK Superpole, it brought Tom Sykes the 2013 World Superbike Championship title. Overpowered and extremely efficient, adopted by MRT and Ecurie ChronoSport riders, the Kawasaki ZX-10R is THE benchmark Japanese sportsbike. Released in 2011, the big Ninja has refined its chassis for 2013. The changes mainly concern the steering damper.

Still entrusted to Öhlins, this little appendage that regulates the front end's energy is now electronically controlled (Suzuki has been using a similar method on its GSX-Rs for some years now). Depending on speed, acceleration and deceleration, the on-board control unit adjusts the amorto settings. This means that the steering can be softened at low speed, or made much firmer at high speed, without the rider having to intervene (and lose concentration).

every year, the Ninja 1000 asserts itself as a blend of menace, efficiency and competitiveness. Its look frames a new air intake that means a lot in itself: the triangle-shaped mouth, a Ninja trademark since its 2003 revival, will have lasted almost a decade, but here it gives way to a strange duct. The front turn signals have finally left the rear-view mirror arms and are now embedded in them.
Its silhouette will once again call out to you. More solid, less openwork, it surprises you with its large panels, singularly broken up by long ventilation holes. The fuel tank is encircled by large covers that end abruptly on a new rear frame. At the end of the frame, the headlamp unit has evolved considerably, with the turn signals implanted in the hull coupling with the taillight to form a multi-surface unit. Yet the design of this new stern seems out of sync with the machine's silhouette. It almost looks like the rear of an '80s V-series shuttle. As for the exhaust system, I hope you like the Z 1000's. The ZX-10 R has stolen one from the roadster. Shorter and more "bowl-shaped", it refocuses the masses.

It's not the rider who'll see it most, but the circuit... and the dashboard. Its instrument cluster joined the all-digital trend in 2011, with a large bar-graph tachometer and a fully digital display. It's not the kind of competition model you'd find on a Ducati 1198 or BMW HP2, and it looks a lot like the one on the Honda VTR-SP1. Just goes to show, some quiet ideas never go to sleep. But for me, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned needle to instantly check your engine speed.
The multifunction display is modular: there's a standard display mode and a few modifications in track mode. Race Mode modifies the display as follows: speed becomes a large gear indicator, and the time is transformed into speed. As standard, the LCD window displays speed, gear engaged (small), 2 trips, instant fuel consumption, selected mapping, Traction Control level, temperature and clock. All you need to know how things are going down there. What's more, quite a few of you want to know what's going on inside the engine, and whether it's firing on all cylinders.

hot, boiling, volcanic, the 998 cm3 four-cylinder. Caliper in hand, you'll find identical displacement, stroke and bore. And yet, the engine-makers have rolled up their sleeves to find horsepower and remove weight in every direction.
In the bowels, things have moved. The driveshaft is 108 mm higher than before, as is the crankshaft, which is 28 mm higher than before. The aim is to further centre the masses and raise the center of gravity. Optimized pistons and rings reduce internal friction losses.
"Make me breathe this engine!!!
- Uh, chief, it's already breathing hard on the ...
- I don't care! Do better! "
Glurps. But when the going gets rough, we always find a way to do something about it. On the intake side... Come on, we'll enlarge the valves (from 30 to 31 mm), polish the intake ducts like on official SBK machines, widen the tappets, fit lighter camshafts, install more powerful ignition coils ;
"Chief, there's no way to...
- WHAT?!? Do better, dammit! "
Re-glurps. Maybe we could? Yes, shorten the piston skirts and lighten the pistons, increase the throttle bodies from 43 to 47 mm, and see what the boiler spits out. Bbrrrooooooovroaaaaabbraaaapppppp! 13,000 rpm later, the control screen clicks. The BMW S 1000 RR, hitherto the power record holder (193 horsepower announced), has just had its bottom cracked. 200 HORSEPOWER!!! Good grief, but that's power with forced air, isn't it? Well, no. With the RAM Air in action, the boiler unlocks 210 hp. It's all racing, of course, with a double set of injectors, cassette gearbox, anti-dribble clutch, new airbox and titanium exhaust system.

Will such vigor be manageable? Hmmm, let's just say that with an upwardly displaced torque curve, a max of 11.7 mkg at 11,500 rpm (0.7 mg more, 3,000 later), and the Kawa character, you'd better know how to ride. But today, power and talent are not enough to win. Electronics have become an indispensable co-pilot. Why do you think there are new cables running around on this 2011 ZX-10R? I'll put you on the track: a serrated track on each wheel, a sensor in front of each track. Bingo, an ABS... and a traction control system, the S-KTRC (Sport Kawasaki Traction Control). This combines a number of parameters (wheel speed, engine speed, throttle opening, throttle position) to optimize acceleration to the max. The system can even tell the difference between "controllable" wheeling and brutal, uncontrolled wheeling. Checking every 5 milliseconds, S-KTRC acts directly on the ignition when things start to zip.
The anti-lock system here is called KIBS, Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System. It's a sport ABS capable of regulating and optimizing braking on the front and/or rear - in a way, it thinks for the rider about the braking action.

so, we've got a queen of electronics on hand, with 200 bricks in the basket and a killer mouth. But don't worry, the Ninja still has a lot to promise. Like that 208 she wiped out. That was the weight of the 2010 ZX-10R. A bit annoying, given that the other models were all less overweight. So I went on a very dry diet. And that's 10 kg lost! Not bad. At 198 kilos wet (201 with ABS), the Kawa hypersport becomes the lightest of the bunch. In 2004, the 1000 managed 1 kg per horse dry weight. Today, the ratio is the same, but fully loaded. The race for power has gone beyond the frightening.

There's no secret about it, we've had to cut back gram by gram, sometimes impressively. The battery is simply twice as light. From 4130 g, it is now 2040 g, except in the ABS version where the energy requirements are greater. But even with a 3080 g battery, the weight saving is still there. The on-board electronics have been reduced by 63g, the front wheel by 330g, the rear by 490g, the fuel pump has been lightened, and the ABS is a lighter version.ABS is an 800g lighter version than current market units, and the entire chassis also contributes to the drastic diet.

and the chassis? To make it an indestructible weapon of war, Kawa rethought, redesigned and strengthened the frame in 2011. Consisting of just 7 pieces, it's supposed to offer greater control, handling and feel, while saving weight. The swingarm undergoes the same optimization process. Only three parts to assemble, and positioned for maximum traction. Fewer components means fewer welds and a greater sense of quality.
Stay close to the rear. Look at how the monoshock is mounted! Surprising, isn't it? You don't often see a shock absorber anchored horizontally above the swingarm on a sports bike... Neither do I. This process was first used on the latest generation Z 1000 and is now installed on the most violent Kawa. The advantage? Mass centralization, greater stability, more progressiveness, and with the space freed up, you can fit a larger plenum chamber, and thus a shorter exhaust, and refocus mass even further.
The Akashi-based manufacturer renews its confidence in the BPF fork. Introduced on the 600 in 2009 (and on the Suzuki GSX-R 1000), this model features a piston almost twice the size of a conventional cartridge fork. As a result, fluid pressure is much lower, while damping force remains identical. The result is better steering control during compression phases. As the geometry of this Ninja opus 2011 is even more tilted towards the front, riding should be even more incisive. Bonus: with fewer internal parts due to its design, the fork is also lighter - and that's another gram saved.
Suspension is, of course, adjustable for compression, preload and rebound, with dual compression settings (slow and fast) for the rear shock.

The result is a 200 hp, 198 kg machine. On board, a number of features have been incorporated. An ergonomic fuel tank, 15 mm adjustable footrests and, for the passenger, a slice of sandwich bread. Braking is still at the high end of the all-radial scale, with pump and calipers with 4 pistons each flirting with 310 mm petal discs. But we're still waiting for the monobloc and aviation hoses.

more ferocious than ever in this edition, the ZX-10 R sets a benchmark for power and cleans up the hypersports world. The 24 Hours of Le Mans have whetted Kawa's appetite - this Ninja is now out to bleed the competition on most theatres of operation.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos