VOL. 55 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 23, 2018 P91
shorter gearing to further en-
hance low-end performance and
Bridgestone's excellent Battlax
Hypersport S22 tires as standard
fitment. It's not the full makeover
many riders had hoped for, con-
sidering the success of the com-
pany's ZX-10R on the street and
track, but the changes wrought
show Kawasaki isn't backing away
from a segment it once dominated
with its eyes shut.
What's carried over is what we
know from 2013: an inline four-
cylinder engine punched out to a
supersport racing-illegal 636cc
that now Euro4 compliant; a slip
and assist clutch; the same twin-
spar aluminum chassis and sus-
pension provided by Showa in the
fully adjustable SFF-BP (Separate
Function Fork – Big Piston) fork and
rear shock; and brakes by Nissin
in the four-piston caliper. ABS is a
separate feature for an extra $1000,
meaning even the ABS-equipped
model is still dramatically cheaper
than it was last year.
As for the electronics, it's the
same as before with two engine
modes of Full and Low power,
plus ABS and three-stage traction
control—Kawasaki was the sec-
ond bike in the supersport class
to fit TC behind the Italians at MV
Agusta in 2013.
Even though the Las Vegas track
munched them to pieces, the
Bridgestone R11 track tires performed
brilliantly, if only for two sessions
before they needed replacing.
2013—Ninja ZX-6R
Kawasaki brings the 636cc motor back
into production, and gave the motor
more power than before, while the
chassis was revised and new bodywork
fitted. Also came with traction control
and variable rider modes.
2009—Ninja ZX-6R
The 6R goes on a diet and loses
a bunch of weight, gets a new
bodywork design that debuted on
the ZX-10R in 2008, new suspension
and brakes, and more power from
the 2007-spec motor.
