Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127675
by a single nitrogen-charged and fully adjustable shock. Despite having gobs of power, the ZX's DOHC, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder, 899cc engine - nestled in an alumin um perimeter frame - is very manageable. It delivers decent bottom-end power and, even though it's quite noticeable when the bike reaches the meat of the powerba nd, the overall spread of power is very smooth. And to top things off, there' s very little vibration to speak of. Overall, the motor is extremely powerful yet not intimidating. Tha nkfully, the ZX-9 has excellent brakes. It takes little effort by the rider to haul in the 47D-pluspound Ninja. Clicking the ZX up through the gears left nothing to be desired, but downshifting, well, that's a d ifferent story. We found a few false neutrals here and there, usually between fourth and third, and third and second gears. At first we hardly noticed it, but after a while, crunching gears became a nuisance. This problem was mos t noticeable riding it at an aggressive pace, otherwise, it's no big deal It seemed tha t as soon as we got our ' hands on the bike, we had to reluctantly return the bike back to Kawasaki's offices in Irvine, California , but during our short affair with the new Ninja, we became very attached to it. There just wa sn't anything we really didn' t like abo ut the bike, but there we re plenty things we di d enjoy, like its smooth powerplant, solid but cushy suspension, bea utiful styling and paint, 'and excellent handling. In spite of its aggressive and sporty appearance, the ZX-9 is a,motorcycle we feel you ca n live w ith, a nd it would ma ke a viab le option for those with a one-bike pocketbook. At an MSRP of $9299, the ZX-9 isn't exac tly cheap, in fact, it's downright expensive, but you do get a lot for your mo ney. You get a bike tha t's comfortable eno ugh to rid e back and forth to wo rk, and a machine that is mor e than spo rty enough for those mandatory weekend outings. You'll like; we did. a For all advance tickets , subtract $5.00 from Gate Price and please indicate which tickets youwantl Include a self-address stamped envelope, all orders must be post-marked 10 days prior to the National or Grand Prix race date. SAVE $5.00 ON ALL ADVANCE TICKETS PRICES AND RACE SCHEDULES ARE THE SAME FOR THE BOTH NATIONAL AND GRAND PRIX WEEKENDS Dear Amateur Rider, Please accept my profound apologies fo r the way you have been treated the day before pro-racesat Budds Creek. We have gained a reputation among the pro-riders as being one of the best race tracks in the United Sta tes, and now, in the world, at you r expense. I've come to realize that the amateur program is a very important part of the weekend and is imperative to the overall success of an event of this magni tude. We would like; to have you as our gues t the day before the U.S. Grand Prix. We have an elaborate watering system and in the past we have not used it to our advantage . The policy of using the amateur riders to work the wa ter into the race track has been abandoned. Pleasefo rgive me fo r my attitude over the past few years and come race one of the fines t facilitie~ sport as our g st 'n the ~ . There will befree amateur sign-up, Saturday, on the pro-trackbefore the U.S. Grand Prix. Thank you! "~~ ~" Hare Scrambles sign -up on Satu rday will also bef ree! . Sincerely, • > , , " Donate to THECLAYTON ~ FOUNDATION 2201 Cherry Avenue Long Beach, CA90806 e '<:t< 0\ 0\ ,...., 0 ~ 310/427-7433" >. ....... "We want to be your favoritecharity" J---, C'l ;::l 21