Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

..... errillW .... •. - -.. ill 0 ill CITu ~~ u g) []JUg] rBC?@@[jJ [b@m ~he ZX-9R enters its second year of U production in its latest guise • the last major update was back in '98. It's ready for another. The Kawi has the potential to be in the hunt, but it just isn't there right now. There are a couple of problems that we feel need to be addressed from last year's bike that weren't. The first problem has got to be the carburetion. The ZX-9R carburets like a poorly mapped fuel·injected bike, which is annoying and, to a certain degree, inexcusable. It's annoying on the race· track, but even more noticeable on the street, where the throttle is transitioning from off·throttle to on·throttle more fre· quently. On a tight canyon road, the lurch makes the bike squat in the rear, which unloads the front slightly and makes it understeer. Last year's bike did the exact same thing, but nothing has been changed. It's just enough to sap the rider's confidence in the tight stuff, and it's not that easy to avoid. The 899cc, 16-valve, inline-four powerplant is the smallest in the group, and subsequently makes the least horsepower of the bunch. It does, how· ever, make more torque than the bigger Honda, and almost as much as the Yamaha. The Kawi's motor feels power- heavier than any of the other bikes (which it is . 403 pounds dry), but that it also felt cumbersome. It tends to be more difficult to turn into the corners on the racetrack, and feels a bit top heavy. Haney worked on the bike all day long at the track and, by the end of the day, he had the chassis working really well it still felt heavy, but mid·corner stability was very good. The Kawi has a tendency to run wide, which is partially caused by the abrupt carburetion, but, after fooling with the suspension a bit, it got better. The Kawi has a ride-height adjuster that we should use to crank the back·end up more - it would have helped a lot, we just ran out of time. On the street, the ZX-9R worked well, and actually hid its weight better than it did FEATURES ~mro0ITl Engine 899cc, liquid-cooled, inline-four with four-valves per cylinder Magnesium cylinder-head cover and side covers Titanium exhaust canister Ram-air system Catalytic converter Chassis Aluminum perimeter frame with removable aluminum sub-frame Fully adjustable 46mm cartridge forks Fully adjustable piggyback-style rear shock Dual 310mm front discs with six-piston calipers Single rear disc What's hot? New green paint Great streetbike Comfortable riding position What's not? Bad carburetion A touch on the heavy side Dated instrumentation Bottom Line The Kawasaki is still a nice bike, but the carbs have got to be sorted out. Makes a good streetbike. ful on the racetrack, but it must have been the sudden surge of power that occurs at 8000 rpm that we were feel· ing. The ZX-9R doesn't have any bells and whistles, other than the ram-air system that force-feeds the airbox. It is the only bike in this group that doesn't have some sort of exhaust-tuning sys· tem. The Yamaha has the EXUP, the Honda the HTEV, and the Suzuki has the SET; all back· pressure controllers designed to improve power in the mid· range without sacrificing top-end per· formance. If Kawasaki wants to improve the motor, they should really think about fixing the carburetion, which would help dramatically. The chassis on the ZX-9R is much the same as the engine - it's not bad, it's just out of touch with the others. Everybody thought that it not only felt The ZX-9R's analog gauges can sometimes be hard to read at a glance. The Kawi's brakes are the cream of the crop. for someone who isn't into hardcore sport riding· but isn't that what these bikes are for? The styling of the ZX-9R is still nice, and the addition of the new "factory· racing green" paint is a welcome addition. The old green had worn out its welcome. The other manufacturers have all gone to LCD speedometers with analog tachometers, but the Kawi still has the old·school gauges· both are analog and, at times, difficult to read at a glance. The dash needs to get with the times. We're under the impression that, if the Kawasaki's carburetion is worked out, the bike would be in the hunt for at least street honors - and it wouldn't be such a handful, especially on the street. If it lost a little bit of weight, well, that wouldn't hurt its chances any either. CN on the track. It's dose to being in the hunt, but not dose enough. On the positive side, the ZX-9R has a silky smooth gearbox, probably the slickest of the group. The brakes are also very good, with lots of power and good feel. Our biggest complaint chas· sis-wise, was how the bike wallowed under braking on the track. Like we said, the bike can't hide its weight on the track, it just moves around way more than is comfortable. The Kawasaki has a comfortable seat and riding position and would make a great bike cue I e n e "" S • APRIL 18, 2001 29

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