Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

, ChdSSLs & Sus ensum The 1199cc liquid-cooled, n._DAI DOHC 16-valve, inline-four engine features linerless, electrolIwallle plated cylinders, which allow them to be spaced closer together and keeps the cylinder block much more compact, with boreand-stroke dimensions measuring 83.0 x 55.4mm. Mated to the new 4.41-pound-heavier crankshaft are heat-treated chromemoly connecting rods for exceptional strength. The cylinder head features an extremely narrow 25-degree included valve angle for a flatter combustion chamber that allows the motor to run a 12.2: I compression ratio. Inside the valve train, valve springs are made from an ultra-thin VX wire, which are very light and yet have exceptional strength and durability under the loads of high engine speeds. Engine weight Is reduced by liberal use of magnesium alloy on the cylinder head, clutch and altemator covers. The exhaust system features stainless-steel head pipes that send the spent gases back into a rather large titanium silencer. A bank of four 46mm throttle-bodies handles fuel delivery, which is monitored by an engine-management module that monitors atmospheric condltions and other engine data to determine which fuel-injection map and ignition curve is ideal for the conditions. The new oval-shaped throttle pulley was added to Ilghten the pull tension of the throttle. ........ .... _ .. 2II2P • New 4.4I-pound-heavier crankshaft has approximately 20 percent more inertia for smoother off-idle acceleration and improved power delivery during highway cruising. • Improved fuel-pump design eliminates the return line for lighter weight, fewer parts, cleaner routing of the fuel line and improved reliability. • Throttle-cable puiley changed from a round to an oval shape for smoother throttle response at slight throttle openings. Oval shape results in progressively faster opening and reduced rider fatigue. • Revised ignition mapping contributes to the improved power characteristics and improves feel in the low and medium rpm ranges. • The flywheel has been redesigned and is now smaller in diameter, and narrower, with a thicker outer rim to add inertia. Weight is the same, and rare-earth magnets are utilized for higher efficiency. • Last year's single radiator fan has been replaced with new twin fans for improved cooling performance in stop-and-go city traffic. The new "ring fan" design is quieter and more efficient as well. • Single-rotor oil pump has wider rotors, increased from 24mm to 26mm for increased oil flow. • Improved clutch design directs more cooling oil to the 12-friction-plate clutch for improved reliability and performance during repeated hard launches. • Improved clutch dampers and reduced play between transmission-engagement dogs reduce drive-line lash for smoother on/off throttle transitions. • Shift-shaft diameter increased from 13mm to 14mm for improved shift quality. • Redesigned ram-air duct increases intake area by 30 percent and improves ram-air effect at the side of the duct. Ribs in the duct improve the ram-air effect at the sides and offsets wind sheer from crosswinds. As we proceeded down through the northerly sections of PCH, which are a bit more sweeping and open than further south, I was impressed with the bike's handling. The long, sweeping-radius corners suited the Kawasaki perfectly. I was impressed with how well the bike handled in these conditions, but I fully expected that its longish 1450mm wheelbase would offer ample stability in these conditions. Turn-in was crisp, and midcorner corrections could be made without too much fanfare, despite the bike's fairly healthy weight, meaning it's no 600cc Supersport bike. The front end felt planted, and the redesigned suspension felt supple, yet capable of dealing with any surface irregularities was worried about would react in the south, but more on at speed. What I was how the bike tighter stuff down that in a minute. One thing with which I was immediately impressed was the bike's engine. It appears that Kawasaki accomplished what they set out to do with this motor, and that's to create a gearbox for acceleration. One thing that I noticed right away is that you have to be very careful if you have any intentions of retaining your driver's license. The motor may have an . . . . _ .. 28I2lI • Frame has less gusseting around the steering head for improved stiffness balance. • Upper steering-head bearings have increased in size from 25mm to 35mm for lighter steering qualities. • Front engine mount has been changed from a double to a single hanger to accommodate the new twin cooling fan locations. • A lighter swingarm uses an extruded brace in place of the earlier cast brace for less weight and revised stiffness to match the new frame. Ride quality over bumps also improved. • The mounting position for the rear-suspension linkage moved forward and downward for improved suspension action. • Swingarm pivot has moved 2mm downward for sportier handling and improved off-corner acceleration. • Handlebar is lowered 5mm. • Inverted 43mm cartridge fork is fully adjustable for preload and compression/ rebound damping. New stepless adjustments. • Fork offset reduced from 32mm to 28mm for sportier handling characteristics and improved steering feedback. • Longer topping spring and stiffer initial damping reduce dive during abrupt off-throttle situations and help stabilize chassis during on/off throttle work. • Nitrogen gas-charged shpck with piggy-back reservoir is 5mm shorter and uses a sorter spring. Stepless spring preload and new stepless compression/ rebound damping adjustment make it easy to adjust. • New Uni-Trak linkage provides a more linear force on the rear shock and has increased rigidity. • New rear-shock damping mechanism uses a check-valve damper in place of the earlier needle-valve damper for improved damping characteristics. • The front-brake caliper-piston seal coating was changed to reduce friction for improved brake action and feel. odd, tinny, sewing-machine-on-crystal-meth sound under hard acceleration, like all Kawasakis do, but at steady-throttle riding you can be easily tricked into thinking you're going a lot slower than you really are. I caught myself riding between 90 and 100 mph multiple times, when I was sure that I wasn't going a tick over 70. The motor gets really smooth and quiet at cruising speed, but like I said, cruising speed could be anywhere from 60 to 100 mph, and you can't tell the difference between the speeds. Acceleration is what this bike is all about, and it's why Kawasaki made the changes to the motor that they did. Usability is the key to the changes, because let's face it - even us journalists don't spend a lot of time at 190 mph, while any experi- bike's motor has a really strong enced rider will appreciate acceleration. The low-end and midrange performance of the ZX-12R's motor is midrange power delivery that requires impressive, and the 164.7 rear-wheel very little in the way of rowing the horsepower and 92.1 foot-pounds of ·user-friendly" power delivery. The The chassis features the world's first production monocoque backbone aluminum frame. Kawasaki claims that by using the monocoque chassis and eliminating the twin side spars, they have been able to make the bike narrower, thus improving aerodynamic efficiency. One of the key changes for 2002 was to reduce the bracing at the steering head to actually create more flex in the frame. Apparently, the frame was too stiff, and it actually hurt handling instead of improving it. The backbone frame has allowed Kawasaki to move the 5.0-gallon fuel cell below the seat. which reduces the The br8k_ have decent power, but they bike's center of gravity and also could _ ........ feel. makes room for the large airbox under the faux "gas tank." The ZX- 12R has a new swingarm that features an extruded brace instead of the old bike's cast brace. The Uni-Trak swingarm has lost 2.2 pounds in the process, and now bolts into the chassis pivot plates 2mm lower to help improve handling. Out back is a new, fully adjustable, nitrogen-gas piggyback shock, which is 5mm shorter and uses a new, softer spring. It also features new stepless adjusters. The lightweight aluminum-alloy rear rim wears a massive 200/50ZR17 tire. Braking out back is handled by a single opposed-piston caliper with a 230mm disc. The rear suspension also features new linkage for a more linear suspension stroke. Front-end geometry has been altered by reducing the fork offset from 32mm to 28mm, and trail has been increased from 94mm to 99mm, while rake remains unchanged at 23.5 degrees. The 43mm inverted fori< is fully adjustable and features new springs that are stiffer in their initial travel to help eliminate dive under hard braking, and then become more supple in the later stages of the stroke. The front brakes consist of a pair of opposed six-piston calipers biting down on twin 320mm discs. The front rim wears a 120/70ZR17 tire. torque that the bike is making can't be interpreted as anything short of impressive. To back up what we already knew - that the bike has ample power - we threw the bike on the dyno at Motorcycle Online. These are accurate dyno readings - not the manufacturer's claimed numbers - well over 100 mph. I mean, it's written in my job description to act like that, and we had to see what the bikes would do. I can report that topend acceleration is plenty strong, right up into the "you are going straight to jail" speeds. Irresponsible, probably. Fun, definitely. Illegal which makes them all the more impreSSive. It's still the type of power that experienced riders only should delve into, but it's also deceptively smooth in its delivery. Don't let the midrange power fool you into thinking that the bike doesn't have top-end power, because nothing could be further from the truth. While riding over to a road that we thought would be good for photographs, we speeds are always fun, right? I have a feeling that a shootout between the new Kawasaki, Honda CBR1100XX, and the Suzuki is in the cards for us, but I'll tell you right now, it makes no difference which bike is faster, because the Kawasaki is one hell of an exhilarating bike. One thing that is really fun about a slightly heavier, longer-wheelbase bike like the ZX-12R is that the expe- rode for about 15 miles on a fast, sweeping, four-lane highway, which was devoid of traffic. Being the idiots that we are, Peter Jones [editor of rienced rider can get stupid on it without the reperCUSSions of, say, a GSX-RI000, which weighs around 90 pounds less and can get you into a bit of trouble in a hurry. One of the roads that we chose for photos had Motorcycle Street & Strip] and I proceeded to ride the entire 15 miles at eye I e n e _ S • MARCH 13.2002 21

• Cover