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/128198
2003 Kawasaki ZX6R By PAUL CARRUTHERS PHOTOS By TOM RILES 11 t is fair to say that the good word Uhas finally trickled down to all the manufacturers of 600cc sportbikes. Those who buy these bikes are willing to sacrifice nearly everything in the name of performance. It's really a case of "comfort be damned." Give me eye-watering speed, arm-pumping stopping power, weight that's not only light, but in all the right places, suspension that's stiffer with a seat to match. The bottom line: Those in the market for a 600cc sportbike want a race bike that's street legal. End of subject. Although road racer Tommy Hayden gets his for free, making him 14 JANUARY 29,2003' cue • e happy is more than half the battle. After all, if the best racers are happy with the newest 600cc sportbikes from the companies that pay them, then they're probably going to be as close to street-legal race bikes as you can find. When it comes to the ZX-6R and its sibling ZX-6RR, Hayden can't help but smile. This year he'll race both: the ZX-6RR in the 600cc Supersport class and the ZX-6R, with its 636cc, in the Superstock (nee 750cc Supersport) class. Hayden had the opportunity to ride the newest middleweight sportbikes from Kawasaki at the Daytona tire test. He came away impressed. We and Hayden - had the opportunity to throw our legs over the bikes during nevws Kawasaki's recent press introduction in Pahrump, Nevada, home of the Spring Mountain Motorsports Park road course. The rest of us also came away impressed with what Kawasaki has come up with after throwing compromise out the window. So with the compromise of trying to make the perfect streetbike while also making a capable racebike a thing of the past, Kawasaki has actually come a lot closer to making the perfect streetbike. They've done so with the ZX-6R, the beefed up version of the ZX-6RR, and the one we concentrated on during our day of testing in Pahrump. Since the ZX-6RR will come in limited supplies, the R is the version most of you will look at - it's the bike aimed directly at consumers, Eric Bostrom tries In vain to catch editor Carruthers at the Introduction for the new Kawasaki ZX·6R. Once the tears from his laughter cleared, Bostrom easily stuffed it under our fearless leader. riders not concerned about whether or not the bike is legal for 600cc Supersport racing. They want the best they can get for the country roads and the canyon twisties, knowing full well there's not going to be an AMA teardown tech awaiting them when they get back home. Thus, the R is the bike for the rest of us. Let Tommy keep his 6RR. One thing Kawasaki gave us for this press introduction was plenty of seat time. Using sessions of